Timaru weather in January

In January, Timaru sees average daytime highs of 18°C and overnight lows near 12°C, with 81 mm of rain across 12.8 wet days and about 15 hours of daylight. It is the 2nd-warmest and 1st-wettest month of the year here.

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 18°C through the month. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 21% of the time in January, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 15 h 18 min at the start of January to 14 h 30 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, January is Timaru's 11th-clearest and 2nd-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Timaru's year-round climate.

Daytime high
18°
2nd warmest
Overnight low
12°
11th coldest
Rainfall
81 mm
12.8 wet days
Daylight
15 hours
6:14 AM – 9:14 PM
Cloud cover
66%
11th clearest
Wind
14 km/h
2nd windiest
Solar energy
6.68 kWh/m²
Travel score
5.3
out of 10

Timaru is town in New Zealand's South Island.

Air quality
Moderate
PM2.5 15 µg/m³ · 2012
Density
862/km²
people per km²
Founded
1868

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 18°C through the month.

A typical January day in Timaru reaches about 18°C in the afternoon and slips back to 12°C overnight — a 5°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 14°C and 22°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)
11712
21712
31712
41712
51712
61712
71712
81712
91712
101712
111712
121812
131812
141812
151812
161812
171812
181812
191812
201812
211813
221813
231813
241813
251813
261813
271813
281813
291813
301813
311813

How January really feels in Timaru

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.

Timaru weather by month

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

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysSnow daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan18° / 12°8112.80155.3
Feb18° / 13°7210.7013.95.5
Mar17° / 11°6310.1012.45.2
Apr14° / 6410.5010.84.2
May12° / 528.309.43.3
Jun / 518.60.68.72.0
Jul / 547.70.391.7
Aug10° / 539.10.410.22.2
Sep12° / 4890.411.73.0
Oct13° / 6211.50.113.23.5
Nov15° / 7412.60.114.64.0
Dec16° / 11°8013.8015.34.6

Cloud cover in January

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 21% of the time in January.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 18% of January, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 61%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
13763
23664
33664
43664
53664
63664
73664
83763
93763
103862
113862
123862
133961
143961
154060
163961
174060
184060
194060
204060
214060
224060
234060
244159
254060
264060
274060
284060
294060
304159
314159

Chance of precipitation in January

Any precipitation

Timaru gets around 81 mm of rain over 12.8 wet days in January, the wettest month. The line is the day-by-day chance of measurable precipitation.

Day to day, the chance of measurable rain averages around 41% and peaks near 45% on the wettest days. The odds ease toward the end of the month.

0%20%40%60%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
145
245
345
445
545
645
745
844
944
1043
1143
1243
1342
1442
1541
1641
1741
1840
1940
2039
2139
2239
2339
2438
2538
2638
2738
2838
2938
3037
3137

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 74% of days. It rarely turns muggy — the humid and sticky bands barely register.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)
179210
278220
378220
478220
578220
678220
778220
877221
978211
1078211
1178211
1278211
1377212
1477212
1577212
1677212
1775223
1875223
1975223
2073234
2172244
2271254
2370255
2469265
2568275
2667285
2766286
2866286
2965296
3065296
3165296

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 18 min at the start of January to 14 h 30 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 6:34 AM, and sunset from 9:17 PM to 9:03 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
115.35:599:17
215.36:009:17
315.36:019:17
415.36:029:17
515.26:039:17
615.26:049:17
715.26:059:17
815.26:069:17
915.26:079:16
1015.16:089:16
1115.16:099:16
1215.16:109:16
1315.16:119:15
1415.06:129:15
1515.06:139:15
1615.06:149:14
1715.06:169:14
1814.96:179:13
1914.96:189:12
2014.96:199:12
2114.86:219:11
2214.86:229:11
2314.86:239:10
2414.76:249:09
2514.76:269:08
2614.76:279:08
2714.66:289:07
2814.66:309:06
2914.66:319:05
3014.56:329:04
3114.56:349:03

Solar energy in January

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in January, about 6.68 kWh/m² — the sunniest month for solar.

