Knysna weather in January

In January, Knysna sees average daytime highs of 23°C and overnight lows near 17°C, with 49 mm of rain across 9.2 wet days and about 14 hours of daylight. It is the 2nd-warmest and 6th-wettest month of the year here.

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 23°C through the month. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 51% of the time in January, and the air most often feels humid.

Daylight stretches from about 14 h 12 min at the start of January to 13 h 42 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, January is Knysna's 5th-clearest and 4th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Knysna's year-round climate.

Daytime high
23°
2nd warmest
Overnight low
17°
11th coldest
Rainfall
49 mm
9.2 wet days
Daylight
14 hours
5:36 AM – 7:38 PM
Cloud cover
41%
5th clearest
Wind
14 km/h
4th windiest
Solar energy
7.27 kWh/m²
Travel score
7.3
out of 10

Knysna is town in the Western Cape, South Africa.

Density
631/km²
people per km²
Founded
1871

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 23°C through the month.

A typical January day in Knysna reaches about 23°C in the afternoon and slips back to 17°C overnight — a 6°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 20°C and 26°C. Set against its neighbours, January runs about 1°C warmer than December and on par with February.

10°15°20°25°30°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
12317
22317
32317
42317
52317
62317
72317
82317
92317
102317
112317
122317
132317
142317
152317
162317
172317
182317
192317
202317
212317
222317
232317
242317
252317
262317
272318
282318
292318
302318
312318

Knysna weather by month

How January compares with the rest of the year at a glance. January is the 2nd-warmest and 6th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan23° / 17°499.2147.3
Feb23° / 18°427.913.37.4
Mar22° / 17°528.512.37.3
Apr21° / 14°527.811.27.0
May19° / 12°476.710.36.9
Jun18° / 11°437.29.86.5
Jul17° / 10°467.6106.2
Aug17° / 10°628.810.76.0
Sep18° / 11°498.511.86.2
Oct19° / 13°628.912.96.4
Nov20° / 14°709.313.86.6
Dec22° / 16°479.314.27.0

Cloud cover in January

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 51% of the time in January.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 20% of January, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 30%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
17228
27129
37129
47228
57129
67129
77228
87129
97129
107129
117030
127030
137129
147129
157030
167030
176931
186931
197030
206931
216931
226931
236832
246832
256931
266931
276931
286931
297030
307030
317129

Chance of precipitation in January

Any precipitation

Knysna gets around 49 mm of rain over 9.2 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 30% and peaks near 33% on the wettest days.

0%10%20%30%40%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
133
233
333
433
533
632
732
832
931
1031
1131
1230
1330
1429
1528
1628
1727
1827
1927
2027
2127
2227
2327
2428
2528
2628
2728
2829
2929
3029
3129

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 42% of days. Sticky, muggy-or-worse air turns up on roughly 15% of them.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)Muggy (%)
113344012
213344112
313344112
413334113
513334113
613334113
713334114
813334014
913334014
1013334015
1113334015
1213333915
1313333915
1413333915
1512333916
1612333916
1712333916
1811334016
1911324017
2010324117
2110324217
2210314217
239314316
249304416
259294516
269294616
279294716
288284716
298284816
308274916
318274916

Wind in January

Winds average 14 km/h in January.

Across January, daily wind ranges from about 14 km/h on the calmest days to 14 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

05101520151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
114light breeze
214light breeze
314light breeze
414light breeze
514light breeze
614light breeze
714light breeze
814light breeze
914light breeze
1014light breeze
1114light breeze
1214light breeze
1314light breeze
1414light breeze
1514light breeze
1614light breeze
1714light breeze
1814light breeze
1914light breeze
2014light breeze
2114light breeze
2214light breeze
2314light breeze
2414light breeze
2514light breeze
2614light breeze
2714light breeze
2814light breeze
2914light breeze
3014light breeze
3114light breeze

