Hermanus weather in January

In January, Hermanus sees average daytime highs of 22°C and overnight lows near 18°C, with 22 mm of rain across 4.9 wet days and about 14 hours of daylight. It is the 2nd-warmest and 11th-wettest month of the year here.

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 22°C through the month. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 62% of the time in January, and the air most often feels humid.

Daylight stretches from about 14 h 18 min at the start of January to 13 h 42 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, January is Hermanus's 1st-clearest and 3rd-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Hermanus's year-round climate.

Daytime high
22°
2nd warmest
Overnight low
18°
11th coldest
Rainfall
22 mm
4.9 wet days
Daylight
14 h 06 min
5:50 AM – 7:54 PM
Cloud cover
34%
1st clearest
Wind
20 km/h
3rd windiest
Solar energy
7.64 kWh/m²
Travel score
7.9
out of 10

Hermanus is town in the Western Cape, South Africa.

Density
2,329/km²
people per km²
Founded
1891

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 22°C through the month.

A typical January day in Hermanus reaches about 22°C in the afternoon and slips back to 18°C overnight — a 4°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 20°C and 25°C. Set against its neighbours, January runs about 1°C warmer than December and on par with February.

15°18°20°23°25°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
12218
22218
32218
42218
52218
62218
72218
82218
92218
102218
112218
122218
132218
142218
152218
162218
172218
182218
192219
202219
212219
222219
232219
242219
252219
262219
272219
282219
292219
302219
312219

Hermanus weather by month

How January compares with the rest of the year at a glance. January is the 2nd-warmest and 11th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan22° / 18°224.9147.9
Feb22° / 19°215.313.37.9
Mar21° / 18°275.912.37.5
Apr20° / 16°426.411.26.9
May18° / 14°528.210.26.3
Jun16° / 12°8410.29.75.3
Jul16° / 12°859.79.95.1
Aug16° / 12°7310.510.75.0
Sep16° / 13°488.411.85.5
Oct18° / 14°407.112.96.4
Nov19° / 16°386.413.86.9
Dec21° / 17°245.114.37.6

Cloud cover in January

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 62% of the time in January, the clearest month of the year.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 18% of January, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 21%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
17525
27525
37525
47525
57525
67525
77723
87723
97723
107822
117822
127921
137921
147921
158020
168020
178218
188218
198218
208119
218119
228119
238119
248119
258119
268119
278020
288020
298119
308119
318020

Chance of precipitation in January

Any precipitation

Hermanus gets around 22 mm of rain over 4.9 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 17% and peaks near 19% on the wettest days.

0%10%20%30%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
119
219
319
419
519
619
719
819
919
1019
1118
1218
1318
1417
1516
1616
1715
1815
1914
2014
2114
2214
2314
2414
2514
2614
2715
2815
2915
3016
3116

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 46% of days. Sticky, muggy-or-worse air turns up on roughly 9% of them.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)Muggy (%)
11633446
21633446
31633447
41633447
51533457
61533457
71533448
81533448
91533448
101533448
111533438
121534438
131534429
141534429
151534429
161533439
1714334310
1814324410
1913324510
2013324610
2112314610
2212314710
2311314810
2411304810
2511304910
2610305010
2710305010
2810305010
299305110
309305110
319305110

Wind in January

Winds average 20 km/h in January.

Across January, daily wind ranges from about 19 km/h on the calmest days to 20 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

0510152025151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
120light breeze
220light breeze
320light breeze
420light breeze
520light breeze
620light breeze
720light breeze
820light breeze
920light breeze
1020light breeze
1120breezy
1220breezy
1320breezy
1420breezy
1520breezy
1620breezy
1720breezy
1820light breeze
1920light breeze
2020light breeze
2120light breeze
2220light breeze
2320light breeze
2420light breeze
2520light breeze
2620light breeze
2720light breeze
2820light breeze
2920light breeze
3019light breeze
3119light breeze

Sunrise & sunset in January

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 14 h 18 min at the start of January to 13 h 42 min by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days shrink by about 36 minutes over January. Sunrise moves from 5:38 AM to 6:05 AM, and sunset from 7:54 PM to 7:48 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
114.35:387:54
214.35:397:54
314.25:407:55
414.25:407:55
514.25:417:55
614.25:427:55
714.25:437:55
814.25:447:55
914.25:447:55
1014.25:457:55
1114.15:467:55
1214.15:477:55
1314.15:487:55
1414.15:497:55
1514.15:497:55
1614.15:507:54
1714.05:517:54
1814.05:527:54
1914.05:537:54
2014.05:547:53
2114.05:557:53
2213.95:567:53
2313.95:577:52
2413.95:587:52
2513.95:597:51
2613.96:007:51
2713.86:017:50
2813.86:027:50
2913.86:037:49
3013.86:047:49
3113.76:057:48

Solar energy in January

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in January, about 7.64 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 2.44 kWh/m² to a high of 7.76 kWh/m² in December across the year — January's 7.64 kWh/m² sits near the top of that range.

