Whakatane weather in January

In January, Whakatane sees average daytime highs of 22°C and overnight lows near 15°C, with 88 mm of rain across 9.1 wet days and about 14.3 hours of daylight. It is the 2nd-warmest and 12th-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 30% 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 Whakatane's 7th-clearest and 9th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Whakatane's year-round climate.

Daytime high
22°
2nd warmest
Overnight low
15°
11th coldest
Rainfall
88 mm
9.1 wet days
Daylight
14 h 24 min
6:11 AM – 8:32 PM
Cloud cover
57%
7th clearest
Wind
12 km/h
9th windiest
Solar energy
6.93 kWh/m²
Travel score
6.9
out of 10

Whakatane is town in Bay of Plenty, New Zealand.

Density
4/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 Whakatane reaches about 22°C in the afternoon and slips back to 15°C overnight — a 7°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 20°C and 25°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)
12215
22215
32215
42215
52215
62215
72215
82215
92215
102215
112215
122215
132215
142215
152215
162316
172316
182316
192316
202316
212316
222316
232316
242316
252316
262316
272316
282316
292316
302316
312316

Whakatane weather by month

How January compares with the rest of the year at a glance. January is the 2nd-warmest and 12th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan22° / 15°889.114.36.9
Feb23° / 16°94813.56.9
Mar21° / 14°1018.712.36.8
Apr19° / 12°1179.7116.2
May16° / 10°1199.6105.4
Jun14° / 13910.59.44.2
Jul14° / 137119.63.8
Aug14° / 12411.210.54.1
Sep15° / 11911.211.74.6
Oct17° / 10°11011.4135.4
Nov19° / 12°939.614.16.1
Dec21° / 14°11711.614.66.2

Cloud cover in January

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 30% of the time in January.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 21% of January, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 49%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
14951
25050
35149
45149
55149
65248
75347
85347
95347
105248
115248
125248
135248
145248
155149
165149
175149
185149
195149
205149
215149
225149
235050
245050
255050
265050
275050
284951
294951
304951
314951

Chance of precipitation in January

Any precipitation

Whakatane gets around 88 mm of rain over 9.1 wet days in January, the driest month. 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 30% on the wettest days.

0%10%20%30%40%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
130
229
329
429
529
629
729
829
929
1029
1130
1230
1330
1430
1530
1630
1730
1830
1930
2030
2130
2230
2330
2430
2529
2629
2728
2828
2928
3028
3127

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 37% of days. Sticky, muggy-or-worse air turns up on roughly 6% of them.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)Muggy (%)
14035213
24036223
33936223
43836233
53836233
63736233
73737233
83637243
93637244
103537244
113537234
123438235
133438235
143338245
153238246
163238246
173138246
183138257
193038257
203038258
212937258
222937259
232837269
242837269
2528372610
2627362610
2727362610
2827362610
2927362610
3027362611
3128362611

Wind in January

Winds average 12 km/h in January.

Across January, daily wind ranges from about 12 km/h on the calmest days to 13 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

051015151015202531
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
1112light breeze
1212light breeze
1312light breeze
1412light breeze
1512light breeze
1612light breeze
1712light breeze
1812light breeze
1912light breeze
2012light breeze
2112light breeze
2212light breeze
2312light breeze
2412light breeze
2512light breeze
2612light breeze
2712light breeze
2812light breeze
2912light breeze
3012light breeze
3112light breeze

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 5:57 AM to 6:26 AM, and sunset from 8:33 PM to 8:24 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
114.65:578:33
214.65:588:33
314.65:598:33
414.66:008:33
514.56:018:33
614.56:018:33
714.56:028:33
814.56:038:33
914.56:048:33
1014.56:058:33
1114.56:068:33
1214.46:078:33
1314.46:088:33
1414.46:098:33
1514.46:108:32
1614.46:118:32
1714.36:118:32
1814.36:138:32
1914.36:148:31
2014.36:158:31
2114.26:168:30
2214.26:178:30
2314.26:188:29
2414.26:198:29
2514.16:208:28
2614.16:218:28
2714.16:228:27
2814.16:238:27
2914.06:248:26
3014.06:258:25
3114.06:268:24

Solar energy in January

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in January, about 6.93 kWh/m² — the sunniest month for solar.

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 1.9 kWh/m² to a high of 6.93 kWh/m² in January across the year — January's 6.93 kWh/m² sits near the top of that range.

02468151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
17.3Intense
27.3Intense
37.3Intense
47.2Intense
57.2Intense
67.2Intense
77.1Intense
87.1Intense
97.0Intense
107.0Intense
116.9Intense
126.8Intense
136.8Intense
146.8Intense
156.7Intense
166.7Intense
176.6Intense
186.6Intense
196.6Intense
206.5Intense
216.5Intense
226.5Intense
236.5Intense
246.5Intense
256.4Intense
266.4Intense
276.4Intense
286.4Intense
296.3Intense
306.3Intense
316.3Intense
Planning a trip in January

Hazard calendar for Whakatane

In seasonPeak

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

Whakatane 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 Whakatane?

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

6.9
Sightseeing
1st-best month of the year
5.0
Beach & pool
2nd-best month of the year

January is a reasonable time to visit Whakatane for sightseeing.

What to pack for Whakatane in January

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

In January, Whakatane sees daytime highs around 22°C and nights near 15°C. Pack sun protection. Worth having: light clothes and rain gear. About 9 days see rain.

sun protectionlight clothesrain gear

Sea temperature near Whakatane 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 13 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 22 to Mar 26 — about 2.1 months when the water holds above 20°C.

15°20°JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecbracingcoolrefreshingcomfortable to swim
Sea temperature (°C)Comfort
Jan20Cool
Feb21Refreshing
Mar20Refreshing
Apr19Cool
May18Cool
Jun16Cool
Jul15Bracing
Aug14Bracing
Sep15Bracing
Oct15Cool
Nov16Cool
Dec18Cool

UV index in Whakatane 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 Whakatane peaks around December 23 at about 12 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near June 18 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 highModerateModerateHighVery highExtremeDec 23UV 12Jun 18UV 2
UV index (midday)Level
Jan12Extreme
Feb11Extreme
Mar8Very high
Apr5Moderate
May3Moderate
Jun2Low
Jul2Moderate
Aug3Moderate
Sep5Moderate
Oct7Very high
Nov10Extreme
Dec12Extreme
Location & terrain

Where is Whakatane?

Whakatane sits at 38.0°S, 177.0°E, 11 m above sea level, in New Zealand. The nearest listed city is Rotorua, 68 km away.

TaupoGisborneCambridgeHamilton EastHamiltonNapier

Topography around Whakatane

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Whakatane has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 209 m around an average of 36 m above sea level; within 16 km, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 376 m; within 80 km, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,483 m.

The land around Whakatane is covered by trees (29%) and grassland (27%) within 3 km, water (45%), trees (25%) and grassland (24%) within 16 km, and trees (45%) and water (38%) within 80 km.

3 km
209 m
16 km
376 m
80 km
1,483 m
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwaterwetland
January weather nearby: Rotorua 68 km · Tauranga 78 km · Taupo 113 km · Gisborne 118 km · Cambridge 136 km · Hamilton East 150 km · Hamilton 151 km · Napier 171 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 Whakatane (-37.9586°, 176.9854°, elevation 11 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).