Rolleston weather in January

In January, Rolleston sees average daytime highs of 22°C and overnight lows near 12°C, with 53 mm of rain across 8.1 wet days and about 14.9 hours of daylight. It is the 2nd-warmest and 7th-wettest month of the year here.

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 22°C through the month. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 26% 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 Rolleston's 10th-clearest and 2nd-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Rolleston's year-round climate.

Daytime high
22°
2nd warmest
Overnight low
12°
12th coldest
Rainfall
53 mm
8.1 wet days
Daylight
14 h 54 min
6:13 AM – 9:07 PM
Cloud cover
62%
10th clearest
Wind
13 km/h
2nd windiest
Solar energy
6.98 kWh/m²
Travel score
6.8
out of 10

Rolleston is town in Canterbury, New Zealand.

Density
1,545/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 22°C through the month.

A typical January day in Rolleston reaches about 22°C in the afternoon and slips back to 12°C overnight — a 10°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 17°C and 27°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)
12112
22112
32112
42112
52112
62112
72112
82212
92212
102212
112212
122212
132212
142212
152212
162212
172212
182212
192212
202212
212212
222212
232212
242212
252212
262212
272212
282212
292212
302212
312212

How January really feels in Rolleston

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.

Rolleston weather by month

How January compares with the rest of the year at a glance. January is the 2nd-warmest and 7th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan22° / 12°538.114.96.8
Feb22° / 12°416.113.87.1
Mar20° / 10°446.512.46.8
Apr17° / 518.410.85.7
May14° / 4889.54.4
Jun11° / 5898.83.0
Jul11° / 548.29.12.8
Aug12° / 549.810.23.4
Sep14° / 509.411.74.4
Oct16° / 5710.813.25.1
Nov18° / 579.814.55.9
Dec20° / 11°599.815.26.2

Cloud cover in January

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 26% 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 57%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
14357
24357
34357
44159
54258
64159
74159
84159
94258
104159
114159
124258
134258
144258
154357
164357
174357
184456
194555
204555
214555
224555
234654
244456
254456
264456
274456
284456
294357
304357
314456

Chance of precipitation in January

Any precipitation

Rolleston gets around 53 mm of rain over 8.1 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 26% and peaks near 30% on the wettest days. The odds ease toward the end of the month.

0%10%20%30%40%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
130
230
330
430
530
630
730
830
929
1029
1129
1228
1328
1427
1527
1626
1726
1826
1925
2025
2125
2224
2324
2423
2523
2623
2723
2822
2922
3022
3122

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 75% of days. It rarely turns muggy — the humid and sticky bands barely register.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)
182162
281172
381172
481172
580182
680182
779183
879183
979183
1079183
1179183
1278193
1378193
1477203
1577203
1676213
1776213
1874224
1974224
2073234
2173234
2271245
2371245
2470255
2570255
2669265
2768266
2868266
2968266
3068266
3168266

Wind in January

Winds average 13 km/h in January.

Across January, daily wind ranges from about 13 km/h on the calmest days to 13 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

05101520151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
113light breeze
213light breeze
313light breeze
413light breeze
513light breeze
613light breeze
713light breeze
813light breeze
913light breeze
1013light breeze
1113light breeze
1213light breeze
1313light breeze
1413light breeze
1513light breeze
1613light breeze
1713light breeze
1813light breeze
1913light breeze
2013light breeze
2113light breeze
2213light breeze
2313light breeze
2413light breeze
2513light breeze
2613light breeze
2713light breeze
2813light breeze
2913light breeze
3013light breeze
3113light 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 5:58 AM to 6:31 AM, and sunset from 9:09 PM to 8:56 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
115.25:589:09
215.25:599:09
315.25:599:10
415.26:009:10
515.16:019:10
615.16:029:09
715.16:039:09
815.16:049:09
915.16:059:09
1015.06:069:09
1115.06:079:09
1215.06:089:08
1315.06:099:08
1415.06:109:08
1514.96:119:07
1614.96:139:07
1714.96:149:06
1814.86:159:06
1914.86:169:05
2014.86:179:05
2114.86:199:04
2214.76:209:04
2314.76:219:03
2414.76:229:02
2514.66:249:01
2614.66:259:01
2714.66:269:00
2814.56:278:59
2914.56:298:58
3014.56:308:57
3114.46:318:56

Solar energy in January

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in January, about 6.98 kWh/m² — the sunniest month for solar.

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 1.46 kWh/m² to a high of 6.98 kWh/m² in January across the year — January's 6.98 kWh/m² sits near the top of that range.

02468151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
17.5Intense
27.4Intense
37.4Intense
47.3Intense
57.3Intense
67.2Intense
77.2Intense
87.1Intense
97.0Intense
107.0Intense
116.9Intense
126.8Intense
136.8Intense
146.8Intense
156.7Intense
166.7Intense
176.7Intense
186.7Intense
196.6Intense
206.6Intense
216.6Intense
226.6Intense
236.6Intense
246.5Intense
256.5Intense
266.5Intense
276.5Intense
286.5Intense
296.4Intense
306.4Intense
316.4Intense
Planning a trip in January

Is January a good time to visit Rolleston?

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

6.8
Sightseeing
2nd-best month of the year
4.6
Beach & pool
2nd-best month of the year

January is a reasonable time to visit Rolleston for sightseeing.

What to pack for Rolleston in January

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

In January, Rolleston sees daytime highs around 22°C and nights near 12°C. Pack sun protection. Worth having: rain gear. About 8 days see rain.

sun protectionrain gear

Sea temperature near Rolleston 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 32 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
May13Bracing
Jun11Bracing
Jul9Bracing
Aug9Bracing
Sep10Bracing
Oct12Bracing
Nov14Bracing
Dec15Cool

UV index in Rolleston 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 Rolleston peaks around January 16 at about 11 (extreme) — 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 8 months of the year.

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecExtremeVery highModerateLowModerateHighVery highJan 16UV 11Jun 17UV 1
UV index (midday)Level
Jan11Extreme
Feb10Very high
Mar6High
Apr3Moderate
May2Low
Jun1Low
Jul2Low
Aug2Moderate
Sep4Moderate
Oct6High
Nov8Very high
Dec10Very high
Location & terrain

Where is Rolleston?

Rolleston sits at 43.6°S, 172.4°E, 60 m above sea level, in New Zealand. The nearest listed city is Christchurch, 21 km away.

TimaruTekapoKaikouraFranz JosefRichmond

Topography around Rolleston

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Rolleston has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 45 m around an average of 59 m above sea level; within 16 km, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 166 m; within 80 km, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 2,161 m.

The land around Rolleston is covered by grassland (42%) and cropland (27%) within 3 km, grassland (52%) and cropland (30%) within 16 km, and water (37%) and grassland (36%) within 80 km.

3 km
45 m
16 km
166 m
80 km
2,161 m
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwater
January weather nearby: Christchurch 21 km · Rangiora 35 km · Ashburton 63 km · Timaru 128 km · Tekapo 160 km · Kaikoura 167 km · Franz Josef 179 km · Richmond 259 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 Rolleston (-43.5833°, 172.3833°, elevation 60 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).