Heidelberg weather in January

In January, Heidelberg sees average daytime highs of 26°C and overnight lows near 16°C, with 129 mm of rain across 16 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 26°C through the month. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 38% 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 18 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, January is Heidelberg's 11th-clearest and 8th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Heidelberg's year-round climate.

Daytime high
26°
1st warmest
Overnight low
16°
12th coldest
Rainfall
129 mm
16 wet days
Daylight
13 h 30 min
5:31 AM – 7:01 PM
Cloud cover
53%
11th clearest
Wind
10 km/h
8th windiest
Solar energy
6.66 kWh/m²
Travel score
5.9
out of 10

Heidelberg is town in Gauteng province, South Africa.

Founded
1886

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 Heidelberg reaches about 26°C in the afternoon and slips back to 16°C overnight — a 10°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 22°C and 30°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)
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
262616
272616
282616
292616
302616
312616

How January really feels in Heidelberg

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.

Heidelberg 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
Jan26° / 16°1291613.55.9
Feb26° / 16°10012.812.96.2
Mar25° / 14°8411.512.26.9
Apr23° / 11°416.811.47.6
May21° / 152.710.78.2
Jun18° / 71.510.48.0
Jul18° / 30.710.58.1
Aug21° / 112.111.18.6
Sep25° / 10°223.611.88.5
Oct26° / 13°7810.512.67.0
Nov26° / 14°10113.813.36.2
Dec26° / 15°1401713.65.7

Cloud cover in January

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 38% 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 40%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
15941
25941
36040
46040
56040
66238
76238
86238
96139
106139
116139
126139
136139
146040
156040
165941
175941
185941
195941
205941
215941
225941
235941
245941
256040
265941
276040
286139
296139
306139
316238

Chance of precipitation in January

Any precipitation

Heidelberg gets around 129 mm of rain over 16 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 51% and peaks near 53% on the wettest days.

0%20%40%60%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
153
253
352
452
551
651
750
850
949
1049
1149
1249
1349
1450
1550
1650
1751
1851
1952
2052
2152
2253
2353
2453
2553
2653
2752
2852
2951
3050
3149

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 48% of days. It rarely turns muggy — the humid and sticky bands barely register.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)
1245026
2245026
3245027
4244927
5244927
6244926
7244926
8244926
9244927
10244927
11244927
12234928
13234829
14224829
15224830
16214831
17214831
18204832
19204832
20194832
21194833
22194833
23194833
24194733
25194733
26194733
27194733
28204833
29204832
30204831
31214831

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 10 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

051015151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
110calm
210calm
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 36 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 18 minutes over January. Sunrise moves from 5:21 AM to 5:42 AM, and sunset from 6:59 PM to 6:57 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
113.65:216:59
213.65:216:59
313.65:226:59
413.65:237:00
513.65:237:00
613.65:247:00
713.65:257:00
813.65:257:00
913.65:267:00
1013.65:277:01
1113.65:277:01
1213.55:287:01
1313.55:297:01
1413.55:307:01
1513.55:307:01
1613.55:317:01
1713.55:327:01
1813.55:327:01
1913.55:337:00
2013.45:347:00
2113.45:357:00
2213.45:367:00
2313.45:367:00
2413.45:377:00
2513.45:386:59
2613.35:396:59
2713.35:396:59
2813.35:406:58
2913.35:416:58
3013.35:426:58
3113.35:426:57

Solar energy in January

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in January, about 6.66 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 3.89 kWh/m² to a high of 6.84 kWh/m² in December across the year — January's 6.66 kWh/m² sits near the top of that range.

0246151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
16.8Intense
26.8Intense
36.8Intense
46.8Intense
56.8Intense
66.8Intense
76.8Intense
86.8Intense
96.8Intense
106.7Intense
116.7Intense
126.7Intense
136.7Intense
146.7Intense
156.7Intense
166.6Intense
176.6Intense
186.6Intense
196.6Intense
206.6Intense
216.5Intense
226.5Intense
236.5Intense
246.5Intense
256.5Intense
266.5Intense
276.5Intense
286.5Intense
296.5Intense
306.5Intense
316.5Intense
Planning a trip in January

Hazard calendar for Heidelberg

In seasonPeak

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

Heidelberg'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 Heidelberg?

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

5.9
Sightseeing
11th-best month of the year
5.7
Beach & pool
6th-best month of the year

January is a reasonable time to visit Heidelberg for sightseeing.

What to pack for Heidelberg in January

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

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

rain gearsun protectionlight clothes

UV index in Heidelberg 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 Heidelberg peaks around January 12 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 12UV 14Jun 20UV 5
UV index (midday)Level
Jan14Extreme
Feb13Extreme
Mar12Extreme
Apr9Very high
May6High
Jun5High
Jul6High
Aug7Very high
Sep9Very high
Oct10Extreme
Nov12Extreme
Dec14Extreme

Air quality in Heidelberg 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 Heidelberg is worst in June — around 259 µg/m³ PM2.5 (very unhealthy), about 6.0× the cleanest month (January, 43 µg/m³).

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

0306090120150180210240270JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecPoorUnhealthyVery unhealthyUnhealthyPoorJun 23259 µg/m³Jan 1344 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan43Poor
Feb63Unhealthy
Mar101Unhealthy
Apr158Very unhealthy
May232Very unhealthy
Jun259Very unhealthy
Jul259Very unhealthy
Aug200Very unhealthy
Sep144Unhealthy
Oct91Unhealthy
Nov65Unhealthy
Dec50Poor
Location & terrain

Where is Heidelberg?

Heidelberg sits at 26.5°S, 28.4°E, 1,525 m above sea level, in South Africa. The nearest listed city is Nigel, 14 km away.

Topography around Heidelberg

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Heidelberg has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 239 m around an average of 1,557 m above sea level; within 16 km, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 440 m; within 80 km, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 665 m.

The land around Heidelberg is covered by grassland (51%) and artificial surfaces (28%) within 3 km, grassland (60%) and cropland (30%) within 16 km, and grassland (50%) and cropland (34%) within 80 km.

3 km
239 m
16 km
440 m
80 km
665 m
treesshrubsgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwater
January weather nearby: Nigel 14 km · Tokoza 28 km · Springs 29 km · Balfour 29 km · Brakpan 30 km · Boksburg 34 km · Germiston 35 km · Alberton 35 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 Heidelberg (-26.5048°, 28.3592°, elevation 1,525 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).