Dundee weather in January

In January, Dundee sees average daytime highs of 27°C and overnight lows near 16°C, with 151 mm of rain across 17.6 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 27°C through the month. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 25% of the time in January, and the air most often feels humid.

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 Dundee's 10th-clearest and 8th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Dundee's year-round climate.

Daytime high
27°
1st warmest
Overnight low
16°
12th coldest
Rainfall
151 mm
17.6 wet days
Daylight
13 h 36 min
5:20 AM – 6:57 PM
Cloud cover
61%
10th clearest
Wind
9 km/h
8th windiest
Solar energy
6.26 kWh/m²
Travel score
5.4
out of 10

Dundee is town in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa.

Density
1,737/km²
people per km²
Founded
1835

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 27°C through the month.

A typical January day in Dundee reaches about 27°C in the afternoon and slips back to 16°C overnight — a 11°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 21°C and 32°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)
12716
22716
32716
42716
52716
62716
72716
82716
92716
102716
112716
122716
132716
142716
152716
162716
172716
182716
192716
202716
212716
222716
232716
242716
252716
262716
272716
282716
292716
302716
312716

Dundee 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
Jan27° / 16°15117.613.65.4
Feb27° / 16°12814.7135.7
Mar26° / 14°10512.912.26.5
Apr24° / 12°527.611.37.6
May22° / 183.210.68.3
Jun20° / 111.810.28.2
Jul20° / 141.710.48.3
Aug22° / 223.7118.3
Sep25° / 10°356.111.87.8
Oct25° / 12°9212.712.76.5
Nov26° / 13°1251713.45.5
Dec27° / 15°15419.113.85.3

Cloud cover in January

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 25% 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 53%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
14753
24852
34852
44951
54852
64852
74852
84951
94951
104951
114951
124852
134852
144753
154555
164555
174456
184456
194456
204456
214456
224456
234456
244456
254654
264654
274654
284852
294852
304951
315050

Chance of precipitation in January

Any precipitation

Dundee gets around 151 mm of rain over 17.6 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 57% and peaks near 59% on the wettest days.

0%20%40%60%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
159
259
358
458
557
657
756
856
955
1055
1155
1255
1355
1455
1555
1656
1756
1856
1957
2057
2157
2258
2358
2458
2558
2658
2758
2858
2958
3058
3158

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 43% of days. It rarely turns muggy — the humid and sticky bands barely register.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)Muggy (%)
11347373
21446373
31446373
41445383
51445383
61545383
71544383
81544383
91544383
101543393
111543393
121543403
131543402
141542412
151442412
161442422
171442432
181341442
191341442
201241452
211240462
221140472
231040472
241040482
25940482
26940482
27940493
28840493
29840493
30840493
31840493

Wind in January

Winds average 9 km/h in January.

Across January, daily wind ranges from about 9 km/h on the calmest days to 9 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

051015151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
19calm
29calm
39calm
49calm
59calm
69calm
79calm
89calm
99calm
109calm
119calm
129calm
139calm
149calm
159calm
169calm
179calm
189calm
199calm
209calm
219calm
229calm
239calm
249calm
259calm
269calm
279calm
289calm
299calm
309calm
319calm

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 5:09 AM to 5:32 AM, and sunset from 6:55 PM to 6:53 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
113.85:096:55
213.85:106:55
313.75:116:56
413.75:116:56
513.75:126:56
613.75:136:56
713.75:136:56
813.75:146:56
913.75:156:56
1013.75:166:57
1113.75:166:57
1213.75:176:57
1313.65:186:57
1413.65:196:57
1513.65:196:57
1613.65:206:57
1713.65:216:56
1813.65:226:56
1913.65:226:56
2013.55:236:56
2113.55:246:56
2213.55:256:56
2313.55:266:55
2413.55:266:55
2513.55:276:55
2613.45:286:55
2713.45:296:54
2813.45:306:54
2913.45:306:54
3013.45:316:53
3113.35:326:53

Solar energy in January

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in January, about 6.26 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 3.57 kWh/m² to a high of 6.37 kWh/m² in December across the year — January's 6.26 kWh/m² sits near the top of that range.

0246151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
16.5Intense
26.5Intense
36.5Intense
46.5Intense
56.4Intense
66.4Intense
76.4Intense
86.4Intense
96.4Intense
106.4Intense
116.3Intense
126.3Intense
136.3Intense
146.3Intense
156.3Intense
166.2Intense
176.2Intense
186.2Intense
196.2Intense
206.2Intense
216.2Intense
226.2Intense
236.2Intense
246.2Intense
256.2Intense
266.2Intense
276.2Intense
286.2Intense
296.2Intense
306.2Intense
316.2Intense
Planning a trip in January

Hazard calendar for Dundee

In seasonPeak

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

Dundee'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 Dundee?

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

5.4
Sightseeing
11th-best month of the year
5.5
Beach & pool
8th-best month of the year

January is a reasonable time to visit Dundee for sightseeing.

What to pack for Dundee in January

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

In January, Dundee sees daytime highs around 27°C and nights near 16°C. Pack rain gear and sun protection. Worth having: light clothes. About 18 days see rain.

rain gearsun protectionlight clothes

UV index in Dundee 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 Dundee peaks around January 15 at about 14 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near July 11 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 15UV 14Jul 11UV 4
UV index (midday)Level
Jan15Extreme
Feb13Extreme
Mar11Extreme
Apr8Very high
May6High
Jun5Moderate
Jul4Moderate
Aug7High
Sep8Very high
Oct9Very high
Nov11Extreme
Dec13Extreme

Air quality in Dundee 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 Dundee is worst in September — around 45 µg/m³ PM2.5 (poor), about 4.5× the cleanest month (January, 10 µg/m³).

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

0204060JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecGoodModeratePoorModerateGoodSep 945 µg/m³Jan 1210 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan10Good
Feb12Moderate
Mar16Moderate
Apr23Moderate
May31Moderate
Jun36Poor
Jul41Poor
Aug45Poor
Sep45Poor
Oct24Moderate
Nov13Moderate
Dec11Good
Location & terrain

Where is Dundee?

Dundee sits at 28.2°S, 30.2°E, 1,260 m above sea level, in South Africa. The nearest listed city is Glencoe, 9.0 km away.

Topography around Dundee

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Dundee has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 165 m around an average of 1,240 m above sea level; within 16 km, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 704 m; within 80 km, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,920 m.

The land around Dundee is covered by grassland (55%) and artificial surfaces (24%) within 3 km, grassland (64%) within 16 km, and grassland (72%) within 80 km.

3 km
165 m
16 km
704 m
80 km
1,920 m
treesshrubsgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrain
January weather nearby: Glencoe 9.0 km · Mondlo 52 km · Newcastle 54 km · Ladysmith 62 km · Vryheid 70 km · Volksrust 96 km · Estcourt 101 km · Greytown 106 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 Dundee (-28.1668°, 30.2337°, elevation 1,260 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).