Apia weather in January

In January, Apia sees average daytime highs of 28°C and overnight lows near 26°C, with 360 mm of rain across 27.6 wet days and about 12.7 hours of daylight. It is the 4th-warmest and 1st-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 10% of the time in January, and the air most often feels oppressive.

Daylight stretches from about 12 h 48 min at the start of January to 12 h 36 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, January is Apia's 12th-clearest and 10th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Apia's year-round climate.

Daytime high
28°
4th warmest
Overnight low
26°
9th coldest
Rainfall
360 mm
27.6 wet days
Daylight
12 h 42 min
7:14 AM – 7:58 PM
Cloud cover
80%
12th clearest
Wind
15 km/h
10th windiest
Solar energy
5.91 kWh/m²
Travel score
3.7
out of 10

Apia is capital of Samoa.

Density
326/km²
people per km²
Founded
1850

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 Apia 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 28°C. Set against its neighbours, January runs on par with December and on par with February.

20°23°25°28°30°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

Apia weather by month

How January compares with the rest of the year at a glance. January is the 4th-warmest and 1st-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan28° / 26°36027.612.73.7
Feb28° / 26°32724.712.53.8
Mar28° / 26°27127.312.13.8
Apr28° / 26°21825.611.74.0
May28° / 26°20724.611.44.4
Jun27° / 26°14321.611.24.8
Jul27° / 25°1382111.35.1
Aug27° / 25°12121.111.55.1
Sep27° / 25°1592211.94.8
Oct27° / 25°22724.912.34.4
Nov27° / 25°27125.712.64.0
Dec28° / 26°34627.212.83.9

Cloud cover in January

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 10% of the time in January, the cloudiest month of the year.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 12% of January, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 79%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
12476
22476
32377
42377
52377
62278
72278
82278
92278
102278
112278
122179
132278
142278
152278
162278
172278
182179
192179
202179
212179
222179
232179
241981
252080
262080
272080
282080
292080
302080
312080

Chance of precipitation in January

Any precipitation

Apia gets around 360 mm of rain over 27.6 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 89% and peaks near 90% on the wettest days.

0%20%40%60%80%100%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
186
287
387
487
587
688
788
888
989
1089
1189
1289
1390
1490
1590
1690
1790
1890
1990
2090
2190
2290
2390
2490
2590
2690
2789
2889
2989
3089
3189

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 59% of days. Sticky, muggy-or-worse air turns up on roughly 100% of them.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Muggy (%)Oppressive (%)Miserable (%)
106238
206139
306139
406040
515940
615940
715841
815841
915841
1015841
1115841
1215940
1315940
1415940
1515940
1616039
1716039
1815940
1915940
2015940
2115940
2215940
2315940
2415940
2506040
2605941
2705941
2805941
2905941
3005941
3106040

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
515light breeze
615light breeze
715light breeze
815light breeze
915light breeze
1015light breeze
1115light breeze
1215light breeze
1315light breeze
1415light breeze
1515light breeze
1615light breeze
1714light breeze
1814light breeze
1914light breeze
2014light breeze
2114light breeze
2214light breeze
2314light breeze
2414light breeze
2514light breeze
2615light breeze
2715light breeze
2815light breeze
2915light breeze
3015light breeze
3115light breeze

Sunrise & sunset in January

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 12 h 48 min at the start of January to 12 h 36 min by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days shrink by about 12 minutes over January. Sunrise moves from 7:06 AM to 7:22 AM, and sunset from 7:54 PM to 7:59 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
112.87:067:54
212.87:077:55
312.87:077:55
412.87:087:55
512.87:087:56
612.87:097:56
712.87:097:56
812.87:107:57
912.87:107:57
1012.87:117:57
1112.87:127:57
1212.87:127:58
1312.87:137:58
1412.77:137:58
1512.77:147:58
1612.77:147:58
1712.77:157:59
1812.77:157:59
1912.77:167:59
2012.77:167:59
2112.77:177:59
2212.77:187:59
2312.77:187:59
2412.77:197:59
2512.77:197:59
2612.77:207:59
2712.77:207:59
2812.67:217:59
2912.67:217:59
3012.67:217:59
3112.67:227:59

Solar energy in January

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in January, about 5.91 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 4.2 kWh/m² to a high of 5.92 kWh/m² in October across the year — January's 5.91 kWh/m² sits near the top of that range.

0246151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
16.2Intense
26.1Intense
36.1Intense
46.1Intense
56.0Intense
66.0Intense
76.0Bright
85.9Bright
95.9Bright
105.8Bright
115.8Bright
125.8Bright
135.8Bright
145.7Bright
155.7Bright
165.7Bright
175.7Bright
185.7Bright
195.6Bright
205.6Bright
215.6Bright
225.6Bright
235.6Bright
245.6Bright
255.6Bright
265.6Bright
275.6Bright
285.6Bright
295.6Bright
305.6Bright
315.6Bright
Planning a trip in January

Is January a good time to visit Apia?

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

3.7
Sightseeing
12th-best month of the year
4.0
Beach & pool
12th-best month of the year

January is a weaker month for outdoor sightseeing in Apia.

What to pack for Apia in January

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

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

light clothesrain gearsun protection

Sea temperature near Apia 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 13 km away) is warmest in March at about 29°C and coldest in August near 28°C.

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

26°28°30°JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecwarmtropicalcomfortable to swim
Sea temperature (°C)Comfort
Jan29Tropical
Feb29Tropical
Mar29Tropical
Apr29Tropical
May29Tropical
Jun29Tropical
Jul28Tropical
Aug28Warm
Sep28Warm
Oct28Tropical
Nov29Tropical
Dec29Tropical

UV index in Apia in January

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in January peaks around 16 (very high — sun protection essential). The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.

Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Apia peaks around February 14 at about 17 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near June 19 at about 9 (very high).

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

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecExtremeVery highExtremeFeb 14UV 17Jun 19UV 9
UV index (midday)Level
Jan16Extreme
Feb18Extreme
Mar15Extreme
Apr13Extreme
May10Very high
Jun8Very high
Jul9Very high
Aug11Extreme
Sep14Extreme
Oct14Extreme
Nov14Extreme
Dec13Extreme
Location & terrain

Where is Apia?

Apia sits at 13.8°S, 171.8°W, 9 m above sea level, in Samoa. The nearest listed city is Pago Pago, 125 km away.

Topography around Apia

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Apia has significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 451 m around an average of 27 m above sea level; within 16 km, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,148 m; within 80 km, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,824 m.

The land around Apia is covered by water (41%) and trees (33%) within 3 km, water (49%) and trees (45%) within 16 km, and water (83%) within 80 km.

3 km
451 m
16 km
1,148 m
80 km
1,824 m
treesgrasslandartificial surfaceswatermangroves
January weather nearby: Pago Pago 125 km · Mata-Utu 480 km · Alofi 613 km · Nuku‘alofa 890 km · Labasa 995 km · Levuka 1,063 km · Nasinu 1,141 km · Funafuti 1,149 km

Samoa travel facts

Travel advisory
Level 1
Exercise Normal Precautions
Power plugs
Type I
230 V · 50 Hz
Prices
≈ 63% of US
price level, 2025
GDP per capita
$5,873
2025
Safe drinking water
63%
of population, 2024
Homicide rate
6.3
per 100k, 2018
Road deaths
13
per 100k/yr, 2019
Income group
Upper middle
World Bank
Religion
Protestant 55%Roman Catholic 19%Church of Jesus Christ 17%other Christian 4%

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 Apia (-13.8333°, -171.7667°, elevation 9 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).