Cambridge weather in January

In January, Cambridge sees average daytime highs of 23°C and overnight lows near 14°C, with 76 mm of rain across 8.9 wet days and about 14.3 hours of daylight. It is the 2nd-warmest and 10th-wettest month of the year here.

Highs climb over the month, from about 22°C in the first days to 24°C by the end. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 23% of the time in January, and the air most often feels comfortable.

Daylight stretches from about 14 h 36 min at the start of January to 14 hours by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, January is Cambridge's 8th-clearest and 5th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Cambridge's year-round climate.

Daytime high
23°
2nd warmest
Overnight low
14°
11th coldest
Rainfall
76 mm
8.9 wet days
Daylight
14 h 24 min
6:17 AM – 8:38 PM
Cloud cover
63%
8th clearest
Wind
12 km/h
5th windiest
Solar energy
6.6 kWh/m²
Travel score
6.9
out of 10

Cambridge is town in the Waikato Region of the North Island of New Zealand.

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

Temperature in January

Average highAverage lowShaded bands: 10–90% of days

Highs climb over the month, from about 22°C in the first days to 24°C by the end.

A typical January day in Cambridge reaches about 23°C in the afternoon and slips back to 14°C overnight — a 9°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 20°C and 26°C. Set against its neighbours, January runs about 2°C warmer than December and on par with February.

10°15°20°25°30°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
12213
22213
32213
42213
52213
62213
72213
82213
92214
102214
112314
122314
132314
142314
152314
162314
172314
182314
192314
202314
212314
222314
232314
242314
252314
262314
272414
282414
292414
302414
312414

Cambridge weather by month

How January compares with the rest of the year at a glance. January is the 2nd-warmest and 10th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan23° / 14°768.914.36.9
Feb23° / 14°757.713.57.1
Mar22° / 12°758.212.36.8
Apr19° / 10°959.5116.1
May16° / 10411.1105.0
Jun14° / 11211.59.43.9
Jul13° / 12013.19.63.5
Aug14° / 11713.910.53.6
Sep15° / 11313.811.74.2
Oct17° / 10412.7134.9
Nov19° / 10°9511.1145.7
Dec21° / 13°10612.114.66.0

Cloud cover in January

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 23% of the time in January.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 17% of January, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 60%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
14060
24159
34258
44159
54258
64357
74357
84258
94258
104258
114258
124159
134159
144159
154060
163961
173961
183961
193961
203961
213961
223961
233862
243862
253862
263961
273961
283961
293961
303961
313961

Chance of precipitation in January

Any precipitation

Cambridge gets around 76 mm of rain over 8.9 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
233
333
432
532
631
731
831
931
1030
1130
1230
1330
1430
1530
1630
1729
1829
1929
2028
2128
2228
2327
2427
2526
2626
2726
2825
2925
3025
3125

Humidity in January

DryComfortableHumidMuggyOppressiveMiserable

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

By dew point, January lands in the comfortable band about 39% of days. It rarely turns muggy — the humid and sticky bands barely register.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)Muggy (%)
14238192
24238192
34138192
44039192
54039192
64039192
73939192
83940192
93940192
103840193
113840193
123840193
133741193
143741194
153641194
163641194
173541204
183541205
193540205
203440215
213439216
223439216
233338227
243338227
253338227
263237237
273237238
283236248
293236248
303235258
313235257

Wind in January

Winds average 12 km/h in January.

Across January, daily wind ranges from about 11 km/h on the calmest days to 12 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

051015151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
112light breeze
212light breeze
312light breeze
412light breeze
512light breeze
612light breeze
712light breeze
812light breeze
912light breeze
1012light breeze
1112light breeze
1212light breeze
1312light breeze
1412light breeze
1512light breeze
1612light breeze
1712light breeze
1812light breeze
1912light breeze
2012light breeze
2112calm
2212calm
2312calm
2412calm
2512calm
2612calm
2712calm
2812calm
2912calm
3012calm
3111calm

Sunrise & sunset in January

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 14 h 36 min at the start of January to 14 hours by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days shrink by about 36 minutes over January. Sunrise moves from 6:04 AM to 6:33 AM, and sunset from 8:39 PM to 8:30 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
114.66:048:39
214.66:058:39
314.66:058:39
414.66:068:39
514.56:078:39
614.56:088:39
714.56:098:39
814.56:098:39
914.56:108:39
1014.56:118:39
1114.56:128:39
1214.46:138:39
1314.46:148:39
1414.46:158:39
1514.46:168:38
1614.46:178:38
1714.36:188:38
1814.36:198:38
1914.36:208:37
2014.36:218:37
2114.26:228:36
2214.26:238:36
2314.26:248:35
2414.26:258:35
2514.16:268:34
2614.16:278:34
2714.16:288:33
2814.16:298:33
2914.06:308:32
3014.06:328:31
3114.06:338:30

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 1.81 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.

