Ashburton weather in January

In January, Ashburton sees average daytime highs of 20°C and overnight lows near 13°C, with 58 mm of rain across 9.2 wet days and about 14.9 hours of daylight. It is the 2nd-warmest and 4th-wettest month of the year here.

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 20°C through the month. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 25% of the time in January, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 15 h 12 min at the start of January to 14 h 24 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, January is Ashburton's 11th-clearest and 2nd-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Ashburton's year-round climate.

Daytime high
20°
2nd warmest
Overnight low
13°
12th coldest
Rainfall
58 mm
9.2 wet days
Daylight
14 h 54 min
6:14 AM – 9:11 PM
Cloud cover
63%
11th clearest
Wind
14 km/h
2nd windiest
Solar energy
6.6 kWh/m²
Travel score
6.4
out of 10

Ashburton is town in New Zealand's South Island.

Air quality
Good
PM10 21.2 µg/m³ · 2012
Density
569/km²
people per km²

Air quality: WHO Ambient Air Quality Database. Density & description: Wikidata (CC0), GeoNames.

Temperature in January

Average highAverage lowShaded bands: 10–90% of days

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 20°C through the month.

A typical January day in Ashburton reaches about 20°C in the afternoon and slips back to 13°C overnight — a 8°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 15°C and 26°C. Set against its neighbours, January runs about 1°C warmer than December and on par with February.

10°15°20°25°30°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
12012
22012
32012
42012
52012
62012
72012
82012
92012
102012
112012
122012
132012
142012
152012
162013
172013
182013
192013
202013
212013
222013
232013
242113
252113
262113
272113
282113
292113
302113
312113

How January really feels in Ashburton

Once humidity and wind are folded in, January averages 0 days that feel above 32°C and 0 that feel at or below 0°C — the comfort signal a plain temperature reading hides.

Days feeling ≥ 32°C
0
heat index over the day's high
Days feeling ≤ C
0
wind chill below the day's low

January sits comfortably in between — no days that feel dangerously hot or drop to a hard freeze once humidity and wind are folded in.

Ashburton weather by month

How January compares with the rest of the year at a glance. January is the 2nd-warmest and 4th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan20° / 13°589.214.96.4
Feb20° / 12°517.313.86.6
Mar19° / 11°517.412.46.4
Apr16° / 599.410.85.2
May14° / 528.29.54.1
Jun11° / 588.78.82.7
Jul10° / 578.29.12.5
Aug12° / 589.410.23.1
Sep14° / 498.711.74.1
Oct15° / 5810.713.24.6
Nov17° / 6610.814.55.2
Dec19° / 11°661115.25.8

Cloud cover in January

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 25% of the time in January.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 19% of January, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 56%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
14258
24258
34258
44159
54159
64258
74258
84357
94357
104357
114357
124456
134456
144456
154555
164555
174555
184555
194555
204555
214555
224555
234456
244456
254555
264555
274555
284555
294456
304456
314456

Chance of precipitation in January

Any precipitation

Ashburton gets around 58 mm of rain over 9.2 wet days in January. The line is the day-by-day chance of measurable precipitation.

Day to day, the chance of measurable rain averages around 29% and peaks near 34% on the wettest days. The odds ease toward the end of the month.

0%10%20%30%40%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
134
234
334
434
534
634
734
833
933
1032
1132
1231
1331
1430
1530
1629
1729
1828
1928
2027
2127
2226
2326
2426
2525
2625
2725
2825
2925
3025
3125

Humidity in January

DryComfortableHumidMuggyOppressiveMiserable

Most of January feels dry — the stacked bands show each day's mix of comfort levels, read off the dew point.

By dew point, January lands in the dry band about 67% of days. It rarely turns muggy — the humid and sticky bands barely register.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)
172253
272253
371263
471263
571263
670273
770273
870273
970273
1070273
1170273
1269274
1369274
1469274
1569274
1669274
1768284
1867285
1967285
2067285
2165296
2265296
2364297
2464297
2563298
2663298
2763298
2863298
2962299
3062299
3162299

Wind in January

Winds average 14 km/h in January.

Across January, daily wind ranges from about 14 km/h on the calmest days to 14 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

05101520151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
114light breeze
214light breeze
314light breeze
414light breeze
514light breeze
614light breeze
714light breeze
814light breeze
914light breeze
1014light breeze
1114light breeze
1214light breeze
1314light breeze
1414light breeze
1514light breeze
1614light breeze
1714light breeze
1814light breeze
1914light breeze
2014light breeze
2114light breeze
2214light breeze
2314light breeze
2414light breeze
2514light breeze
2614light breeze
2714light breeze
2814light breeze
2914light breeze
3014light breeze
3114light breeze

Sunrise & sunset in January

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 15 h 12 min at the start of January to 14 h 24 min by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days shrink by about 48 minutes over January. Sunrise moves from 5:59 AM to 6:33 AM, and sunset from 9:13 PM to 9:00 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
115.25:599:13
215.26:009:13
315.26:019:13
415.26:029:13
515.26:039:13
615.26:049:13
715.16:059:13
815.16:069:13
915.16:079:13
1015.16:089:13
1115.16:099:12
1215.06:109:12
1315.06:119:12
1415.06:129:11
1515.06:139:11
1614.96:149:11
1714.96:159:10
1814.96:179:10
1914.96:189:09
2014.86:199:08
2114.86:209:08
2214.86:219:07
2314.76:239:06
2414.76:249:06
2514.76:259:05
2614.66:279:04
2714.66:289:03
2814.66:299:03
2914.56:309:02
3014.56:329:01
3114.46:339:00

Solar energy in January

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in January, about 6.6 kWh/m² — the sunniest month for solar.

