Bethal weather in January

In January, Bethal sees average daytime highs of 25°C and overnight lows near 15°C, with 132 mm of rain across 16.2 wet days and about 13.5 hours of daylight. It is the 1st-warmest and 2nd-wettest month of the year here.

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 25°C through the month. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 32% 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 Bethal's 10th-clearest and 8th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Bethal's year-round climate.

Daytime high
25°
1st warmest
Overnight low
15°
12th coldest
Rainfall
132 mm
16.2 wet days
Daylight
13 h 30 min
5:27 AM – 6:56 PM
Cloud cover
56%
10th clearest
Wind
11 km/h
8th windiest
Solar energy
6.55 kWh/m²
Travel score
6.0
out of 10

Bethal is place in Mpumalanga, South Africa.

Founded
1898

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 25°C through the month.

A typical January day in Bethal reaches about 25°C in the afternoon and slips back to 15°C overnight — a 10°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 21°C and 28°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)
12515
22515
32515
42515
52515
62515
72515
82515
92515
102515
112515
122515
132515
142515
152515
162515
172515
182515
192515
202515
212515
222515
232515
242515
252515
262515
272515
282515
292515
302515
312515

How January really feels in Bethal

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.

Bethal 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
Jan25° / 15°13216.213.56.0
Feb25° / 15°9412.412.96.4
Mar24° / 13°9010.812.27.1
Apr22° / 10°426.511.47.5
May20° / 152.710.78.1
Jun18° / 70.910.47.9
Jul18° / 60.810.57.9
Aug21° / 122.411.18.4
Sep24° / 10°233.811.88.5
Oct25° / 12°9112.212.66.9
Nov24° / 13°1121513.36.1
Dec25° / 14°14517.813.65.7

Cloud cover in January

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 32% of the time in January.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 22% of January, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 46%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
15446
25446
35446
45545
55545
65644
75644
85644
95644
105644
115545
125545
135545
145446
155446
165347
175347
185347
195347
205248
215248
225248
235347
245347
255347
265446
275545
285644
295644
305644
315743

Chance of precipitation in January

Any precipitation

Bethal gets around 132 mm of rain over 16.2 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 52% and peaks near 54% on the wettest days.

0%20%40%60%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
154
254
353
452
552
651
750
850
950
1050
1150
1250
1351
1451
1552
1652
1752
1853
1953
2054
2154
2254
2354
2454
2554
2654
2753
2853
2952
3051
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 55% of days. It rarely turns muggy — the humid and sticky bands barely register.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)
1215722
2215722
3225622
4225622
5235522
6235522
7235522
8235522
9235522
10235522
11235522
12235423
13225523
14225523
15215524
16215524
17205624
18195625
19195625
20185626
21185626
22185527
23175627
24175528
25175528
26185428
27185428
28185428
29185428
30195427
31195526

Wind in January

Winds average 11 km/h in January.

Across January, daily wind ranges from about 11 km/h on the calmest days to 11 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

051015151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
111calm
211calm
311calm
411calm
511calm
611calm
711calm
811calm
911calm
1011calm
1111calm
1211calm
1311calm
1411calm
1511calm
1611calm
1711calm
1811calm
1911calm
2011calm
2111calm
2211calm
2311calm
2411calm
2511calm
2611calm
2711calm
2811calm
2911calm
3011calm
3111calm

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 5:38 AM, and sunset from 6:54 PM to 6:53 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
113.65:166:54
213.65:176:55
313.65:186:55
413.65:186:55
513.65:196:55
613.65:206:55
713.65:206:56
813.65:216:56
913.65:226:56
1013.65:226:56
1113.65:236:56
1213.55:246:56
1313.55:246:56
1413.55:256:56
1513.55:266:56
1613.55:276:56
1713.55:276:56
1813.55:286:56
1913.55:296:56
2013.45:306:56
2113.45:306:56
2213.45:316:56
2313.45:326:55
2413.45:336:55
2513.45:336:55
2613.35:346:55
2713.35:356:54
2813.35:366:54
2913.35:376:54
3013.35:376:53
3113.25:386:53

Solar energy in January

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in January, about 6.55 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 3.9 kWh/m² to a high of 6.66 kWh/m² in December across the year — January's 6.55 kWh/m² sits near the top of that range.

0246151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
16.7Intense
26.7Intense
36.7Intense
46.7Intense
56.7Intense
66.7Intense
76.7Intense
86.7Intense
96.6Intense
106.6Intense
116.6Intense
126.6Intense
136.5Intense
146.5Intense
156.5Intense
166.5Intense
176.5Intense
186.5Intense
196.5Intense
206.5Intense
216.5Intense
226.5Intense
236.5Intense
246.5Intense
256.5Intense
266.5Intense
276.5Intense
286.5Intense
296.5Intense
306.5Intense
316.5Intense
Planning a trip in January

Hazard calendar for Bethal

In seasonPeak

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

Bethal'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 Bethal?

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

6.0
Sightseeing
11th-best month of the year
5.4
Beach & pool
5th-best month of the year

January is a reasonable time to visit Bethal for sightseeing.

What to pack for Bethal in January

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

In January, Bethal sees daytime highs around 25°C and nights near 15°C. Pack rain gear and sun protection. Worth having: light clothes. About 16 days see rain.

rain gearsun protectionlight clothes

UV index in Bethal 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 Bethal peaks around January 14 at about 14 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near June 20 at about 5 (high).

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

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecExtremeVery highHighVery highExtremeJan 14UV 14Jun 20UV 5
UV index (midday)Level
Jan15Extreme
Feb13Extreme
Mar12Extreme
Apr8Very high
May6High
Jun5High
Jul6High
Aug7Very high
Sep9Very high
Oct11Extreme
Nov12Extreme
Dec14Extreme

Air quality in Bethal 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 Bethal is worst in July — around 87 µg/m³ PM2.5 (unhealthy), about 3.6× the cleanest month (January, 24 µg/m³).

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

0306090JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecModeratePoorUnhealthyPoorModerateJul 1286 µg/m³Jan 1024 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan24Moderate
Feb31Moderate
Mar39Poor
Apr56Unhealthy
May73Unhealthy
Jun83Unhealthy
Jul87Unhealthy
Aug72Unhealthy
Sep55Poor
Oct35Moderate
Nov26Moderate
Dec25Moderate
Location & terrain

Where is Bethal?

Bethal sits at 26.5°S, 29.5°E, 1,661 m above sea level, in South Africa. The nearest listed city is Trichardt, 24 km away.

Topography around Bethal

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Bethal has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 78 m around an average of 1,655 m above sea level; within 16 km, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 186 m; within 80 km, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 540 m.

The land around Bethal is covered by grassland (53%) and artificial surfaces (25%) within 3 km, grassland (52%) and cropland (45%) within 16 km, and grassland (58%) and cropland (38%) within 80 km.

3 km
78 m
16 km
186 m
80 km
540 m
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwater
January weather nearby: Trichardt 24 km · Kriel 31 km · Secunda 31 km · Thubelihle 32 km · Kinross 38 km · eMbalenhle 41 km · Hendrina 42 km · Ermelo 52 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 Bethal (-26.4579°, 29.4655°, elevation 1,661 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).