Belfast weather in January

In January, Belfast sees average daytime highs of 24°C and overnight lows near 14°C, with 140 mm of rain across 17 wet days and about 13.4 hours of daylight. It is the 1st-warmest and 2nd-wettest month of the year here.

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 24°C through the month. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 27% of the time in January, and the air most often feels comfortable.

Daylight stretches from about 13 h 36 min at the start of January to 13 h 12 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, January is Belfast's 10th-clearest and 8th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Belfast's year-round climate.

Daytime high
24°
1st warmest
Overnight low
14°
12th coldest
Rainfall
140 mm
17 wet days
Daylight
13 h 24 min
5:26 AM – 6:52 PM
Cloud cover
59%
10th clearest
Wind
10 km/h
8th windiest
Solar energy
6.29 kWh/m²
Travel score
5.9
out of 10

Belfast is town in South Africa.

Founded
1890

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 24°C through the month.

A typical January day in Belfast reaches about 24°C in the afternoon and slips back to 14°C overnight — a 10°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 20°C and 27°C. Set against its neighbours, January runs on par with December and on par with February.

10°15°20°25°30°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
12414
22414
32414
42414
52414
62414
72414
82414
92414
102414
112414
122414
132414
142414
152414
162414
172414
182414
192414
202414
212414
222414
232414
242414
252414
262414
272414
282414
292414
302414
312414

How January really feels in Belfast

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

January sits comfortably in between — no days that feel dangerously hot or drop to a hard freeze once humidity and wind are folded in.

Belfast weather by month

How January compares with the rest of the year at a glance. January is the 1st-warmest and 2nd-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan24° / 14°1401713.45.9
Feb24° / 14°10212.312.96.4
Mar23° / 12°9711.812.26.7
Apr21° / 10°476.611.47.2
May19° / 142.510.87.8
Jun17° / 50.910.47.2
Jul17° / 60.810.67.2
Aug19° / 111.911.18.2
Sep23° / 224.211.88.2
Oct23° / 11°7711.812.66.8
Nov23° / 12°12215.613.35.9
Dec24° / 13°15518.913.65.6

Cloud cover in January

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 27% of the time in January.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 21% of January, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 52%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
14753
24753
34852
44852
54852
64852
74951
84951
94951
104951
114852
124753
134753
144753
154555
164555
174555
184555
194654
204654
214753
224753
234753
244852
254951
264951
275149
285248
295248
305347
315446

Chance of precipitation in January

Any precipitation

Belfast gets around 140 mm of rain over 17 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 54% and peaks near 58% on the wettest days.

0%20%40%60%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
158
258
357
456
556
655
755
854
954
1053
1153
1253
1353
1453
1553
1653
1754
1854
1954
2054
2155
2255
2355
2455
2555
2654
2754
2853
2952
3052
3151

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 59% of days. It rarely turns muggy — the humid and sticky bands barely register.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)
1246412
2246313
3256213
4256213
5256213
6266014
7266014
8266014
9265915
10275815
11275815
12275815
13275716
14275716
15275716
16275617
17265717
18265717
19265717
20255817
21255817
22255817
23255817
24245917
25245917
26246016
27246016
28246016
29246115
30246115
31246214

Wind in January

Winds average 10 km/h in January.

Across January, daily wind ranges from about 10 km/h on the calmest days to 10 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

051015151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
110calm
210calm
310calm
410calm
510calm
610calm
710calm
810calm
910calm
1010calm
1110calm
1210calm
1310calm
1410calm
1510calm
1610calm
1710calm
1810calm
1910calm
2010calm
2110calm
2210calm
2310calm
2410calm
2510calm
2610calm
2710calm
2810calm
2910calm
3010calm
3110calm

