Bethlehem weather in January

In January, Bethlehem sees average daytime highs of 26°C and overnight lows near 14°C, with 143 mm of rain across 16.4 wet days and about 13.6 hours of daylight. It is the 1st-warmest and 2nd-wettest month of the year here.

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 26°C through the month. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 37% of the time in January, and the air most often feels comfortable.

Daylight stretches from about 13 h 48 min at the start of January to 13 h 18 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, January is Bethlehem's 11th-clearest and 5th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Bethlehem's year-round climate.

Daytime high
26°
1st warmest
Overnight low
14°
12th coldest
Rainfall
143 mm
16.4 wet days
Daylight
13 h 36 min
5:28 AM – 7:04 PM
Cloud cover
52%
11th clearest
Wind
12 km/h
5th windiest
Solar energy
6.92 kWh/m²
Travel score
5.9
out of 10

Bethlehem is town in Dihlabeng Local Municipality, South Africa.

Founded
1859

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 26°C through the month.

A typical January day in Bethlehem reaches about 26°C in the afternoon and slips back to 14°C overnight — a 12°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 22°C and 30°C. Set against its neighbours, January runs on par with December and on par with February.

10°15°20°25°30°35°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
12614
22614
32614
42614
52614
62614
72614
82614
92614
102614
112614
122614
132614
142614
152614
162614
172614
182614
192614
202614
212614
222614
232614
242614
252614
262614
272614
282614
292614
302614
312614

How January really feels in Bethlehem

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.

Bethlehem 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
Jan26° / 14°14316.413.65.9
Feb25° / 14°9713.3136.2
Mar24° / 13°8912.212.26.9
Apr22° / 537.611.37.3
May19° / 253.410.67.7
Jun16° / 132.110.26.9
Jul16° / 81.310.47.0
Aug19° / 213.3117.8
Sep23° / 233.711.88.3
Oct24° / 10°879.712.77.4
Nov25° / 12°11112.213.46.7
Dec26° / 13°14716.713.85.9

Cloud cover in January

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 37% of the time in January.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 29% of January, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 35%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
16436
26436
36436
46535
56634
66634
76634
86634
96733
106733
116733
126733
136634
146634
156634
166535
176535
186535
196535
206535
216436
226436
236436
246436
256436
266436
276535
286535
296535
306733
316733

Chance of precipitation in January

Any precipitation

Bethlehem gets around 143 mm of rain over 16.4 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
354
453
553
652
752
851
951
1051
1150
1250
1350
1450
1550
1651
1751
1851
1952
2052
2153
2253
2354
2454
2554
2654
2754
2853
2953
3052
3152

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 51% of days. It rarely turns muggy — the humid and sticky bands barely register.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)
144488
244488
344488
444487
545487
645487
745487
846487
946477
1046477
1145487
1245487
1344488
1443498
1542498
1641509
1740519
18395110
19385210
20375211
21365311
22355312
23345412
24335512
25335512
26335512
27335512
28335512
29345412
30345412
31345412

Wind in January

Winds average 12 km/h in January.

Across January, daily wind ranges from about 11 km/h on the calmest days to 12 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

051015151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
112calm
212calm
312calm
412calm
512calm
612calm
712calm
812calm
912calm
1012calm
1112calm
1212calm
1312calm
1412calm
1512calm
1612calm
1712calm
1812calm
1912calm
2012calm
2112calm
2212calm
2312calm
2412calm
2512calm
2612calm
2711calm
2811calm
2911calm
3011calm
3111calm

Sunrise & sunset in January

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 13 h 48 min at the start of January to 13 h 18 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 5:17 AM to 5:40 AM, and sunset from 7:03 PM to 7:01 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
113.85:177:03
213.85:187:03
313.85:187:03
413.75:197:04
513.75:207:04
613.75:207:04
713.75:217:04
813.75:227:04
913.75:227:04
1013.75:237:04
1113.75:247:04
1213.75:257:05
1313.75:257:05
1413.65:267:04
1513.65:277:04
1613.65:287:04
1713.65:287:04
1813.65:297:04
1913.65:307:04
2013.65:317:04
2113.55:327:04
2213.55:327:04
2313.55:337:03
2413.55:347:03
2513.55:357:03
2613.45:367:02
2713.45:367:02
2813.45:377:02
2913.45:387:01
3013.45:397:01
3113.35:407:01

Solar energy in January

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in January, about 6.92 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 3.74 kWh/m² to a high of 7.13 kWh/m² in December across the year — January's 6.92 kWh/m² sits near the top of that range.

02468151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
17.1Intense
27.1Intense
37.1Intense
47.1Intense
57.1Intense
67.1Intense
77.1Intense
87.1Intense
97.1Intense
107.1Intense
117.1Intense
127.0Intense
137.0Intense
147.0Intense
157.0Intense
167.0Intense
176.9Intense
186.9Intense
196.9Intense
206.9Intense
216.8Intense
226.8Intense
236.8Intense
246.8Intense
256.8Intense
266.7Intense
276.7Intense
286.7Intense
296.7Intense
306.7Intense
316.7Intense
Planning a trip in January

Hazard calendar for Bethlehem

In seasonPeak

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

Bethlehem'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 Bethlehem?

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

5.9
Sightseeing
11th-best month of the year
5.6
Beach & pool
6th-best month of the year

January is a reasonable time to visit Bethlehem for sightseeing.

What to pack for Bethlehem in January

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

In January, Bethlehem sees daytime highs around 26°C and nights near 14°C. Pack rain gear and sun protection. Worth having: light clothes. About 16 days see rain.

rain gearsun protectionlight clothes

UV index in Bethlehem 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 Bethlehem peaks around January 14 at about 15 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near June 21 at about 5 (moderate).

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

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecExtremeVery highHighModerateHighVery highExtremeJan 14UV 15Jun 21UV 5
UV index (midday)Level
Jan15Extreme
Feb13Extreme
Mar12Extreme
Apr8Very high
May6High
Jun5Moderate
Jul5Moderate
Aug7High
Sep9Very high
Oct11Extreme
Nov12Extreme
Dec14Extreme

Air quality in Bethlehem 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 Bethlehem is worst in August — around 27 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 3.8× the cleanest month (December, 7 µg/m³).

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

0102030JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecGoodModerateGoodAug 1227 µg/m³Dec 227 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan7Good
Feb9Good
Mar12Moderate
Apr14Moderate
May18Moderate
Jun22Moderate
Jul27Moderate
Aug27Moderate
Sep26Moderate
Oct15Moderate
Nov9Good
Dec7Good
Location & terrain

Where is Bethlehem?

Bethlehem sits at 28.2°S, 28.3°E, 1,630 m above sea level, in South Africa. The nearest listed city is Fouriesburg, 44 km away.

Topography around Bethlehem

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Bethlehem has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 130 m around an average of 1,662 m above sea level; within 16 km, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 426 m; within 80 km, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 2,004 m.

The land around Bethlehem is covered by grassland (44%) and artificial surfaces (33%) within 3 km, cropland (49%) and grassland (45%) within 16 km, and grassland (64%) and cropland (34%) within 80 km.

3 km
130 m
16 km
426 m
80 km
2,004 m
treesshrubsgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwater
January weather nearby: Fouriesburg 44 km · Reitz 49 km · Phuthaditjhaba 60 km · Butha-Buthe 60 km · Mamafubedu 65 km · Tshiame 68 km · Senekal 68 km · Hlotse 76 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 Bethlehem (-28.2308°, 28.3071°, elevation 1,630 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).