Dunedin weather in January

In January, Dunedin sees average daytime highs of 19°C and overnight lows near 10°C, with 91 mm of rain across 13.1 wet days and about 15.1 hours of daylight. It is the 1st-warmest and 2nd-wettest month of the year here.

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 19°C through the month. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 12% of the time in January, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 15 h 30 min at the start of January to 14 h 36 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, January is Dunedin's 11th-clearest and 4th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Dunedin's year-round climate.

Daytime high
19°
1st warmest
Overnight low
10°
12th coldest
Rainfall
91 mm
13.1 wet days
Daylight
15 h 12 min
6:12 AM – 9:22 PM
Cloud cover
74%
11th clearest
Wind
14 km/h
4th windiest
Solar energy
6.04 kWh/m²
Travel score
5.4
out of 10

Dunedin is city in New Zealand's South Island.

Air quality
Good
PM10 18.1 µg/m³ · 2012
Density
40/km²
people per km²
Founded
1848

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 19°C through the month.

A typical January day in Dunedin reaches about 19°C in the afternoon and slips back to 10°C overnight — a 8°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 14°C and 24°C. Set against its neighbours, January runs about 1°C warmer than December and on par with February.

10°15°20°25°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
11810
21810
31810
41810
51810
61810
71810
81810
91810
101810
111810
121810
131810
141810
151910
161910
171910
181910
191910
201910
211910
221910
231910
241911
251911
261911
271911
281911
291911
301911
311911

How January really feels in Dunedin

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.

Dunedin weather by month

How January compares with the rest of the year at a glance. January is the 1st-warmest and 2nd-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan19° / 10°9113.115.15.4
Feb19° / 10°7310.3145.7
Mar17° / 599.712.45.5
Apr15° / 549.310.74.5
May12° / 509.99.33.3
Jun10° / 469.38.52.1
Jul / 398.18.82.1
Aug11° / 419.110.12.6
Sep13° / 5010.611.73.4
Oct14° / 7413.613.33.8
Nov16° / 7713.514.74.3
Dec17° / 9614.415.54.8

Cloud cover in January

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 12% of the time in January.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 15% of January, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 73%. Skies tend to open up as the month goes on.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
12476
22476
32377
42377
52278
62278
72278
82476
92476
102476
112476
122575
132575
142773
152773
162773
172872
182872
192971
202971
212971
222971
233070
243070
253070
263070
273070
283169
293169
303169
313169

Chance of precipitation in January

Any precipitation

Dunedin gets around 91 mm of rain over 13.1 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 42% and peaks near 46% on the wettest days. The odds ease toward the end of the month.

0%20%40%60%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
145
246
346
446
546
646
746
845
945
1044
1144
1244
1343
1443
1542
1642
1741
1841
1940
2040
2139
2239
2339
2439
2539
2640
2740
2840
2940
3039
3139

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 79% of days. It rarely turns muggy — the humid and sticky bands barely register.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)
183161
283161
383161
483161
583161
683161
782171
882171
982171
1082171
1182171
1282171
1382171
1481172
1581172
1681172
1779183
1879183
1978184
2077194
2177194
2275205
2375205
2474215
2574215
2672226
2772226
2872226
2972226
3072226
3172226

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

Days shrink by about 54 minutes over January. Sunrise moves from 5:57 AM to 6:33 AM, and sunset from 9:25 PM to 9:10 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
115.55:579:25
215.55:589:26
315.45:599:26
415.45:599:26
515.46:009:25
615.46:019:25
715.46:029:25
815.46:039:25
915.36:049:25
1015.36:059:25
1115.36:079:24
1215.36:089:24
1315.26:099:23
1415.26:109:23
1515.26:119:23
1615.26:129:22
1715.16:149:22
1815.16:159:21
1915.16:169:20
2015.06:179:20
2115.06:199:19
2215.06:209:18
2314.96:219:17
2414.96:239:17
2514.96:249:16
2614.86:269:15
2714.86:279:14
2814.76:289:13
2914.76:309:12
3014.76:319:11
3114.66:339:10

Solar energy in January

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in January, about 6.04 kWh/m² — the sunniest month for solar.

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 1.22 kWh/m² to a high of 6.04 kWh/m² in January across the year — January's 6.04 kWh/m² sits near the top of that range.

0246151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
16.5Intense
26.4Intense
36.4Intense
46.3Intense
56.3Intense
66.2Intense
76.2Intense
86.1Intense
96.1Intense
106.0Intense
116.0Intense
126.0Bright
135.9Bright
145.9Bright
155.9Bright
165.9Bright
175.8Bright
185.8Bright
195.8Bright
205.8Bright
215.8Bright
225.8Bright
235.7Bright
245.7Bright
255.7Bright
265.7Bright
275.7Bright
285.6Bright
295.6Bright
305.6Bright
315.5Bright
Planning a trip in January

Is January a good time to visit Dunedin?

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

5.4
Sightseeing
3rd-best month of the year
2.1
Beach & pool
2nd-best month of the year

January is a reasonable time to visit Dunedin for sightseeing.

What to pack for Dunedin in January

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

In January, Dunedin sees daytime highs around 19°C and nights near 10°C. Pack sun protection. Worth having: rain gear. About 13 days see rain.

sun protectionrain gear

Sea temperature near Dunedin in January

The nearest coast averages about 14°C in January — the other half of the beach question. The full-year curve and swim-comfort zones are below.

The sea offshore is warmest in February at about 14°C and coldest in August near 10°C.

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

8°10°12°14°16°JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecbracingcool
Sea temperature (°C)Comfort
Jan14Bracing
Feb14Bracing
Mar14Bracing
Apr13Bracing
May12Bracing
Jun11Bracing
Jul10Bracing
Aug10Bracing
Sep10Bracing
Oct11Bracing
Nov12Bracing
Dec13Bracing

UV index in Dunedin in January

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in January peaks around 10 (very high — sun protection essential). The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.

Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Dunedin peaks around January 15 at about 10 (very high) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near June 17 at about 1 (low).

The index reaches 3 or more — the level where the WHO recommends sun protection — in 7 months of the year.

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecVery highModerateLowModerateHighVery highJan 15UV 10Jun 17UV 1
UV index (midday)Level
Jan10Extreme
Feb9Very high
Mar5High
Apr3Moderate
May1Low
Jun1Low
Jul1Low
Aug2Moderate
Sep3Moderate
Oct5High
Nov8Very high
Dec9Very high
Location & terrain

Where is Dunedin?

Dunedin sits at 45.9°S, 170.5°E, 21 m above sea level, in New Zealand. The nearest listed city is Wanaka, 168 km away.

WanakaQueenstownTimaruInvercargillTekapoAshburtonFranz JosefRolleston

Topography around Dunedin

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Dunedin has significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 286 m around an average of 73 m above sea level; within 16 km, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 790 m; within 80 km, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,463 m.

The land around Dunedin is covered by artificial surfaces (42%) and trees (38%) within 3 km, water (39%), trees (35%) and grassland (22%) within 16 km, and grassland (48%) and water (39%) within 80 km.

3 km
286 m
16 km
790 m
80 km
1,463 m
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwater
January weather nearby: Wanaka 168 km · Queenstown 172 km · Timaru 175 km · Invercargill 176 km · Tekapo 208 km · Ashburton 240 km · Franz Josef 277 km · Rolleston 295 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 Dunedin (-45.8742°, 170.5036°, elevation 21 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).