Sunrise & sunset in January

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 13 h 36 min at the start of January to 13 h 12 min by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days shrink by about 24 minutes over January. Sunrise moves from 5:16 AM to 5:37 AM, and sunset from 6:50 PM to 6:49 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
113.65:166:50
213.65:166:51
313.65:176:51
413.65:186:51
513.65:186:51
613.55:196:52
713.55:206:52
813.55:206:52
913.55:216:52
1013.55:226:52
1113.55:226:52
1213.55:236:52
1313.55:246:52
1413.55:246:52
1513.55:256:52
1613.45:266:52
1713.45:276:52
1813.45:276:52
1913.45:286:52
2013.45:296:52
2113.45:306:52
2213.45:306:52
2313.35:316:52
2413.35:326:51
2513.35:336:51
2613.35:336:51
2713.35:346:51
2813.35:356:50
2913.25:366:50
3013.25:366:50
3113.25:376:49

Solar energy in January

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in January, about 6.29 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 3.98 kWh/m² to a high of 6.39 kWh/m² in December across the year — January's 6.29 kWh/m² sits near the top of that range.

0246151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
16.5Intense
26.5Intense
36.5Intense
46.5Intense
56.4Intense
66.4Intense
76.4Intense
86.4Intense
96.4Intense
106.3Intense
116.3Intense
126.3Intense
136.3Intense
146.3Intense
156.3Intense
166.2Intense
176.2Intense
186.2Intense
196.2Intense
206.2Intense
216.2Intense
226.2Intense
236.2Intense
246.2Intense
256.2Intense
266.2Intense
276.2Intense
286.3Intense
296.3Intense
306.3Intense
316.3Intense
Planning a trip in January

Hazard calendar for Belfast

In seasonPeak

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

Belfast's rainy season runs October–March, when most of the year's rain falls.

Rainy season
Jan
Feb
Mar
Apr
May
Jun
Jul
Aug
Sep
Oct
Nov
Dec

Is January a good time to visit Belfast?

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

5.9
Sightseeing
10th-best month of the year
4.9
Beach & pool
5th-best month of the year

January is a reasonable time to visit Belfast for sightseeing.

What to pack for Belfast in January

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

In January, Belfast sees daytime highs around 24°C and nights near 14°C. Pack rain gear and sun protection. Worth having: light clothes. About 17 days see rain.

rain gearsun protectionlight clothes

UV index in Belfast 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 Belfast peaks around January 13 at about 14 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near June 20 at about 6 (high).

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

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecExtremeVery highHighVery highExtremeJan 13UV 14Jun 20UV 6
UV index (midday)Level
Jan15Extreme
Feb14Extreme
Mar13Extreme
Apr8Very high
May7High
Jun6High
Jul6High
Aug8Very high
Sep10Very high
Oct11Extreme
Nov12Extreme
Dec14Extreme

Air quality in Belfast 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 Belfast is worst in August — around 32 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 3.8× the cleanest month (December, 9 µg/m³).

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

010203040JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecGoodModerateGoodAug 1432 µg/m³Dec 209 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan10Good
Feb11Good
Mar13Moderate
Apr16Moderate
May21Moderate
Jun24Moderate
Jul30Moderate
Aug32Moderate
Sep27Moderate
Oct18Moderate
Nov13Moderate
Dec9Good
Location & terrain

Where is Belfast?

Belfast sits at 25.7°S, 30.0°E, 1,873 m above sea level, in South Africa. The nearest listed city is Carolina, 43 km away.

Topography around Belfast

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Belfast has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 97 m around an average of 1,882 m above sea level; within 16 km, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 440 m; within 80 km, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,596 m.

The land around Belfast is covered by grassland (58%) within 3 km, grassland (71%) within 16 km, and grassland (63%) within 80 km.

3 km
97 m
16 km
440 m
80 km
1,596 m
treesshrubsgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwater
January weather nearby: Carolina 43 km · Middelburg 58 km · Hendrina 61 km · Breyten 68 km · Lydenburg 78 km · Emalahleni 83 km · Nhlazatje 85 km · Lukwatini 89 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 Belfast (-25.6899°, 30.035°, elevation 1,873 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).