Botshabelo weather in January

In January, Botshabelo sees average daytime highs of 29°C and overnight lows near 17°C, with 102 mm of rain across 13.5 wet days and about 13.7 hours of daylight. It is the 1st-warmest and 1st-wettest month of the year here.

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 29°C through the month. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 50% of the time in January, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 13 h 48 min at the start of January to 13 h 24 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, January is Botshabelo's 12th-clearest and 6th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Botshabelo's year-round climate.

Daytime high
29°
1st warmest
Overnight low
17°
12th coldest
Rainfall
102 mm
13.5 wet days
Daylight
13 h 42 min
5:32 AM – 7:13 PM
Cloud cover
43%
12th clearest
Wind
12 km/h
6th windiest
Solar energy
7.39 kWh/m²
Travel score
5.1
out of 10

Botshabelo is town in the Free State, South Africa.

Density
2,979/km²
people per km²
Founded
1978

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 29°C through the month.

A typical January day in Botshabelo reaches about 29°C in the afternoon and slips back to 17°C overnight — a 13°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 25°C and 34°C. Set against its neighbours, January runs on par with December and about 1°C warmer than February.

10°15°20°25°30°35°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
13016
23016
33016
43016
53016
63016
73016
83017
93017
103017
113017
123017
133017
143017
153017
163017
172917
182917
192917
202917
212917
222917
232917
242917
252917
262917
272917
282917
292917
302917
312917

How January really feels in Botshabelo

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.

Botshabelo 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
Jan29° / 17°10213.513.75.1
Feb28° / 16°8712.913.15.6
Mar27° / 14°8211.312.26.7
Apr23° / 10°527.711.37.6
May20° / 213.410.67.9
Jun17° / 13210.27.3
Jul17° / 81.710.37.4
Aug20° / 182.6118.2
Sep24° / 162.811.88.6
Oct26° / 11°537.712.77.4
Nov28° / 13°779.213.56.7
Dec29° / 15°8811.613.85.5

Cloud cover in January

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 50% of the time in January, the cloudiest month of the year.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 25% of January, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 24%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
17723
27723
37723
47723
57723
67723
77723
87723
97624
107723
117723
127723
137624
147624
157624
167624
177624
187525
197525
207525
217525
227426
237426
247426
257426
267525
277525
287525
297525
307525
317525

Chance of precipitation in January

Any precipitation

Botshabelo gets around 102 mm of rain over 13.5 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 43% and peaks near 48% on the wettest days. The odds climb toward the end of the month.

0%20%40%60%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
136
236
336
437
537
638
738
839
939
1040
1141
1242
1343
1444
1545
1645
1746
1847
1947
2048
2148
2248
2348
2448
2548
2647
2747
2846
2946
3045
3145

Humidity in January

DryComfortableHumidMuggyOppressiveMiserable

Most of January feels dry — the stacked bands show each day's mix of comfort levels, read off the dew point.

By dew point, January lands in the dry 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 (%)
162308
262308
361309
462308
561318
661318
761318
860328
960328
1059329
1158339
1258339
13573310
14573310
15553411
16553411
17543412
18533413
19533413
20523414
21513415
22513415
23503416
24493416
25493417
26493417
27503317
28503317
29503317
30503317
31513316

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
112light breeze
212light breeze
312light breeze
412light breeze
512light breeze
612light breeze
712light breeze
812calm
912calm
1012calm
1112calm
1212calm
1312calm
1412calm
1512calm
1612calm
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 48 min at the start of January to 13 h 24 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 5:21 AM to 5:44 AM, and sunset from 7:12 PM to 7:09 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
113.85:217:12
213.85:227:12
313.85:227:12
413.85:237:12
513.85:247:12
613.85:247:13
713.85:257:13
813.85:267:13
913.85:267:13
1013.85:277:13
1113.85:287:13
1213.75:297:13
1313.75:307:13
1413.75:307:13
1513.75:317:13
1613.75:327:13
1713.75:337:13
1813.75:337:13
1913.65:347:12
2013.65:357:12
2113.65:367:12
2213.65:377:12
2313.65:387:12
2413.55:387:11
2513.55:397:11
2613.55:407:11
2713.55:417:10
2813.55:427:10
2913.45:437:10
3013.45:437:09
3113.45:447:09

Solar energy in January

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in January, about 7.39 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 3.58 kWh/m² to a high of 7.7 kWh/m² in December across the year — January's 7.39 kWh/m² sits near the top of that range.

02468151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
17.7Intense
27.6Intense
37.6Intense
47.6Intense
57.6Intense
67.6Intense
77.6Intense
87.6Intense
97.6Intense
107.5Intense
117.5Intense
127.5Intense
137.5Intense
147.5Intense
157.5Intense
167.5Intense
177.4Intense
187.4Intense
197.4Intense
207.3Intense
217.3Intense
227.3Intense
237.3Intense
247.2Intense
257.2Intense
267.2Intense
277.2Intense
287.2Intense
297.1Intense
307.1Intense
317.1Intense
Planning a trip in January

Hazard calendar for Botshabelo

In seasonPeak

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

Botshabelo's rainy season runs October–April, 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 Botshabelo?

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

5.1
Sightseeing
12th-best month of the year
6.7
Beach & pool
5th-best month of the year

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

What to pack for Botshabelo in January

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

In January, Botshabelo sees daytime highs around 29°C and nights near 17°C. Pack light clothes and sun protection. Worth having: rain gear. About 14 days see rain.

light clothessun protectionrain gear

UV index in Botshabelo 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 Botshabelo peaks around January 13 at about 15 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near June 22 at about 4 (moderate).

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

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecExtremeVery highHighModerateHighVery highExtremeJan 13UV 15Jun 22UV 4
UV index (midday)Level
Jan15Extreme
Feb13Extreme
Mar11Extreme
Apr8Very high
May6High
Jun4Moderate
Jul5Moderate
Aug7High
Sep8Very high
Oct11Extreme
Nov12Extreme
Dec14Extreme

Air quality in Botshabelo 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 Botshabelo is worst in August — around 28 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 4.6× the cleanest month (December, 6 µg/m³).

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

0102030JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecGoodModerateGoodAug 1128 µg/m³Dec 196 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan7Good
Feb10Good
Mar15Moderate
Apr17Moderate
May23Moderate
Jun26Moderate
Jul28Moderate
Aug28Moderate
Sep24Moderate
Oct14Moderate
Nov8Good
Dec6Good
Location & terrain

Where is Botshabelo?

Botshabelo sits at 29.3°S, 26.7°E, 1,448 m above sea level, in South Africa. The nearest listed city is Thaba Nchu, 13 km away.

Topography around Botshabelo

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Botshabelo has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 202 m around an average of 1,433 m above sea level; within 16 km, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 781 m; within 80 km, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 858 m.

The land around Botshabelo is covered by artificial surfaces (40%), cropland (30%) and grassland (29%) within 3 km, grassland (68%) and cropland (22%) within 16 km, and grassland (78%) within 80 km.

3 km
202 m
16 km
781 m
80 km
858 m
treesshrubsgrasslandcroplandartificial surfaceswater
January weather nearby: Thaba Nchu 13 km · Bloemfontein 52 km · Winnie Mandela 68 km · Ladybrand 71 km · Maseru 74 km · Mabote 77 km · Mafeteng 79 km · Winburg 88 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 Botshabelo (-29.2674°, 26.726°, elevation 1,448 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).