02468151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
17.8Intense
27.8Intense
37.8Intense
47.8Intense
57.8Intense
67.7Intense
77.7Intense
87.7Intense
97.7Intense
107.7Intense
117.7Intense
127.7Intense
137.7Intense
147.7Intense
157.7Intense
167.7Intense
177.7Intense
187.6Intense
197.6Intense
207.6Intense
217.6Intense
227.6Intense
237.5Intense
247.5Intense
257.5Intense
267.5Intense
277.4Intense
287.4Intense
297.4Intense
307.3Intense
317.3Intense
Planning a trip in January

Is January a good time to visit Hermanus?

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

7.9
Sightseeing
1st-best month of the year
5.5
Beach & pool
2nd-best month of the year

January is one of the better times to visit Hermanus for general sightseeing.

What to pack for Hermanus in January

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

In January, Hermanus sees daytime highs around 22°C and nights near 18°C. Pack sun protection. Worth having: light clothes. About 5 days see rain.

sun protectionlight clothes

Sea temperature near Hermanus in January

The nearest coast averages about 19°C in January — the other half of the beach question. The full-year curve and swim-comfort zones are below.

The sea offshore is warmest in January at about 19°C and coldest in July near 15°C.

The water stays below 20°C all year — cool enough that most swimmers want a wetsuit.

14°16°18°20°JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecbracingcoolrefreshing
Sea temperature (°C)Comfort
Jan19Cool
Feb19Cool
Mar18Cool
Apr16Cool
May16Cool
Jun16Cool
Jul15Bracing
Aug15Bracing
Sep15Cool
Oct16Cool
Nov17Cool
Dec19Cool

UV index in Hermanus in January

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in January peaks around 13 (very high — sun protection essential). The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.

Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Hermanus peaks around January 13 at about 13 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near June 20 at about 3 (moderate).

The index reaches 3 or more — the level where the WHO recommends sun protection — in 10 months of the year.

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecExtremeVery highModerateExtremeJan 13UV 13Jun 20UV 3
UV index (midday)Level
Jan13Extreme
Feb10Very high
Mar9Very high
Apr6High
May3Moderate
Jun3Moderate
Jul3Moderate
Aug4Moderate
Sep6High
Oct10Extreme
Nov11Extreme
Dec12Extreme

Air quality in Hermanus 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 Hermanus is worst in June — around 18 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 2.6× the cleanest month (November, 7 µg/m³).

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

0102030JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecGoodGoodModerateGoodJun 1718 µg/m³Nov 177 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan11Good
Feb8Good
Mar12Moderate
Apr11Good
May16Moderate
Jun18Moderate
Jul16Moderate
Aug15Moderate
Sep13Moderate
Oct9Good
Nov7Good
Dec8Good
Location & terrain

Where is Hermanus?

Hermanus sits at 34.4°S, 19.2°E, 27 m above sea level, in South Africa. The nearest listed city is Gansbaai, 21 km away.

Topography around Hermanus

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Hermanus has significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 314 m around an average of 50 m above sea level; within 16 km, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,155 m; within 80 km, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,973 m.

The land around Hermanus is covered by water (37%), grassland (20%) and artificial surfaces (20%) within 3 km, water (49%) and grassland (24%) within 16 km, and water (37%) and grassland (28%) within 80 km.

3 km
314 m
16 km
1,155 m
80 km
1,973 m
treesshrubsgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwater
January weather nearby: Gansbaai 21 km · Caledon 27 km · Grabouw 36 km · Somerset West 53 km · Franschhoek 57 km · Le Roux 60 km · Stellenbosch 64 km · Kuils River 72 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 Hermanus (-34.4187°, 19.2345°, elevation 27 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. Sea temperatures are the NOAA OISST v2.1 1991–2020 monthly climatology (public domain), sampled at the nearest ocean point. 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).