Carolina weather in January

In January, Carolina sees average daytime highs of 25°C and overnight lows near 14°C, with 116 mm of rain across 15 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 25°C through the month. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 30% 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 Carolina's 10th-clearest and 8th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Carolina's year-round climate.

Daytime high
25°
1st warmest
Overnight low
14°
12th coldest
Rainfall
116 mm
15 wet days
Daylight
13 h 30 min
5:25 AM – 6:53 PM
Cloud cover
57%
10th clearest
Wind
11 km/h
8th windiest
Solar energy
6.34 kWh/m²
Travel score
6.2
out of 10

Carolina is town in South Africa.

Founded
1883

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 Carolina reaches about 25°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 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)
12514
22514
32514
42514
52514
62514
72514
82514
92514
102414
112414
122414
132414
142414
152414
162414
172414
182414
192414
202414
212414
222415
232415
242415
252515
262515
272515
282515
292515
302515
312515

How January really feels in Carolina

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.

Carolina 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° / 14°1161513.46.2
Feb25° / 14°8811.212.96.6
Mar24° / 13°8110.612.27.1
Apr22° / 10°406.411.47.5
May20° / 132.210.78.1
Jun18° / 51.110.47.8
Jul18° / 50.710.57.8
Aug21° / 101.911.18.4
Sep24° / 203.711.88.5
Oct24° / 11°731112.67.1
Nov24° / 13°10714.813.36.2
Dec24° / 14°13416.913.65.9

Cloud cover in January

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 30% 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 48%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
15248
25248
35347
45347
55347
65248
75347
85347
95347
105248
115248
125149
135149
145050
155050
165050
174951
184951
194951
204951
215050
225050
235149
245248
255347
265248
275347
285446
295545
305644
315743

Chance of precipitation in January

Any precipitation

Carolina gets around 116 mm of rain over 15 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 48% and peaks near 51% on the wettest days.

0%20%40%60%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
151
251
350
449
549
648
748
847
947
1047
1147
1247
1347
1447
1548
1648
1748
1849
1949
2049
2149
2249
2349
2449
2549
2649
2748
2848
2947
3046
3145

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 58% of days. It rarely turns muggy — the humid and sticky bands barely register.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)
1215920
2215920
3225820
4225820
5225820
6235720
7235720
8235621
9235621
10235621
11225721
12225721
13225721
14225721
15225622
16215722
17215722
18205723
19205723
20195823
21195823
22195724
23195724
24195724
25185824
26185824
27185824
28195724
29195823
30195823
31195823

Wind in January

Winds average 11 km/h in January.

Across January, daily wind ranges from about 10 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
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 5:15 AM to 5:36 AM, and sunset from 6:51 PM to 6:50 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
113.65:156:51
213.65:156:51
313.65:166:51
413.65:166:52
513.65:176:52
613.65:186:52
713.65:186:52
813.65:196:52
913.55:206:53
1013.55:216:53
1113.55:216:53
1213.55:226:53
1313.55:236:53
1413.55:236:53
1513.55:246:53
1613.55:256:53
1713.55:266:53
1813.45:266:53
1913.45:276:53
2013.45:286:52
2113.45:296:52
2213.45:296:52
2313.45:306:52
2413.35:316:52
2513.35:326:52
2613.35:326:51
2713.35:336:51
2813.35:346:51
2913.35:356:50
3013.25:356:50
3113.25:366:50

Solar energy in January

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in January, about 6.34 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 3.95 kWh/m² to a high of 6.44 kWh/m² in December across the year — January's 6.34 kWh/m² sits near the top of that range.

0246151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
16.5Intense
26.5Intense
36.5Intense
46.5Intense
56.5Intense
66.5Intense
76.5Intense
86.4Intense
96.4Intense
106.4Intense
116.4Intense
126.3Intense
136.3Intense
146.3Intense
156.3Intense
166.3Intense
176.3Intense
186.3Intense
196.3Intense
206.3Intense
216.2Intense
226.2Intense
236.2Intense
246.3Intense
256.3Intense
266.3Intense
276.3Intense
286.3Intense
296.3Intense
306.3Intense
316.3Intense
Planning a trip in January

Hazard calendar for Carolina

In seasonPeak

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

Carolina'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 Carolina?

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

6.2
Sightseeing
10th-best month of the year
5.5
Beach & pool
5th-best month of the year

January is a reasonable time to visit Carolina for sightseeing.

What to pack for Carolina in January

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

In January, Carolina sees daytime highs around 25°C and nights near 14°C. Pack rain gear and sun protection. Worth having: light clothes. About 15 days see rain.

rain gearsun protectionlight clothes

UV index in Carolina 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 Carolina peaks around January 13 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 13UV 14Jun 20UV 5
UV index (midday)Level
Jan15Extreme
Feb13Extreme
Mar12Extreme
Apr8Very high
May6High
Jun5High
Jul6High
Aug8Very high
Sep9Very high
Oct11Extreme
Nov12Extreme
Dec14Extreme

Air quality in Carolina 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 Carolina is worst in July — around 31 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 2.7× the cleanest month (December, 11 µg/m³).

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

010203040JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecModerateJul 2331 µg/m³Dec 2211 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan12Good
Feb13Moderate
Mar16Moderate
Apr20Moderate
May23Moderate
Jun26Moderate
Jul31Moderate
Aug31Moderate
Sep29Moderate
Oct18Moderate
Nov14Moderate
Dec11Good
Location & terrain

Where is Carolina?

Carolina sits at 26.1°S, 30.1°E, 1,698 m above sea level, in South Africa. The nearest listed city is Breyten, 29 km away.

Topography around Carolina

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Carolina has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 135 m around an average of 1,677 m above sea level; within 16 km, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 366 m; within 80 km, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,461 m.

The land around Carolina is covered by grassland (68%) within 3 km, grassland (73%) and cropland (20%) within 16 km, and grassland (63%) and cropland (22%) within 80 km.

3 km
135 m
16 km
366 m
80 km
1,461 m
treesshrubsgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwater
January weather nearby: Breyten 29 km · Hendrina 41 km · Belfast 43 km · Ermelo 53 km · Nhlazatje 68 km · Lukwatini 71 km · Empuluzu 71 km · Middelburg 73 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 Carolina (-26.0693°, 30.1149°, elevation 1,698 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).