Sunrise & sunset in January

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 14 h 12 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 30 minutes over January. Sunrise moves from 5:24 AM to 5:50 AM, and sunset from 7:38 PM to 7:32 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
114.25:247:38
214.25:257:38
314.25:257:38
414.25:267:38
514.25:277:39
614.25:287:39
714.25:287:39
814.25:297:39
914.15:307:39
1014.15:317:39
1114.15:327:39
1214.15:337:39
1314.15:337:39
1414.15:347:39
1514.15:357:38
1614.05:367:38
1714.05:377:38
1814.05:387:38
1914.05:397:37
2014.05:407:37
2113.95:417:37
2213.95:427:37
2313.95:427:36
2413.95:437:36
2513.85:447:35
2613.85:457:35
2713.85:467:34
2813.85:477:34
2913.85:487:33
3013.75:497:33
3113.75:507:32

Solar energy in January

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in January, about 7.27 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 2.65 kWh/m² to a high of 7.48 kWh/m² in December across the year — January's 7.27 kWh/m² sits near the top of that range.

02468151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
17.4Intense
27.4Intense
37.4Intense
47.4Intense
57.4Intense
67.4Intense
77.4Intense
87.4Intense
97.4Intense
107.4Intense
117.3Intense
127.3Intense
137.3Intense
147.3Intense
157.3Intense
167.3Intense
177.3Intense
187.3Intense
197.2Intense
207.2Intense
217.2Intense
227.2Intense
237.2Intense
247.1Intense
257.1Intense
267.1Intense
277.1Intense
287.0Intense
297.0Intense
307.0Intense
317.0Intense
Planning a trip in January

Is January a good time to visit Knysna?

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

7.3
Sightseeing
2nd-best month of the year
5.7
Beach & pool
2nd-best month of the year

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

What to pack for Knysna in January

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

In January, Knysna sees daytime highs around 23°C and nights near 17°C. Pack sun protection. Worth having: light clothes and rain gear. About 9 days see rain.

sun protectionlight clothesrain gear

Sea temperature near Knysna in January

The nearest coast averages about 21°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 21°C and coldest in August near 17°C.

It's comfortable for a long swim from Dec 20 to Mar 14 — about 2.8 months when the water holds above 20°C.

16°18°20°22°JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDeccoolrefreshingcomfortable to swim
Sea temperature (°C)Comfort
Jan21Refreshing
Feb21Refreshing
Mar20Refreshing
Apr18Cool
May18Cool
Jun17Cool
Jul17Cool
Aug17Cool
Sep17Cool
Oct17Cool
Nov18Cool
Dec20Cool

UV index in Knysna 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 Knysna peaks around January 15 at about 13 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near June 23 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 15UV 13Jun 23UV 3
UV index (midday)Level
Jan13Extreme
Feb11Extreme
Mar9Very high
Apr6High
May4Moderate
Jun3Moderate
Jul3Moderate
Aug4Moderate
Sep6High
Oct10Extreme
Nov11Extreme
Dec12Extreme
Location & terrain

Where is Knysna?

Knysna sits at 34.0°S, 23.0°E, 9 m above sea level, in South Africa. The nearest listed city is Plettenberg Bay, 30 km away.

Humansdorp

Topography around Knysna

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Knysna has significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 288 m around an average of 64 m above sea level; within 16 km, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 929 m; within 80 km, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 2,052 m.

The land around Knysna is covered by trees (41%) and water (20%) within 3 km, trees (45%) and water (34%) within 16 km, and water (36%) and grassland (31%) within 80 km.

3 km
288 m
16 km
929 m
80 km
2,052 m
treesshrubsgrasslandcroplandartificial surfaceswaterwetland
January weather nearby: Plettenberg Bay 30 km · George 55 km · Groot-Brakrivier 76 km · Dysselsdorp 76 km · Mossel Bay 85 km · Oudtshoorn 92 km · Kruisfontein 155 km · Humansdorp 159 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 Knysna (-34.0363°, 23.0471°, elevation 9 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. Topography is sampled from the Copernicus DEM GLO-90 elevation model (© ESA/Airbus) and ESA WorldCover 2021 land cover (CC BY 4.0).