Butterworth weather in January

In January, Butterworth sees average daytime highs of 26°C and overnight lows near 16°C, with 121 mm of rain across 15.6 wet days and about 13.9 hours of daylight. It is the 2nd-warmest and 1st-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 19% of the time in January, and the air most often feels humid.

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 Butterworth's 11th-clearest and 8th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Butterworth's year-round climate.

Daytime high
26°
2nd warmest
Overnight low
16°
11th coldest
Rainfall
121 mm
15.6 wet days
Daylight
13 h 54 min
5:20 AM – 7:14 PM
Cloud cover
69%
11th clearest
Wind
11 km/h
8th windiest
Solar energy
5.67 kWh/m²
Travel score
5.7
out of 10

Butterworth is town.

Founded
1827

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 Butterworth reaches about 26°C in the afternoon and slips back to 16°C overnight — a 9°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 20°C and 32°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)
12616
22616
32616
42616
52616
62616
72616
82616
92616
102616
112616
122616
132616
142616
152616
162616
172616
182616
192616
202616
212616
222616
232616
242616
252616
262617
272617
282617
292617
302617
312617

Butterworth weather by month

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

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan26° / 16°12115.613.95.7
Feb26° / 17°10414.313.25.7
Mar25° / 16°1021412.26.2
Apr24° / 13°769.311.27.1
May23° / 11°244.510.48.1
Jun21° / 233.29.98.1
Jul21° / 233.310.18.1
Aug22° / 335.610.87.7
Sep23° / 10°577.811.87.2
Oct23° / 12°9413.212.86.3
Nov23° / 13°1111413.76.0
Dec25° / 15°11416.314.15.8

Cloud cover in January

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 19% of the time in January.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 16% of January, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 65%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
13367
23466
33466
43466
53466
63565
73664
83664
93664
103763
113763
123664
133664
143664
153664
163763
173664
183565
193565
203565
213565
223565
233565
243466
253466
263565
273565
283565
293565
303664
313664

Chance of precipitation in January

Any precipitation

Butterworth gets around 121 mm of rain over 15.6 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 50% and peaks near 52% on the wettest days.

0%20%40%60%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
151
251
351
451
550
650
750
850
949
1049
1149
1249
1349
1449
1549
1649
1749
1849
1949
2050
2150
2250
2351
2451
2551
2652
2752
2852
2952
3052
3151

Humidity in January

DryComfortableHumidMuggyOppressiveMiserable

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

By dew point, January lands in the humid band about 41% of days. Sticky, muggy-or-worse air turns up on roughly 25% of them.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)Muggy (%)Oppressive (%)
1102544201
2102544201
3102543201
4102543211
5102543212
6102543212
7102542222
8102542222
992541222
1092541232
1192640232
1292640232
1392640241
1492639241
1592739241
1692739251
1782738251
1882738261
1982738261
2072639271
2172639271
2272640271
2372540261
2462541261
2562542261
2662443261
2762443261
2862444261
2962344261
3062345261
3162245261

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 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
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 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 5:08 AM to 5:33 AM, and sunset from 7:13 PM to 7:08 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
114.15:087:13
214.15:097:13
314.15:097:14
414.15:107:14
514.15:117:14
614.05:117:14
714.05:127:14
814.05:137:14
914.05:147:14
1014.05:157:14
1114.05:157:14
1214.05:167:14
1314.05:177:14
1413.95:187:14
1513.95:197:14
1613.95:207:14
1713.95:207:14
1813.95:217:13
1913.95:227:13
2013.85:237:13
2113.85:247:13
2213.85:257:12
2313.85:267:12
2413.85:277:12
2513.75:287:11
2613.75:287:11
2713.75:297:10
2813.75:307:10
2913.65:317:10
3013.65:327:09
3113.65:337:08

Solar energy in January

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in January, about 5.67 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 3.01 kWh/m² to a high of 5.83 kWh/m² in December across the year — January's 5.67 kWh/m² sits near the top of that range.

0246151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
15.8Bright
25.8Bright
35.8Bright
45.8Bright
55.8Bright
65.8Bright
75.8Bright
85.8Bright
95.8Bright
105.8Bright
115.8Bright
125.8Bright
135.8Bright
145.7Bright
155.7Bright
165.7Bright
175.7Bright
185.7Bright
195.7Bright
205.7Bright
215.7Bright
225.6Bright
235.6Bright
245.6Bright
255.6Bright
265.5Bright
275.5Bright
285.5Bright
295.5Bright
305.5Bright
315.5Bright
Planning a trip in January

Hazard calendar for Butterworth

In seasonPeak

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

Butterworth's rainy season runs September–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 Butterworth?

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

5.7
Sightseeing
11th-best month of the year
5.4
Beach & pool
5th-best month of the year

January is a reasonable time to visit Butterworth for sightseeing.

What to pack for Butterworth in January

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

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

rain gearlight clothessun protection

Sea temperature near Butterworth in January

The nearest coast averages about 25°C in January — the other half of the beach question. The full-year curve and swim-comfort zones are below.

The sea at the nearest coast (about 39 km away) is warmest in February at about 25°C and coldest in August near 21°C.

The water stays above 20°C all year — warm enough for a swim any month.

20°22°24°26°JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDeccoolrefreshingwarmcomfortable to swim
Sea temperature (°C)Comfort
Jan25Warm
Feb25Warm
Mar25Warm
Apr25Warm
May24Refreshing
Jun22Refreshing
Jul21Refreshing
Aug21Refreshing
Sep21Refreshing
Oct21Refreshing
Nov23Refreshing
Dec23Refreshing

UV index in Butterworth 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 Butterworth peaks around January 15 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 15UV 13Jun 23UV 3
UV index (midday)Level
Jan14Extreme
Feb12Extreme
Mar10Very high
Apr6High
May5Moderate
Jun3Moderate
Jul3Moderate
Aug5Moderate
Sep6High
Oct11Extreme
Nov11Extreme
Dec12Extreme

Air quality in Butterworth 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 Butterworth is worst in August — around 23 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 2.8× the cleanest month (January, 8 µg/m³).

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

0102030JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecGoodModerateGoodAug 1523 µg/m³Jan 158 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan8Good
Feb9Good
Mar11Good
Apr14Moderate
May17Moderate
Jun19Moderate
Jul20Moderate
Aug23Moderate
Sep19Moderate
Oct14Moderate
Nov10Good
Dec9Good
Location & terrain

Where is Butterworth?

Butterworth sits at 32.3°S, 28.1°E, 545 m above sea level, in South Africa. The nearest listed city is Gonubie, 69 km away.

Topography around Butterworth

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Butterworth has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 218 m around an average of 584 m above sea level; within 16 km, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 688 m; within 80 km, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,672 m.

The land around Butterworth is covered by grassland (41%) and trees (26%) within 3 km, grassland (57%) and trees (23%) within 16 km, and grassland (46%) and trees (20%) within 80 km.

3 km
218 m
16 km
688 m
80 km
1,672 m
treesshrubsgrasslandcroplandartificial surfaceswater
January weather nearby: Gonubie 69 km · Stutterheim 73 km · Mdantsane 76 km · East London 79 km · Bhisho 88 km · Ndevana 88 km · Qonce 94 km · Cala 99 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 Butterworth (-32.3308°, 28.1498°, elevation 545 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. Sea temperatures are the NOAA OISST v2.1 1991–2020 monthly climatology (public domain), sampled at the nearest ocean point. 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).