Whangarei weather in January

In January, Whangarei sees average daytime highs of 23°C and overnight lows near 16°C, with 68 mm of rain across 8.3 wet days and about 14.1 hours of daylight. It is the 2nd-warmest and 9th-wettest month of the year here.

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 23°C through the month. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 19% of the time in January, and the air most often feels comfortable.

Daylight stretches from about 14 h 24 min at the start of January to 13 h 48 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, January is Whangarei's 8th-clearest and 9th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Whangarei's year-round climate.

Daytime high
23°
2nd warmest
Overnight low
16°
11th coldest
Rainfall
68 mm
8.3 wet days
Daylight
14 h 12 min
6:27 AM – 8:37 PM
Cloud cover
65%
8th clearest
Wind
15 km/h
9th windiest
Solar energy
6.67 kWh/m²
Travel score
6.9
out of 10

Whangarei is city in New Zealand.

Air quality
Excellent
PM10 15 µg/m³ · 2012
Density
892/km²
people per km²
Founded
1882

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 23°C through the month.

A typical January day in Whangarei reaches about 23°C in the afternoon and slips back to 16°C overnight — a 7°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 21°C and 26°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
32315
42315
52315
62316
72316
82316
92316
102316
112316
122316
132316
142316
152316
162316
172316
182316
192316
202316
212316
222316
232316
242316
252316
262316
272316
282317
292417
302417
312417

Whangarei weather by month

How January compares with the rest of the year at a glance. January is the 2nd-warmest and 9th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan23° / 16°688.314.16.9
Feb23° / 17°677.913.46.9
Mar22° / 15°748.712.36.8
Apr20° / 13°668.911.16.3
May17° / 11°759.610.15.7
Jun15° / 909.99.64.7
Jul15° / 11212.99.84.0
Aug15° / 961410.64.1
Sep16° / 8312.711.84.7
Oct17° / 11°6910.712.95.4
Nov19° / 12°6510.413.95.9
Dec21° / 15°7910.514.46.3

Cloud cover in January

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 19% 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 62%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
13862
23862
33961
43961
54060
64060
74159
84060
93961
103961
113862
123862
133862
143862
153763
163763
173763
183763
193763
203763
213763
223763
233862
243763
253664
263664
273664
283664
293565
303664
313664

Chance of precipitation in January

Any precipitation

Whangarei gets around 68 mm of rain over 8.3 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 28% and peaks near 29% on the wettest days.

0%10%20%30%40%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
128
228
328
428
528
628
728
828
929
1029
1129
1229
1329
1429
1529
1629
1729
1829
1928
2028
2127
2227
2327
2426
2526
2626
2726
2826
2926
3026
3126

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. Sticky, muggy-or-worse air turns up on roughly 8% of them.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)Muggy (%)
13435264
23336274
33236274
43137284
53137285
63038285
72938285
82839275
92839276
102740276
112740276
122640267
132641267
142541267
152441277
162441278
172341278
182341278
192241289
202240289
2122402910
2221392910
2321383010
2421373011
2521373111
2621363112
2721363212
2821353212
2920353212
3021353212
3120343312

Wind in January

Winds average 15 km/h in January.

Across January, daily wind ranges from about 14 km/h on the calmest days to 15 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

05101520151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
115light breeze
215light breeze
315light breeze
415light 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
1715light breeze
1815light breeze
1915light breeze
2015light breeze
2115light breeze
2215light breeze
2315light breeze
2415light breeze
2515light breeze
2615light breeze
2715light breeze
2815light breeze
2915light breeze
3015light breeze
3115light breeze

Sunrise & sunset in January

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 14 h 24 min at the start of January to 13 h 48 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 6:14 AM to 6:42 AM, and sunset from 8:37 PM to 8:30 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
114.46:148:37
214.46:158:38
314.46:168:38
414.46:178:38
514.36:178:38
614.36:188:38
714.36:198:38
814.36:208:38
914.36:218:38
1014.36:218:38
1114.36:228:38
1214.26:238:38
1314.26:248:38
1414.26:258:38
1514.26:268:37
1614.26:278:37
1714.26:288:37
1814.16:298:37
1914.16:308:36
2014.16:318:36
2114.16:328:36
2214.06:338:35
2314.06:348:35
2414.06:358:34
2514.06:368:34
2613.96:378:33
2713.96:388:33
2813.96:398:32
2913.96:408:32
3013.86:418:31
3113.86:428:30

Solar energy in January

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in January, about 6.67 kWh/m² — the sunniest month for solar.

