Alice weather in January

In January, Alice sees average daytime highs of 27°C and overnight lows near 16°C, with 99 mm of rain across 11.9 wet days and about 13.9 hours of daylight. It is the 1st-warmest and 1st-wettest month of the year here.

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 27°C through the month. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 39% of the time in January, and the air most often feels comfortable.

Daylight stretches from about 14 h 06 min at the start of January to 13 h 36 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, January is Alice's 9th-clearest and 8th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Alice's year-round climate.

Daytime high
27°
1st warmest
Overnight low
16°
11th coldest
Rainfall
99 mm
11.9 wet days
Daylight
13 h 54 min
5:24 AM – 7:20 PM
Cloud cover
53%
9th clearest
Wind
9 km/h
8th windiest
Solar energy
6.38 kWh/m²
Travel score
6.3
out of 10

Alice is town in Eastern Cape, South Africa.

Density
1,842/km²
people per km²
Founded
1824

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 27°C through the month.

A typical January day in Alice reaches about 27°C in the afternoon and slips back to 16°C overnight — a 12°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 21°C and 34°C. Set against its neighbours, January runs about 1°C warmer than December and on par with February.

10°15°20°25°30°35°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
12716
22716
32716
42716
52716
62716
72716
82716
92716
102716
112716
122716
132716
142716
152716
162716
172716
182716
192716
202716
212716
222716
232816
242816
252816
262816
272816
282816
292816
302816
312816

Alice weather by month

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

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan27° / 16°9911.913.96.3
Feb27° / 16°9311.413.26.2
Mar26° / 15°8411.312.26.7
Apr24° / 12°628.211.27.4
May22° / 10°244.710.37.9
Jun20° / 264.29.97.7
Jul20° / 284.410.17.7
Aug21° / 416.410.87.4
Sep23° / 487.511.87.3
Oct23° / 11°7110.512.87.0
Nov25° / 13°8411.313.76.7
Dec26° / 15°9311.914.16.4

Cloud cover in January

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 39% of the time in January.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 18% of January, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 43%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
15644
25644
35545
45545
55644
65545
75644
85644
95644
105644
115743
125743
135743
145743
155842
165842
175842
185842
195842
205842
215743
225743
235743
245743
255743
265743
275743
285743
295743
305743
315743

Chance of precipitation in January

Any precipitation

Alice gets around 99 mm of rain over 11.9 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 38% and peaks near 39% on the wettest days.

0%10%20%30%40%50%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
137
237
337
437
537
637
737
837
937
1038
1138
1238
1338
1438
1538
1638
1739
1839
1939
2039
2139
2239
2339
2439
2539
2639
2739
2839
2939
3039
3139

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 9% of them.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)Muggy (%)
12141327
22040328
32040328
42039328
52039339
62038339
720383310
820373310
920373310
1020363211
1121363211
1221363211
1321353311
1421353311
1521353311
1621353411
1720343411
1820343511
1920343610
2019353610
2119353710
2218353710
231835379
241836389
251736389
261736388
271737398
281637398
291637398
301537398
311537399

Wind in January

Winds average 9 km/h in January.

Across January, daily wind ranges from about 9 km/h on the calmest days to 9 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

051015151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
19calm
29calm
39calm
49calm
59calm
69calm
79calm
89calm
99calm
109calm
119calm
129calm
139calm
149calm
159calm
169calm
179calm
189calm
199calm
209calm
219calm
229calm
239calm
249calm
259calm
269calm
279calm
289calm
299calm
309calm
319calm

Sunrise & sunset in January

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 14 h 06 min at the start of January to 13 h 36 min by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days shrink by about 30 minutes over January. Sunrise moves from 5:12 AM to 5:37 AM, and sunset from 7:20 PM to 7:15 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
114.15:127:20
214.15:137:20
314.15:137:20
414.15:147:20
514.15:157:20
614.15:167:20
714.15:167:21
814.15:177:21
914.05:187:21
1014.05:197:21
1114.05:207:21
1214.05:207:21
1314.05:217:21
1414.05:227:20
1514.05:237:20
1613.95:247:20
1713.95:257:20
1813.95:267:20
1913.95:267:20
2013.95:277:19
2113.85:287:19
2213.85:297:19
2313.85:307:18
2413.85:317:18
2513.85:327:18
2613.75:337:17
2713.75:347:17
2813.75:357:16
2913.75:367:16
3013.65:367:15
3113.65:377:15

Solar energy in January

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in January, about 6.38 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 2.95 kWh/m² to a high of 6.56 kWh/m² in December across the year — January's 6.38 kWh/m² sits near the top of that range.

