New Plymouth weather in January

In January, New Plymouth sees average daytime highs of 19°C and overnight lows near 16°C, with 105 mm of rain across 10.1 wet days and about 14.4 hours of daylight. It is the 2nd-warmest and 11th-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 32% of the time in January, and the air most often feels comfortable.

Daylight stretches from about 14 h 42 min at the start of January to 14 h 06 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, January is New Plymouth's 3rd-clearest and 11th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see New Plymouth's year-round climate.

Daytime high
19°
2nd warmest
Overnight low
16°
11th coldest
Rainfall
105 mm
10.1 wet days
Daylight
14 h 30 min
6:19 AM – 8:47 PM
Cloud cover
56%
3rd clearest
Wind
19 km/h
11th windiest
Solar energy
7.39 kWh/m²
Travel score
6.1
out of 10

New Plymouth is city of New Zealand in Taranaki Region.

Density
39/km²
people per km²
Founded
1841

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 New Plymouth reaches about 19°C in the afternoon and slips back to 16°C overnight — a 3°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 17°C and 21°C. Set against its neighbours, January runs about 2°C warmer than December and about 1°C cooler than February.

10°15°20°25°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
11816
21816
31816
41816
51816
61816
71816
81816
91816
101916
111916
121916
131916
141916
151916
161916
171916
181916
191916
201916
211916
221916
231916
241917
251917
261917
271917
281917
291917
302017
312017

New Plymouth weather by month

How January compares with the rest of the year at a glance. January is the 2nd-warmest and 11th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan19° / 16°10510.114.46.1
Feb20° / 17°1038.913.56.3
Mar19° / 16°10910.612.36.1
Apr17° / 14°15412.5115.2
May15° / 13°18314.19.94.3
Jun13° / 11°18514.69.33.4
Jul13° / 10°18916.29.53.0
Aug12° / 10°17716.210.53.0
Sep13° / 11°17315.611.73.2
Oct14° / 12°17114.9133.7
Nov15° / 13°13412.314.14.5
Dec17° / 15°16013.314.75.2

Cloud cover in January

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 32% 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 49%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
15050
25050
35149
45149
55248
65248
75248
85248
95248
105347
115248
125248
135248
145347
155248
165248
175149
185050
195050
205149
215050
224951
234951
244951
255050
265050
274951
284951
295050
305149
315149

Chance of precipitation in January

Any precipitation

New Plymouth gets around 105 mm of rain over 10.1 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 34% and peaks near 37% on the wettest days.

0%10%20%30%40%50%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
137
236
336
435
535
635
734
834
934
1034
1134
1234
1334
1435
1535
1635
1735
1835
1935
2034
2134
2234
2333
2433
2533
2632
2732
2832
2932
3031
3131

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 38% of days. It rarely turns muggy — the humid and sticky bands barely register.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)Muggy (%)
14237200
24238210
34138210
44138210
54038210
64038220
73938220
83939221
93839221
103839221
113739231
123739231
133640232
143540232
153440232
163340243
173341243
183240243
193140254
203040264
213039265
222939275
232838286
242837296
252737297
262736307
272636308
282635318
292635318
302635318
312635319

Wind in January

Winds average 19 km/h in January.

Across January, daily wind ranges from about 18 km/h on the calmest days to 19 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

0510152025151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
119light breeze
219light breeze
319light breeze
419light breeze
519light breeze
619light breeze
719light breeze
819light breeze
919light breeze
1019light breeze
1119light breeze
1219light breeze
1319light breeze
1419light breeze
1519light breeze
1619light breeze
1719light breeze
1819light breeze
1919light breeze
2019light breeze
2119light breeze
2219light breeze
2319light breeze
2418light breeze
2518light breeze
2618light breeze
2718light breeze
2818light breeze
2918light breeze
3018light breeze
3118light breeze