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 1.39 kWh/m² to a high of 6.68 kWh/m² in January across the year — January's 6.68 kWh/m² sits near the top of that range.

02468151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
17.2Intense
27.1Intense
37.1Intense
47.0Intense
57.0Intense
66.9Intense
76.9Intense
86.8Intense
96.8Intense
106.7Intense
116.6Intense
126.6Intense
136.5Intense
146.5Intense
156.5Intense
166.5Intense
176.4Intense
186.4Intense
196.4Intense
206.4Intense
216.3Intense
226.3Intense
236.3Intense
246.3Intense
256.3Intense
266.2Intense
276.2Intense
286.2Intense
296.2Intense
306.1Intense
316.1Intense
Planning a trip in January

Is January a good time to visit Timaru?

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

5.3
Sightseeing
2nd-best month of the year
1.6
Beach & pool
2nd-best month of the year

January is a reasonable time to visit Timaru for sightseeing.

What to pack for Timaru in January

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

In January, Timaru sees daytime highs around 18°C and nights near 12°C. Pack sun protection. Worth having: rain gear. About 13 days see rain.

sun protectionrain gear

Sea temperature near Timaru in January

The nearest coast averages about 16°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 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
Jan16Cool
Feb17Cool
Mar16Cool
Apr14Bracing
May12Bracing
Jun10Bracing
Jul9Bracing
Aug9Bracing
Sep10Bracing
Oct11Bracing
Nov13Bracing
Dec15Bracing

UV index in Timaru 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 Timaru peaks around January 15 at about 10 (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 15UV 10Jun 17UV 1
UV index (midday)Level
Jan11Extreme
Feb10Very high
Mar6High
Apr3Moderate
May2Low
Jun1Low
Jul1Low
Aug2Moderate
Sep3Moderate
Oct6High
Nov8Very high
Dec10Very high

Air quality in Timaru in January

GoodModeratePoorUnhealthyVery unhealthy

Average fine-particle pollution (PM2.5) through the year — so you can see where January falls, not just the annual average.

Air quality in Timaru is worst in September — around 23 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 3.2× the cleanest month (June, 7 µg/m³).

Seasonal pattern from CAMS reanalysis, scaled to Timaru's WHO annual average of 15 µg/m³.

0102030JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecModerateGoodModerateSep 1822 µg/m³Jun 147 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan18Moderate
Feb21Moderate
Mar21Moderate
Apr11Good
May8Good
Jun7Good
Jul8Good
Aug12Good
Sep23Moderate
Oct16Moderate
Nov17Moderate
Dec18Moderate
Location & terrain

Where is Timaru?

Timaru sits at 44.4°S, 171.3°E, 14 m above sea level, in New Zealand. The nearest listed city is Ashburton, 67 km away.

RollestonFranz JosefChristchurchRangioraWanakaDunedin

Topography around Timaru

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Timaru has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 57 m around an average of 11 m above sea level; within 16 km, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 383 m; within 80 km, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 2,287 m.

The land around Timaru is covered by water (44%) and artificial surfaces (26%) within 3 km, water (47%) and grassland (28%) within 16 km, and grassland (54%) and water (28%) within 80 km.

3 km
57 m
16 km
383 m
80 km
2,287 m
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwater
January weather nearby: Ashburton 67 km · Tekapo 75 km · Rolleston 128 km · Franz Josef 141 km · Christchurch 146 km · Rangiora 162 km · Wanaka 170 km · Dunedin 175 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 Timaru (-44.3967°, 171.2536°, elevation 14 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. Monthly air-quality (PM2.5) seasonality is from the CAMS EAC4 reanalysis (Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service), scaled to the WHO annual mean where available. Topography is sampled from the Copernicus DEM GLO-90 elevation model (© ESA/Airbus) and ESA WorldCover 2021 land cover (CC BY 4.0).