Harrismith weather in January

In January, Harrismith sees average daytime highs of 25°C and overnight lows near 14°C, with 171 mm of rain across 19.5 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 25°C through the month. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 28% of the time in January, and the air most often feels comfortable.

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 Harrismith's 11th-clearest and 9th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Harrismith's year-round climate.

Daytime high
25°
1st warmest
Overnight low
14°
12th coldest
Rainfall
171 mm
19.5 wet days
Daylight
13 h 36 min
5:24 AM – 7:01 PM
Cloud cover
58%
11th clearest
Wind
10 km/h
9th windiest
Solar energy
6.53 kWh/m²
Travel score
5.5
out of 10

Harrismith is town in the Free State, South Africa.

Founded
1849

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 Harrismith reaches about 25°C in the afternoon and slips back to 14°C overnight — a 11°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)
12514
22514
32514
42514
52514
62514
72514
82514
92514
102514
112514
122514
132514
142514
152514
162514
172514
182514
192514
202514
212514
222514
232514
242514
252514
262514
272514
282514
292514
302514
312514

How January really feels in Harrismith

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.

Harrismith 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 daysSnow daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan25° / 14°17119.5013.65.5
Feb24° / 14°126150136.0
Mar23° / 13°9913.9012.26.5
Apr21° / 10°477.7011.37.2
May19° / 1830.110.67.8
Jun17° / 101.90.110.27.1
Jul17° / 111.50.510.47.2
Aug19° / 233.90.3117.7
Sep22° / 3250.311.88.0
Oct23° / 10°9012.3012.76.7
Nov24° / 12°12515.4013.46.1
Dec24° / 13°17318.8013.85.6

Cloud cover in January

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 28% of the time in January.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 25% of January, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 47%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
15347
25446
35545
45545
55545
65545
75545
85644
95644
105644
115545
125545
135347
145347
155347
165248
175248
185248
195149
205149
215050
225149
235149
245149
255248
265248
275347
285347
295446
305545
315545

Chance of precipitation in January

Any precipitation

Harrismith gets around 171 mm of rain over 19.5 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 62% and peaks near 64% on the wettest days.

0%20%40%60%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
160
261
361
461
561
661
761
861
960
1060
1160
1261
1361
1461
1561
1661
1762
1862
1963
2063
2164
2264
2364
2464
2564
2664
2764
2863
2962
3061
3160

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 59% of days. It rarely turns muggy — the humid and sticky bands barely register.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)
1355411
2355411
3355411
4355411
5355411
6355411
7355411
8355510
9345610
10345610
11335710
12325810
13325711
14315811
15305911
16296011
17286111
18276112
19266212
20256312
21256213
22246313
23236413
24236413
25236314
26226414
27236314
28236314
29236314
30236314
31246214

Wind in January

Winds average 10 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
310calm
410calm
510calm
610calm
710calm
810calm
910calm
1010calm
1110calm
1210calm
1310calm
1410calm
1510calm
1610calm
1710calm
1810calm
1910calm
2010calm
2110calm
2210calm
2310calm
2410calm
2510calm
2610calm
2710calm
2810calm
2910calm
3010calm
3110calm

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 5:14 AM to 5:36 AM, and sunset from 7:00 PM to 6:57 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
113.85:147:00
213.85:147:00
313.85:157:00
413.75:167:00
513.75:167:01
613.75:177:01
713.75:187:01
813.75:187:01
913.75:197:01
1013.75:207:01
1113.75:217:01
1213.75:217:01
1313.75:227:01
1413.65:237:01
1513.65:247:01
1613.65:247:01
1713.65:257:01
1813.65:267:01
1913.65:277:01
2013.65:277:01
2113.55:287:01
2213.55:297:00
2313.55:307:00
2413.55:317:00
2513.55:317:00
2613.45:326:59
2713.45:336:59
2813.45:346:59
2913.45:356:58
3013.45:366:58
3113.35:366:57

Solar energy in January

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in January, about 6.53 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 3.71 kWh/m² to a high of 6.74 kWh/m² in December across the year — January's 6.53 kWh/m² sits near the top of that range.

0246151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
16.7Intense
26.7Intense
36.7Intense
46.7Intense
56.7Intense
66.7Intense
76.7Intense
86.7Intense
96.7Intense
106.7Intense
116.6Intense
126.6Intense
136.6Intense
146.6Intense
156.6Intense
166.5Intense
176.5Intense
186.5Intense
196.5Intense
206.5Intense
216.5Intense
226.4Intense
236.4Intense
246.4Intense
256.4Intense
266.4Intense
276.4Intense
286.4Intense
296.4Intense
306.4Intense
316.4Intense
Planning a trip in January

Hazard calendar for Harrismith

In seasonPeak

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

Harrismith'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 Harrismith?

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

5.5
Sightseeing
12th-best month of the year
4.9
Beach & pool
6th-best month of the year

January is a reasonable time to visit Harrismith for sightseeing.

What to pack for Harrismith in January

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

In January, Harrismith sees daytime highs around 25°C and nights near 14°C. Pack rain gear and sun protection. Worth having: light clothes. About 20 days see rain.

rain gearsun protectionlight clothes

UV index in Harrismith 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 Harrismith peaks around January 14 at about 15 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near June 23 at about 5 (moderate).

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

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecExtremeVery highHighModerateHighVery highExtremeJan 14UV 15Jun 23UV 5
UV index (midday)Level
Jan15Extreme
Feb13Extreme
Mar11Extreme
Apr8Very high
May6High
Jun5Moderate
Jul5Moderate
Aug6High
Sep8Very high
Oct10Very high
Nov12Extreme
Dec14Extreme

Air quality in Harrismith 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 Harrismith is worst in September — around 42 µg/m³ PM2.5 (poor), about 5.1× the cleanest month (January, 8 µg/m³).

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

0204060JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecGoodModeratePoorModerateGoodSep 1340 µg/m³Jan 108 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan8Good
Feb11Good
Mar13Moderate
Apr16Moderate
May20Moderate
Jun26Moderate
Jul34Moderate
Aug35Moderate
Sep42Poor
Oct25Moderate
Nov10Good
Dec8Good
Location & terrain

Where is Harrismith?

Harrismith sits at 28.3°S, 29.1°E, 1,643 m above sea level, in South Africa. The nearest listed city is Tshiame, 15 km away.

Topography around Harrismith

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Harrismith has significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 282 m around an average of 1,663 m above sea level; within 16 km, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 802 m; within 80 km, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 2,391 m.

The land around Harrismith is covered by grassland (67%) within 3 km, grassland (73%) and cropland (22%) within 16 km, and grassland (73%) and cropland (22%) within 80 km.

3 km
282 m
16 km
802 m
80 km
2,391 m
treesshrubsgrasslandcroplandartificial surfaceswater
January weather nearby: Tshiame 15 km · Phuthaditjhaba 42 km · Ladysmith 71 km · Bethlehem 81 km · Reitz 87 km · Vrede 94 km · Newcastle 97 km · Fouriesburg 98 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 Harrismith (-28.2728°, 29.1295°, elevation 1,643 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).