Fernie weather in January

In January, Fernie sees average daytime highs of 25°C and overnight lows near 15°C, with 160 mm of rain across 19 wet days and about 13.5 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 27% of the time in January, and the air most often feels humid.

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 Fernie's 10th-clearest and 9th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Fernie's year-round climate.

Daytime high
25°
1st warmest
Overnight low
15°
12th coldest
Rainfall
160 mm
19 wet days
Daylight
13 h 30 min
5:22 AM – 6:51 PM
Cloud cover
62%
10th clearest
Wind
8 km/h
9th windiest
Solar energy
5.96 kWh/m²
Travel score
5.5
out of 10

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 Fernie reaches about 25°C in the afternoon and slips back to 15°C overnight — a 10°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 20°C and 29°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)
12515
22515
32515
42515
52515
62515
72515
82515
92515
102515
112515
122515
132515
142515
152515
162515
172515
182515
192515
202515
212515
222515
232515
242515
252515
262515
272515
282515
292515
302515
312515

Fernie 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° / 15°1601913.55.5
Feb25° / 15°12514.312.96.1
Mar24° / 14°11614.112.26.5
Apr22° / 11°528.611.47.1
May20° / 213.810.78.0
Jun19° / 122.410.47.9
Jul19° / 112.210.57.9
Aug21° / 203.911.18.1
Sep23° / 10°427.511.87.7
Oct23° / 11°10114.912.66.2
Nov24° / 13°14418.613.35.5
Dec25° / 14°17220.413.65.2

Cloud cover in January

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 27% of the time in January.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 17% of January, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 56%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
14456
24555
34555
44555
54555
64555
74555
84555
94456
104456
114456
124456
134258
144258
154258
164258
174060
184060
194060
204060
214159
224159
234258
244258
254357
264456
274654
284753
294753
304852
315050

Chance of precipitation in January

Any precipitation

Fernie gets around 160 mm of rain over 19 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 61% and peaks near 62% on the wettest days.

0%20%40%60%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
162
262
362
461
561
661
761
861
961
1062
1162
1262
1362
1462
1562
1662
1762
1862
1962
2062
2162
2261
2361
2460
2559
2659
2758
2858
2958
3057
3157

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 52% of days. It rarely turns muggy — the humid and sticky bands barely register.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)Muggy (%)
11037521
21037521
31136521
41136521
51136521
61136521
71136521
81136521
91136521
101136521
111136521
121136521
131036531
141036531
151036531
161036531
171036531
18936532
19936532
20937522
21837532
22837532
23838522
24738532
25738532
26638542
27639532
28639532
29639532
30639532
31640522

Wind in January

Winds average 8 km/h in January.

Across January, daily wind ranges from about 8 km/h on the calmest days to 8 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

0246810151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
18calm
28calm
38calm
48calm
58calm
68calm
78calm
88calm
98calm
108calm
118calm
128calm
138calm
148calm
158calm
168calm
178calm
188calm
198calm
208calm
218calm
228calm
238calm
248calm
258calm
268calm
278calm
288calm
298calm
308calm
318calm

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 5:11 AM to 5:33 AM, and sunset from 6:49 PM to 6:48 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
113.65:116:49
213.65:126:49
313.65:126:49
413.65:136:50
513.65:146:50
613.65:146:50
713.65:156:50
813.65:166:50
913.65:166:50
1013.65:176:51
1113.55:186:51
1213.55:196:51
1313.55:196:51
1413.55:206:51
1513.55:216:51
1613.55:226:51
1713.55:226:51
1813.55:236:51
1913.45:246:51
2013.45:256:50
2113.45:256:50
2213.45:266:50
2313.45:276:50
2413.45:286:50
2513.45:286:49
2613.35:296:49
2713.35:306:49
2813.35:316:49
2913.35:316:48
3013.35:326:48
3113.25:336:48

Solar energy in January

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in January, about 5.96 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 3.75 kWh/m² to a high of 6.01 kWh/m² in December across the year — January's 5.96 kWh/m² sits near the top of that range.

0246151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
16.2Intense
26.2Intense
36.2Intense
46.1Intense
56.1Intense
66.1Intense
76.1Intense
86.1Intense
96.0Intense
106.0Intense
116.0Bright
126.0Bright
136.0Bright
145.9Bright
155.9Bright
165.9Bright
175.9Bright
185.9Bright
195.9Bright
205.9Bright
215.9Bright
225.9Bright
235.9Bright
245.9Bright
255.9Bright
265.9Bright
275.9Bright
285.9Bright
295.9Bright
306.0Bright
316.0Bright
Planning a trip in January

Hazard calendar for Fernie

In seasonPeak

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

Fernie'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 Fernie?

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

5.5
Sightseeing
10th-best month of the year
4.9
Beach & pool
5th-best month of the year

January is a reasonable time to visit Fernie for sightseeing.

What to pack for Fernie in January

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

In January, Fernie sees daytime highs around 25°C and nights near 15°C. Pack rain gear. Worth having: light clothes and sun protection. About 19 days see rain.

rain gearlight clothessun protection

UV index in Fernie 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 Fernie peaks around January 12 at about 14 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near June 21 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 12UV 14Jun 21UV 5
UV index (midday)Level
Jan14Extreme
Feb13Extreme
Mar12Extreme
Apr8Very high
May6High
Jun5High
Jul5High
Aug7Very high
Sep9Very high
Oct10Very high
Nov12Extreme
Dec14Extreme

Air quality in Fernie 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 Fernie is worst in November — around 46 µg/m³ PM2.5 (poor), about 2.5× the cleanest month (December, 18 µg/m³).

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

0204060JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecModerateModeratePoorModeratePoorModerateNov 1543 µg/m³Dec 2219 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan22Moderate
Feb21Moderate
Mar28Moderate
Apr36Poor
May31Moderate
Jun35Moderate
Jul40Poor
Aug41Poor
Sep33Moderate
Oct26Moderate
Nov46Poor
Dec18Moderate
Location & terrain

Where is Fernie?

Fernie sits at 26.4°S, 30.8°E, 1,417 m above sea level, in South Africa. The nearest listed city is Empuluzu, 10 km away.

Topography around Fernie

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Fernie has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 233 m around an average of 1,447 m above sea level; within 16 km, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 553 m; within 80 km, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,750 m.

The land around Fernie is covered by grassland (77%) within 3 km, grassland (61%) and trees (31%) within 16 km, and grassland (55%) and trees (30%) within 80 km.

3 km
233 m
16 km
553 m
80 km
1,750 m
treesshrubsgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwater
January weather nearby: Empuluzu 10 km · Redhill 15 km · Mbabane 35 km · Lukwatini 37 km · Nhlazatje 39 km · Lobamba 42 km · Manzini 60 km · Piet Retief 69 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 Fernie (-26.3901°, 30.7874°, elevation 1,417 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).