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 2.01 kWh/m² to a high of 6.67 kWh/m² in January across the year — January's 6.67 kWh/m² sits near the top of that range.

0246151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
16.9Intense
26.9Intense
36.9Intense
46.9Intense
56.9Intense
66.8Intense
76.8Intense
86.7Intense
96.7Intense
106.6Intense
116.6Intense
126.5Intense
136.5Intense
146.5Intense
156.4Intense
166.4Intense
176.4Intense
186.3Intense
196.3Intense
206.3Intense
216.3Intense
226.3Intense
236.2Intense
246.2Intense
256.2Intense
266.2Intense
276.2Intense
286.1Intense
296.1Intense
306.1Intense
316.0Intense
Planning a trip in January

Hazard calendar for Whangarei

In seasonPeak

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

Whangarei 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 Whangarei?

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
5.4
Beach & pool
2nd-best month of the year

January is a reasonable time to visit Whangarei for sightseeing.

What to pack for Whangarei in January

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

In January, Whangarei sees daytime highs around 23°C and nights near 16°C. Pack sun protection. Worth having: light clothes and rain gear. About 8 days see rain.

sun protectionlight clothesrain gear

Sea temperature near Whangarei 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 30 km away) is warmest in February at about 21°C and coldest in August near 15°C.

It's comfortable for a long swim from Jan 22 to Apr 5 — about 2.4 months when the water holds above 20°C.

14°16°18°20°22°JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecbracingcoolrefreshingcomfortable to swim
Sea temperature (°C)Comfort
Jan20Cool
Feb21Refreshing
Mar21Refreshing
Apr20Cool
May18Cool
Jun17Cool
Jul16Cool
Aug15Cool
Sep15Cool
Oct16Cool
Nov17Cool
Dec18Cool

UV index in Whangarei in January

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in January peaks around 13 (very high — sun protection essential). The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.

Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Whangarei peaks around January 14 at about 13 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near June 17 at about 2 (moderate).

The index reaches 3 or more — the level where the WHO recommends sun protection — in 10 months of the year.

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecExtremeVery highHighModerateHighVery highExtremeJan 14UV 13Jun 17UV 2
UV index (midday)Level
Jan13Extreme
Feb12Extreme
Mar8Very high
Apr6High
May3Moderate
Jun2Moderate
Jul3Moderate
Aug4Moderate
Sep5High
Oct8Very high
Nov11Extreme
Dec12Extreme
Location & terrain

Where is Whangarei?

Whangarei sits at 35.7°S, 174.3°E, 7 m above sea level, in New Zealand. The nearest listed city is North Shore, 125 km away.

North ShoreMassey EastMasseyTe Atatu PeninsulaLincolnTe Atatu SouthAucklandHenderson

Topography around Whangarei

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Whangarei has significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 271 m around an average of 51 m above sea level; within 16 km, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 389 m; within 80 km, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 761 m.

The land around Whangarei is covered by trees (49%) and artificial surfaces (25%) within 3 km, trees (44%) and grassland (42%) within 16 km, and water (52%), grassland (26%) and trees (22%) within 80 km.

3 km
271 m
16 km
389 m
80 km
761 m
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwatermangroves
January weather nearby: North Shore 125 km · Massey East 125 km · Massey 126 km · Te Atatu Peninsula 127 km · Lincoln 128 km · Te Atatu South 129 km · Auckland 130 km · Henderson 130 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 Whangarei (-35.7317°, 174.3239°, elevation 7 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).