Wewak weather in January

In January, Wewak sees average daytime highs of 28°C and overnight lows near 26°C, with 143 mm of rain across 22.1 wet days and about 12.2 hours of daylight. It is the 3rd-warmest and 12th-wettest month of the year here.

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 28°C through the month. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 4% of the time in January, and the air most often feels oppressive.

Daylight stretches from about 12 h 12 min at the start of January to 12 h 12 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, January is Wewak's 9th-clearest and 1st-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Wewak's year-round climate.

Daytime high
28°
3rd warmest
Overnight low
26°
12th coldest
Rainfall
143 mm
22.1 wet days
Daylight
12 h 12 min
6:29 AM – 6:40 PM
Cloud cover
86%
9th clearest
Wind
15 km/h
1st windiest
Solar energy
5.08 kWh/m²
Travel score
4.3
out of 10

Wewak is provincial capital of East Sepik, Papua New Guinea.

Founded
1919

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 28°C through the month.

A typical January day in Wewak reaches about 28°C in the afternoon and slips back to 26°C overnight — a 2°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 27°C and 29°C. Set against its neighbours, January runs on par with December and on par with February.

24°26°28°30°32°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
12826
22826
32826
42826
52826
62826
72826
82826
92826
102826
112826
122826
132826
142826
152826
162826
172826
182826
192826
202826
212826
222826
232826
242826
252826
262826
272826
282826
292826
302826
312826

How January really feels in Wewak

Once humidity and wind are folded in, January averages 8 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
8
heat index over the day's high
Days feeling ≤ C
0
wind chill below the day's low

The story in January is heat — humidity pushes the afternoon "feels like" well above the raw temperature.

Wewak weather by month

How January compares with the rest of the year at a glance. January is the 3rd-warmest and 12th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan28° / 26°14322.112.24.3
Feb28° / 26°15620.712.14.2
Mar28° / 26°18424.1124.1
Apr28° / 26°21525.811.93.8
May28° / 26°26527.911.83.7
Jun28° / 25°28426.911.83.7
Jul27° / 25°30026.411.84.0
Aug27° / 25°23324.111.94.3
Sep27° / 25°24924.2124.2
Oct28° / 25°22425.812.14.0
Nov28° / 26°21425.912.23.8
Dec28° / 26°18425.312.23.9

Cloud cover in January

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 4% of the time in January.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 7% of January, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 89%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
1991
21090
31090
41189
51189
61189
71189
81189
91189
101189
111387
121387
131387
141387
151288
161387
171387
181387
191387
201387
211288
221288
231189
241189
251189
261189
271189
281090
291090
30991
31991

Chance of precipitation in January

Any precipitation

Wewak gets around 143 mm of rain over 22.1 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 72% and peaks near 74% on the wettest days.

0%20%40%60%80%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
174
273
373
472
572
671
771
871
971
1071
1172
1272
1372
1472
1572
1672
1772
1872
1972
2072
2172
2272
2372
2472
2572
2672
2773
2873
2973
3074
3174

Humidity in January

DryComfortableHumidMuggyOppressiveMiserable

Most of January feels oppressive — the stacked bands show each day's mix of comfort levels, read off the dew point.

By dew point, January lands in the oppressive band about 52% of days. Sticky, muggy-or-worse air turns up on roughly 100% of them.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Oppressive (%)Miserable (%)
14060
24060
34159
44258
54258
64357
74456
84555
94555
104654
114753
124951
135050
145149
155347
165446
175545
185644
195743
205842
215842
225941
235941
245941
255941
265941
275941
285941
295842
305842
315842

Wind in January

Winds average 15 km/h in January, the windiest month of the year.

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
114light breeze
214light breeze
314light breeze
415light breeze
515light breeze
615light breeze
715light breeze
815light breeze
915light breeze
1015light breeze
1115light breeze
1215light breeze
1315light breeze
1415light breeze
1515light breeze
1615light 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 12 h 12 min at the start of January to 12 h 12 min by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days grow by about 0 minutes over January. Sunrise moves from 6:23 AM to 6:34 AM, and sunset from 6:35 PM to 6:43 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
112.26:236:35
212.26:236:35
312.26:246:36
412.26:246:36
512.26:246:36
612.26:256:37
712.26:256:37
812.26:266:38
912.26:266:38
1012.26:276:38
1112.26:276:39
1212.26:286:39
1312.26:286:39
1412.26:286:40
1512.26:296:40
1612.26:296:40
1712.26:306:41
1812.26:306:41
1912.26:306:41
2012.26:316:41
2112.26:316:42
2212.26:316:42
2312.26:326:42
2412.26:326:42
2512.26:326:43
2612.26:336:43
2712.26:336:43
2812.26:336:43
2912.26:346:43
3012.26:346:43
3112.26:346:43

Solar energy in January

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in January, about 5.08 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 4.07 kWh/m² to a high of 5.24 kWh/m² in October across the year — January's 5.08 kWh/m² sits near the top of that range.