0246151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
16.5Intense
26.5Intense
36.5Intense
46.5Intense
56.5Intense
66.4Intense
76.4Intense
86.4Intense
96.4Intense
106.4Intense
116.4Intense
126.4Intense
136.4Intense
146.4Intense
156.4Intense
166.4Intense
176.4Intense
186.4Intense
196.4Intense
206.4Intense
216.4Intense
226.4Intense
236.3Intense
246.3Intense
256.3Intense
266.3Intense
276.2Intense
286.2Intense
296.2Intense
306.2Intense
316.1Intense
Planning a trip in January

Is January a good time to visit Alice?

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

6.3
Sightseeing
11th-best month of the year
6.5
Beach & pool
1st-best month of the year

January is a reasonable time to visit Alice for sightseeing. The water and warmth also suit a beach or pool day.

What to pack for Alice in January

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

In January, Alice sees daytime highs around 27°C and nights near 16°C. Pack light clothes and sun protection. Worth having: rain gear. About 12 days see rain.

light clothessun protectionrain gear

UV index in Alice in January

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in January peaks around 14 (very high — sun protection essential). The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.

Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Alice peaks around January 14 at about 13 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near June 23 at about 3 (moderate).

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

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecExtremeVery highHighModerateHighExtremeJan 14UV 13Jun 23UV 3
UV index (midday)Level
Jan14Extreme
Feb12Extreme
Mar10Very high
Apr6High
May5Moderate
Jun3Moderate
Jul3Moderate
Aug5Moderate
Sep6High
Oct11Extreme
Nov11Extreme
Dec12Extreme

Air quality in Alice 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 Alice is worst in August — around 18 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 2.7× the cleanest month (December, 7 µg/m³).

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

01020JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecGoodModerateGoodAug 1618 µg/m³Dec 227 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan7Good
Feb7Good
Mar8Good
Apr10Good
May13Moderate
Jun14Moderate
Jul15Moderate
Aug18Moderate
Sep14Moderate
Oct11Good
Nov8Good
Dec7Good
Location & terrain

Where is Alice?

Alice sits at 32.8°S, 26.8°E, 522 m above sea level, in South Africa. The nearest listed city is Fort Beaufort, 19 km away.

Topography around Alice

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Alice has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 223 m around an average of 567 m above sea level; within 16 km, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,165 m; within 80 km, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 2,356 m.

The land around Alice is covered by grassland (45%) and shrubs (26%) within 3 km, grassland (49%), shrubs (30%) and trees (20%) within 16 km, and grassland (60%) and trees (21%) within 80 km.

3 km
223 m
16 km
1,165 m
80 km
2,356 m
treesshrubsgrasslandcroplandartificial surfaces
January weather nearby: Fort Beaufort 19 km · Dimbaza 36 km · Qonce 53 km · Bhisho 57 km · Stutterheim 60 km · Grahamstown 64 km · Ndevana 64 km · Whittlesea 68 km

South Africa travel facts

Travel advisory
Level 2
Exercise Increased Caution
Power plugs
Type C / M / N
230 V · 50 Hz
Prices
≈ 41% of US
price level, 2025
GDP per capita
$6,598
2025
Happiness
5.0 / 10
World Happiness, 2025
Safe drinking water
68%
of population, 2024
Homicide rate
43.7
per 100k, 2022
Road deaths
22.2
per 100k/yr, 2019
Income group
Upper middle
World Bank
English
Very high
EF EPI 602
Religion
Christian 86%or other traditional African religions 5%nothing in particular 5%Muslim 2%

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 Alice (-32.7875°, 26.8344°, elevation 522 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. 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).