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 1.43 kWh/m² to a high of 6.6 kWh/m² in January across the year — January's 6.6 kWh/m² sits near the top of that range.

02468151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
17.1Intense
27.0Intense
37.0Intense
47.0Intense
56.9Intense
66.8Intense
76.8Intense
86.7Intense
96.7Intense
106.6Intense
116.5Intense
126.5Intense
136.5Intense
146.4Intense
156.4Intense
166.4Intense
176.3Intense
186.3Intense
196.3Intense
206.3Intense
216.3Intense
226.3Intense
236.2Intense
246.2Intense
256.2Intense
266.2Intense
276.1Intense
286.1Intense
296.1Intense
306.1Intense
316.0Intense
Planning a trip in January

Is January a good time to visit Ashburton?

Our two travel scores rate January for general sightseeing and for beach or pool weather — 0 (poor) to 10 (ideal).

6.4
Sightseeing
2nd-best month of the year
3.4
Beach & pool
2nd-best month of the year

January is a reasonable time to visit Ashburton for sightseeing.

What to pack for Ashburton in January

From January's temperature range, rain chance, sun and wind — what's worth putting in the bag.

In January, Ashburton sees daytime highs around 20°C and nights near 13°C. Pack sun protection. Worth having: rain gear. About 9 days see rain.

sun protectionrain gear

Sea temperature near Ashburton in January

The nearest coast averages about 17°C in January — the other half of the beach question. The full-year curve and swim-comfort zones are below.

The sea at the nearest coast (about 27 km away) is warmest in February at about 17°C and coldest in August near 9°C.

The water stays below 20°C all year — cool enough that most swimmers want a wetsuit.

10°15°JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecbracingcool
Sea temperature (°C)Comfort
Jan17Cool
Feb17Cool
Mar16Cool
Apr14Bracing
May12Bracing
Jun10Bracing
Jul9Bracing
Aug9Bracing
Sep10Bracing
Oct11Bracing
Nov14Bracing
Dec15Cool

UV index in Ashburton in January

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in January peaks around 11 (very high — sun protection essential). The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.

Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Ashburton peaks around January 16 at about 10 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near June 16 at about 1 (low).

The index reaches 3 or more — the level where the WHO recommends sun protection — in 8 months of the year.

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecExtremeVery highModerateLowModerateHighVery highJan 16UV 10Jun 16UV 1
UV index (midday)Level
Jan11Extreme
Feb10Very high
Mar6High
Apr3Moderate
May2Low
Jun1Low
Jul2Low
Aug2Moderate
Sep3Moderate
Oct6High
Nov8Very high
Dec10Very high
Location & terrain

Where is Ashburton?

Ashburton sits at 43.9°S, 171.7°E, 106 m above sea level, in New Zealand. The nearest listed city is Rolleston, 63 km away.

RangioraTekapoFranz JosefWanakaKaikoura

Topography around Ashburton

How much the land rises and falls, and what covers it, within 3, 16 and 80 km of Ashburton.

Within 3 km, the terrain around Ashburton has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 42 m around an average of 103 m above sea level; within 16 km, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 195 m; within 80 km, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 2,287 m.

The land around Ashburton is covered by grassland (40%) and artificial surfaces (25%) within 3 km, grassland (50%) and cropland (42%) within 16 km, and grassland (46%) and water (27%) within 80 km.

3 km
42 m
16 km
195 m
80 km
2,287 m
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwater
January weather nearby: Rolleston 63 km · Timaru 67 km · Christchurch 83 km · Rangiora 95 km · Tekapo 101 km · Franz Josef 137 km · Wanaka 224 km · Kaikoura 229 km

New Zealand travel facts

Travel advisory
Level 1
Exercise Normal Precautions
Power plugs
Type I
230 V · 50 Hz
Prices
≈ 86% of US
price level, 2025
GDP per capita
$49,591
2025
Happiness
7.0 / 10
World Happiness, 2025
Safe drinking water
100%
of population, 2024
Homicide rate
1.5
per 100k, 2022
Road deaths
9.6
per 100k/yr, 2019
Income group
High
World Bank
Religion
no religion 49%Christian 37%objected to answering 7%Hindu 3%

Sources: World Bank, US State Department, World Happiness Report, WHO/UNICEF, EF EPI, CIA World Factbook.

Data sources

Temperature, precipitation, cloud, humidity, wind and solar figures are a 1991–2020 climatology for Ashburton (-43.8983°, 171.7301°, elevation 106 m), computed from hourly ERA5 reanalysis — contains modified Copernicus Climate Change Service information. Sun figures are astronomical calculations, not observations. City data © GeoNames, CC BY 4.0. Map outlines from Natural Earth (public domain); interactive map © Google. Sea temperatures are the NOAA OISST v2.1 1991–2020 monthly climatology (public domain), sampled at the nearest ocean point. UV index is derived from CAMS (Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service) clear-sky UV data — contains modified Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service information. Topography is sampled from the Copernicus DEM GLO-90 elevation model (© ESA/Airbus) and ESA WorldCover 2021 land cover (CC BY 4.0).