0246151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
15.0Bright
25.0Bright
35.0Bright
45.0Bright
55.0Bright
65.0Bright
75.0Bright
85.0Bright
95.0Bright
105.0Bright
115.0Bright
125.0Bright
135.0Bright
145.0Bright
155.0Bright
165.0Bright
175.0Bright
185.0Bright
195.0Bright
205.0Bright
215.0Bright
225.0Bright
235.0Bright
245.0Bright
255.0Bright
265.0Bright
275.0Bright
285.0Bright
295.0Bright
305.0Bright
314.9Bright
Planning a trip in January

Is January a good time to visit Wewak?

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

4.3
Sightseeing
1st-best month of the year
4.6
Beach & pool
1st-best month of the year

January is a reasonable time to visit Wewak for sightseeing.

What to pack for Wewak in January

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

In January, Wewak sees daytime highs around 28°C and nights near 26°C. Pack light clothes and rain gear. Worth having: sun protection. About 22 days see rain.

light clothesrain gearsun protection

Sea temperature near Wewak in January

The nearest coast averages about 29°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 19 km away) is warmest in May at about 30°C and coldest in August near 29°C.

The water stays above 20°C all year — warm enough for a swim any month.

28°30°JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecwarmtropicalcomfortable to swim
Sea temperature (°C)Comfort
Jan29Tropical
Feb29Tropical
Mar29Tropical
Apr29Tropical
May30Tropical
Jun29Tropical
Jul29Tropical
Aug29Tropical
Sep29Tropical
Oct29Tropical
Nov30Tropical
Dec29Tropical

UV index in Wewak in January

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in January peaks around 15 (very high — sun protection essential). The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.

Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Wewak peaks around March 16 at about 16 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near June 23 at about 11 (extreme).

The index reaches 3 or more — the level where the WHO recommends sun protection — every month of the year.

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecExtremeMar 16UV 16Jun 23UV 11
UV index (midday)Level
Jan15Extreme
Feb15Extreme
Mar16Extreme
Apr15Extreme
May12Extreme
Jun11Extreme
Jul11Extreme
Aug12Extreme
Sep14Extreme
Oct14Extreme
Nov14Extreme
Dec13Extreme

Air quality in Wewak 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 Wewak is worst in August — around 19 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 2.6× the cleanest month (December, 7 µg/m³).

Modeled monthly averages (CAMS reanalysis, 2015–2024).

0102030JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecGoodModerateGoodAug 2118 µg/m³Dec 137 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan9Good
Feb8Good
Mar8Good
Apr9Good
May10Good
Jun11Good
Jul15Moderate
Aug19Moderate
Sep18Moderate
Oct15Moderate
Nov8Good
Dec7Good
Location & terrain

Where is Wewak?

Wewak sits at 3.5°S, 143.6°E, 44 m above sea level, in Papua New Guinea. The nearest listed city is Mount Hagen, 265 km away.

Mount HagenMendiMadangGorokaJayapuraAbepuraSentaniLae

Topography around Wewak

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Wewak has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 51 m around an average of 2 m above sea level; within 16 km, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 549 m; within 80 km, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,191 m.

The land around Wewak is covered by water (77%) within 3 km, trees (51%) and water (46%) within 16 km, and water (48%) and trees (36%) within 80 km.

3 km
51 m
16 km
549 m
80 km
1,191 m
treesgrasslandartificial surfaceswatermangroves
January weather nearby: Mount Hagen 265 km · Mendi 289 km · Madang 303 km · Goroka 342 km · Jayapura 343 km · Abepura 350 km · Sentani 363 km · Lae 513 km

Papua New Guinea travel facts

Travel advisory
Level 3
Reconsider Travel
Power plugs
Type I
240 V · 50 Hz
Prices
≈ 58% of US
price level, 2025
GDP per capita
$3,020
2025
Homicide rate
9.3
per 100k, 2010
Road deaths
12.6
per 100k/yr, 2019
Income group
Lower middle
World Bank
Religion
Protestant 64%Roman Catholic 26%other Christian 5%non-Christian 1%

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 Wewak (-3.5496°, 143.6323°, elevation 44 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).