0246151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
16.8Intense
26.8Intense
36.8Intense
46.8Intense
56.8Intense
66.8Intense
76.7Intense
86.7Intense
96.6Intense
106.6Intense
116.5Intense
126.5Intense
136.4Intense
146.4Intense
156.4Intense
166.3Intense
176.3Intense
186.3Intense
196.3Intense
206.2Intense
216.2Intense
226.2Intense
236.2Intense
246.1Intense
256.1Intense
266.1Intense
276.1Intense
286.0Intense
296.0Intense
306.0Bright
315.9Bright
Planning a trip in January

Hazard calendar for Cambridge

In seasonPeak

In January, Cambridge sits inside its cyclone season. The full year is below, with each hazard's peak months called out.

Cambridge sits in the South Indian Ocean cyclone belt; the season peaks January–March.

Cyclone
Jan
Feb
Mar
Apr
May
Jun
Jul
Aug
Sep
Oct
Nov
Dec

Is January a good time to visit Cambridge?

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

6.9
Sightseeing
2nd-best month of the year
5.2
Beach & pool
2nd-best month of the year

January is a reasonable time to visit Cambridge for sightseeing.

What to pack for Cambridge in January

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

In January, Cambridge sees daytime highs around 23°C and nights near 14°C. Pack sun protection. Worth having: light clothes and rain gear. About 9 days see rain.

sun protectionlight clothesrain gear

Sea temperature near Cambridge in January

The nearest coast averages about 20°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 57 km away) is warmest in February at about 21°C and coldest in August near 14°C.

It's comfortable for a long swim from Jan 17 to Mar 15 — about 1.9 months when the water holds above 20°C.

15°20°JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecbracingcoolrefreshingcomfortable to swim
Sea temperature (°C)Comfort
Jan20Refreshing
Feb21Refreshing
Mar20Refreshing
Apr19Cool
May17Cool
Jun15Cool
Jul14Bracing
Aug14Bracing
Sep14Bracing
Oct15Cool
Nov17Cool
Dec19Cool

UV index in Cambridge in January

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in January peaks around 12 (very high — sun protection essential). The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.

Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Cambridge peaks around December 23 at about 12 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near June 17 at about 2 (low).

The index reaches 3 or more — the level where the WHO recommends sun protection — in 9 months of the year.

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecExtremeVery highModerateModerateVery highExtremeDec 23UV 12Jun 17UV 2
UV index (midday)Level
Jan12Extreme
Feb11Extreme
Mar8Very high
Apr5Moderate
May3Moderate
Jun2Low
Jul2Moderate
Aug3Moderate
Sep5Moderate
Oct7Very high
Nov11Extreme
Dec12Extreme
Location & terrain

Where is Cambridge?

Cambridge sits at 37.9°S, 175.4°E, 67 m above sea level, in New Zealand. The nearest listed city is Hamilton East, 17 km away.

PapakuraTakaniniTaupo

Topography around Cambridge

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Cambridge has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 59 m around an average of 60 m above sea level; within 16 km, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 459 m; within 80 km, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,188 m.

The land around Cambridge is covered by grassland (64%) within 3 km, grassland (75%) within 16 km, and grassland (53%) and trees (29%) within 80 km.

3 km
59 m
16 km
459 m
80 km
1,188 m
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwaterwetland
January weather nearby: Hamilton East 17 km · Hamilton 17 km · Tauranga 67 km · Rotorua 76 km · Pukekohe East 87 km · Papakura 101 km · Takanini 104 km · Taupo 106 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 Cambridge (-37.8782°, 175.4402°, elevation 67 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. Tropical-cyclone seasons are the published climatological basin seasons (NOAA National Hurricane Center / regional warning centres). 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).