Whanganui weather in January

In January, Whanganui sees average daytime highs of 19°C and overnight lows near 15°C, with 71 mm of rain across 9.3 wet days and about 14.5 hours of daylight. It is the 2nd-warmest and 10th-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 38% of the time in January, and the air most often feels comfortable.

Daylight stretches from about 14 h 48 min at the start of January to 14 h 06 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, January is Whanganui's 3rd-clearest and 9th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Whanganui's year-round climate.

Daytime high
19°
2nd warmest
Overnight low
15°
11th coldest
Rainfall
71 mm
9.3 wet days
Daylight
14 h 30 min
6:13 AM – 8:45 PM
Cloud cover
53%
3rd clearest
Wind
21 km/h
9th windiest
Solar energy
7 kWh/m²
Travel score
6.3
out of 10

Whanganui is city in New Zealand's North Island.

Density
20,736/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 19°C through the month.

A typical January day in Whanganui reaches about 19°C in the afternoon and slips back to 15°C overnight — a 4°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 16°C and 21°C. Set against its neighbours, January runs about 2°C warmer than December and on par with February.

10°15°20°25°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
11815
21815
31815
41815
51815
61815
71815
81915
91915
101915
111915
121915
131915
141915
151915
161915
171915
181915
191915
201915
211915
221916
231916
241916
251916
261916
271916
281916
291916
302016
312016

Whanganui weather by month

How January compares with the rest of the year at a glance. January is the 2nd-warmest and 10th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan19° / 15°719.314.56.3
Feb20° / 16°668.113.66.5
Mar18° / 15°689.612.36.2
Apr17° / 13°9811115.2
May15° / 11°9712.49.84.3
Jun13° / 10°10914.19.23.2
Jul12° / 10514.39.52.9
Aug12° / 10214.710.43.0
Sep13° / 10°9713.611.73.4
Oct14° / 11°10714.213.13.8
Nov16° / 12°8912.214.24.6
Dec17° / 14°10012.714.85.4

Cloud cover in January

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 38% 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 43%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
15446
25545
35644
45644
55644
65743
75842
85941
95842
105941
115941
126040
135941
145941
155941
165941
175941
185941
195941
205842
215842
225743
235644
245644
255644
265644
275545
285545
295644
305644
315743

Chance of precipitation in January

Any precipitation

Whanganui gets around 71 mm of rain over 9.3 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 31% and peaks near 35% on the wettest days.

0%10%20%30%40%50%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
135
234
334
433
533
633
732
832
932
1032
1131
1231
1331
1431
1531
1631
1731
1831
1930
2030
2130
2229
2329
2429
2529
2629
2729
2828
2928
3028
3128

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 41% of days. It rarely turns muggy — the humid and sticky bands barely register.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)Muggy (%)
14740130
24641130
34641140
44541140
54541140
64441150
74441150
84342150
94342150
104242160
114242160
124142160
134042171
144043171
153943171
163843181
173843181
183743191
193742192
203642202
213541212
223541222
233440232
243340243
253339253
263239263
273238263
283238273
293238273
303238283
313238283

Wind in January

Winds average 21 km/h in January.

Across January, daily wind ranges from about 21 km/h on the calmest days to 22 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

0510152025151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
122breezy
222breezy
322breezy
422breezy
522breezy
622breezy
722breezy
822breezy
922breezy
1022breezy
1122breezy
1222breezy
1322breezy
1422breezy
1522breezy
1622breezy
1722breezy
1821breezy
1921breezy
2021breezy
2121breezy
2221breezy
2321breezy
2421breezy
2521breezy
2621breezy
2721breezy
2821breezy
2921breezy
3021breezy
3121breezy

Sunrise & sunset in January

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 14 h 48 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 42 minutes over January. Sunrise moves from 5:59 AM to 6:30 AM, and sunset from 8:47 PM to 8:37 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
114.85:598:47
214.86:008:47
314.86:018:47
414.86:028:47
514.76:028:47
614.76:038:47
714.76:048:47
814.76:058:47
914.76:068:47
1014.76:078:47
1114.66:088:47
1214.66:098:46
1314.66:108:46
1414.66:118:46
1514.66:128:46
1614.56:138:45
1714.56:148:45
1814.56:158:45
1914.56:168:44
2014.46:178:44
2114.46:188:43
2214.46:198:43
2314.46:208:42
2414.36:228:42
2514.36:238:41
2614.36:248:40
2714.26:258:40
2814.26:268:39
2914.26:278:38
3014.16:288:37
3114.16:308:37

Solar energy in January

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in January, about 7 kWh/m² — the sunniest month for solar.

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 1.64 kWh/m² to a high of 7 kWh/m² in January across the year — January's 7 kWh/m² sits near the top of that range.

02468151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
17.3Intense
27.3Intense
37.3Intense
47.3Intense
57.3Intense
67.2Intense
77.2Intense
87.2Intense
97.1Intense
107.0Intense
117.0Intense
126.9Intense
136.9Intense
146.8Intense
156.8Intense
166.7Intense
176.7Intense
186.7Intense
196.6Intense
206.6Intense
216.6Intense
226.5Intense
236.5Intense
246.5Intense
256.5Intense
266.4Intense
276.4Intense
286.4Intense
296.4Intense
306.3Intense
316.3Intense
Planning a trip in January

Is January a good time to visit Whanganui?

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

6.3
Sightseeing
2nd-best month of the year
2.6
Beach & pool
2nd-best month of the year

January is a reasonable time to visit Whanganui for sightseeing.

What to pack for Whanganui in January

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

In January, Whanganui sees daytime highs around 19°C and nights near 15°C. Pack sun protection. Worth having: rain gear and a windbreaker. About 9 days see rain.

sun protectionrain geara windbreaker

Sea temperature near Whanganui in January

The nearest coast averages about 18°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 16 km away) is warmest in February at about 19°C and coldest in August near 13°C.

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

12°14°16°18°20°JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecbracingcoolrefreshing
Sea temperature (°C)Comfort
Jan18Cool
Feb19Cool
Mar18Cool
Apr17Cool
May16Cool
Jun14Bracing
Jul13Bracing
Aug13Bracing
Sep13Bracing
Oct14Bracing
Nov15Bracing
Dec16Cool

UV index in Whanganui 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 Whanganui 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
Dec11Extreme
Location & terrain

Where is Whanganui?

Whanganui sits at 39.9°S, 175.1°E, 18 m above sea level, in New Zealand. The nearest listed city is Palmerston North, 67 km away.

ParaparaumuMastertonNew PlymouthUpper HuttPoriruaLower Hutt

Topography around Whanganui

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Whanganui has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 103 m around an average of 28 m above sea level; within 16 km, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 300 m; within 80 km, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,746 m.

The land around Whanganui is covered by grassland (39%), artificial surfaces (28%) and trees (25%) within 3 km, grassland (42%), water (32%) and trees (22%) within 16 km, and grassland (44%), trees (29%) and water (25%) within 80 km.

3 km
103 m
16 km
300 m
80 km
1,746 m
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfaceswater
January weather nearby: Palmerston North 67 km · Levin 80 km · Paraparaumu 109 km · Masterton 125 km · New Plymouth 127 km · Upper Hutt 134 km · Porirua 135 km · Lower Hutt 143 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 Whanganui (-39.9333°, 175.05°, elevation 18 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).