Sunrise & sunset in January

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 14 h 42 min at the start of January to 14 h 06 min by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days shrink by about 36 minutes over January. Sunrise moves from 6:06 AM to 6:35 AM, and sunset from 8:48 PM to 8:39 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
114.76:068:48
214.76:078:48
314.76:078:48
414.76:088:48
514.76:098:48
614.66:108:48
714.66:118:48
814.66:128:48
914.66:128:48
1014.66:138:48
1114.66:148:48
1214.56:158:48
1314.56:168:48
1414.56:178:47
1514.56:188:47
1614.56:198:47
1714.46:208:46
1814.46:218:46
1914.46:228:46
2014.46:238:45
2114.36:248:45
2214.36:258:44
2314.36:278:44
2414.36:288:43
2514.26:298:43
2614.26:308:42
2714.26:318:41
2814.16:328:41
2914.16:338:40
3014.16:348:39
3114.16:358:39

Solar energy in January

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in January, about 7.39 kWh/m² — the sunniest month for solar.

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 1.8 kWh/m² to a high of 7.39 kWh/m² in January across the year — January's 7.39 kWh/m² sits near the top of that range.

02468151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
17.7Intense
27.7Intense
37.7Intense
47.7Intense
57.7Intense
67.6Intense
77.6Intense
87.5Intense
97.5Intense
107.4Intense
117.4Intense
127.3Intense
137.3Intense
147.2Intense
157.2Intense
167.1Intense
177.1Intense
187.1Intense
197.0Intense
207.0Intense
217.0Intense
226.9Intense
236.9Intense
246.9Intense
256.8Intense
266.8Intense
276.8Intense
286.7Intense
296.7Intense
306.7Intense
316.7Intense
Planning a trip in January

Is January a good time to visit New Plymouth?

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

6.1
Sightseeing
2nd-best month of the year
2.5
Beach & pool
2nd-best month of the year

January is a reasonable time to visit New Plymouth for sightseeing.

What to pack for New Plymouth in January

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

In January, New Plymouth sees daytime highs around 19°C and nights near 16°C. Pack sun protection. Worth having: rain gear. About 10 days see rain.

sun protectionrain gear

Sea temperature near New Plymouth in January

The nearest coast averages about 19°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 19 km away) is warmest in February at about 20°C and coldest in August near 14°C.

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

12°14°16°18°20°22°JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecbracingcoolrefreshing
Sea temperature (°C)Comfort
Jan19Cool
Feb20Cool
Mar19Cool
Apr18Cool
May17Cool
Jun15Cool
Jul14Bracing
Aug14Bracing
Sep14Bracing
Oct14Bracing
Nov16Cool
Dec17Cool

UV index in New Plymouth 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 New Plymouth peaks around January 12 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.

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecExtremeHighModerateLowModerateHighVery highExtremeJan 12UV 12Jun 17UV 2
UV index (midday)Level
Jan12Extreme
Feb11Extreme
Mar7High
Apr5Moderate
May2Moderate
Jun2Low
Jul2Moderate
Aug3Moderate
Sep4Moderate
Oct7High
Nov10Very high
Dec12Extreme
Location & terrain

Where is New Plymouth?

New Plymouth sits at 39.1°S, 174.1°E, 64 m above sea level, in New Zealand. The nearest listed city is Whanganui, 127 km away.

WhanganuiHamilton EastHamiltonCambridgeTaupoPalmerston NorthLevinRotorua

Topography around New Plymouth

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around New Plymouth has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 106 m around an average of 43 m above sea level; within 16 km, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 665 m; within 80 km, extreme variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 2,459 m.

The land around New Plymouth is covered by trees (33%), artificial surfaces (29%) and grassland (21%) within 3 km, water (43%) and grassland (38%) within 16 km, and water (45%), trees (28%) and grassland (26%) within 80 km.

3 km
106 m
16 km
665 m
80 km
2,459 m
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfaceswater
January weather nearby: Whanganui 127 km · Hamilton East 177 km · Hamilton 177 km · Cambridge 177 km · Taupo 178 km · Palmerston North 194 km · Levin 202 km · Rotorua 214 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 New Plymouth (-39.0667°, 174.0833°, elevation 64 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).