Malmesbury weather in January

In January, Malmesbury sees average daytime highs of 30°C and overnight lows near 17°C, with 14 mm of rain across 2.6 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 30°C through the month. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 81% of the time in January, and the air most often feels comfortable.

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 Malmesbury's 2nd-clearest and 1st-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Malmesbury's year-round climate.

Daytime high
30°
2nd warmest
Overnight low
17°
11th coldest
Rainfall
14 mm
2.6 wet days
Daylight
14 hours
5:55 AM – 7:54 PM
Cloud cover
18%
2nd clearest
Wind
13 km/h
1st windiest
Solar energy
8.4 kWh/m²
Travel score
6.2
out of 10

Malmesbury is town in the Western Cape, South Africa.

Density
2,288/km²
people per km²
Founded
1745

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 30°C through the month.

A typical January day in Malmesbury reaches about 30°C in the afternoon and slips back to 17°C overnight — a 13°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 25°C and 36°C. Set against its neighbours, January runs about 2°C warmer than December and on par with February.

10°20°30°40°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
13017
23017
33017
43017
53017
63017
73017
83017
93017
103017
113017
123017
133017
143017
153017
163017
173117
183118
193118
203118
213118
223118
233118
243118
253118
263118
273118
283118
293118
303118
313118

Malmesbury 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
Jan30° / 17°142.6146.2
Feb31° / 18°122.313.26.1
Mar29° / 16°152.712.37.1
Apr25° / 13°414.811.28.0
May22° / 10°667.310.37.2
Jun18° / 1079.99.86.2
Jul18° / 938.9106.2
Aug18° / 829.410.86.3
Sep20° / 527.611.86.9
Oct24° / 11°324.912.88.0
Nov26° / 14°294.713.77.9
Dec29° / 16°163.314.27.0

Cloud cover in January

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 81% of the time in January.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 9% of January, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 9%. Skies tend to open up as the month goes on.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
18713
28812
38812
48812
58911
68911
78911
89010
99010
109010
119010
12919
13919
14919
15919
16919
17919
18928
19928
20928
21928
22928
23928
24919
25919
26919
27919
28919
29919
30928
31928

Chance of precipitation in January

Any precipitation

Malmesbury gets around 14 mm of rain over 2.6 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 8% and peaks near 10% on the wettest days.

0%10%20%30%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
110
210
310
410
510
610
710
810
99
109
119
129
139
149
158
168
178
187
197
207
217
227
237
247
257
267
277
287
298
308
318

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 44% of days. It rarely turns muggy — the humid and sticky bands barely register.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)Muggy (%)
14245120
24245130
34244130
44344130
54344130
64344130
74343130
84343131
94343131
104442141
114442141
124442141
134441141
144441141
154441141
164341151
174241151
184242161
194142161
204042171
213943171
223844171
233744171
243745171
253646171
263646171
273547171
283547170
293548170
303548170
313548170

Wind in January

Winds average 13 km/h in January, the windiest month of the year.

Across January, daily wind ranges from about 13 km/h on the calmest days to 13 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

05101520151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
113light breeze
213light breeze
313light breeze
413light breeze
513light breeze
613light breeze
713light breeze
813light breeze
913light breeze
1013light breeze
1113light breeze
1213light breeze
1313light breeze
1413light breeze
1513light breeze
1613light breeze
1713light breeze
1813light breeze
1913light breeze
2013light breeze
2113light breeze
2213light breeze
2313light breeze
2413light breeze
2513light breeze
2613light breeze
2713light breeze
2813light breeze
2913light breeze
3013light breeze
3113light 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 5:43 AM to 6:09 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)
114.25:437:54
214.25:437:54
314.25:447:54
414.25:457:54
514.15:467:54
614.15:467:55
714.15:477:55
814.15:487:55
914.15:497:55
1014.15:507:55
1114.15:507:55
1214.15:517:55
1314.05:527:55
1414.05:537:54
1514.05:547:54
1614.05:557:54
1714.05:567:54
1814.05:567:54
1913.95:577:53
2013.95:587:53
2113.95:597:53
2213.96:007:53
2313.96:017:52
2413.86:027:52
2513.86:037:51
2613.86:047:51
2713.86:057:50
2813.76:067:50
2913.76:077:49
3013.76:087:49
3113.76:097:48

Solar energy in January

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in January, about 8.4 kWh/m² — the sunniest month for solar.

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 2.54 kWh/m² to a high of 8.4 kWh/m² in January across the year — January's 8.4 kWh/m² sits near the top of that range.

02468151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
18.5Intense
28.5Intense
38.5Intense
48.5Intense
58.5Intense
68.5Intense
78.5Intense
88.5Intense
98.5Intense
108.5Intense
118.5Intense
128.5Intense
138.4Intense
148.4Intense
158.4Intense
168.4Intense
178.4Intense
188.4Intense
198.4Intense
208.4Intense
218.3Intense
228.3Intense
238.3Intense
248.3Intense
258.2Intense
268.2Intense
278.2Intense
288.2Intense
298.1Intense
308.1Intense
318.1Intense
Planning a trip in January

Hazard calendar for Malmesbury

In seasonPeak

None of Malmesbury's seasonal hazards are active in January. The full-year calendar below shows when the rainy season, cyclone risk and dust haze do peak.

Malmesbury's rainy season runs May–September, 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 Malmesbury?

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

6.2
Sightseeing
9th-best month of the year
8.6
Beach & pool
2nd-best month of the year

January is a reasonable time to visit Malmesbury for sightseeing. The water and warmth also suit a beach or pool day.

What to pack for Malmesbury in January

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

In January, Malmesbury sees daytime highs around 30°C and nights near 17°C. Pack light clothes and sun protection.

light clothessun protection

Sea temperature near Malmesbury in January

The nearest coast averages about 17°C in January — the other half of the beach question. The full-year curve and swim-comfort zones are below.

The sea at the nearest coast (about 37 km away) is warmest in February at about 17°C and coldest in July near 14°C.

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

12°14°16°18°JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecbracingcool
Sea temperature (°C)Comfort
Jan17Cool
Feb17Cool
Mar16Cool
Apr15Cool
May15Bracing
Jun15Bracing
Jul14Bracing
Aug14Bracing
Sep15Bracing
Oct15Bracing
Nov16Cool
Dec16Cool

UV index in Malmesbury 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 Malmesbury 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 11 months of the year.

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecExtremeVery highModerateExtremeJan 13UV 13Jun 20UV 3
UV index (midday)Level
Jan13Extreme
Feb10Very high
Mar9Very high
Apr6High
May4Moderate
Jun3Moderate
Jul3Moderate
Aug4Moderate
Sep5High
Oct10Extreme
Nov11Extreme
Dec12Extreme

Air quality in Malmesbury 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 Malmesbury is worst in May — around 52 µg/m³ PM2.5 (poor), about 3.4× the cleanest month (December, 15 µg/m³).

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

0204060JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecModeratePoorModerateMay 2152 µg/m³Dec 1516 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan20Moderate
Feb19Moderate
Mar28Moderate
Apr41Poor
May52Poor
Jun50Poor
Jul47Poor
Aug41Poor
Sep33Moderate
Oct29Moderate
Nov18Moderate
Dec15Moderate
Location & terrain

Where is Malmesbury?

Malmesbury sits at 33.5°S, 18.7°E, 136 m above sea level, in South Africa. The nearest listed city is Atlantis, 25 km away.

Topography around Malmesbury

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Malmesbury has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 188 m around an average of 166 m above sea level; within 16 km, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 892 m; within 80 km, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 2,073 m.

The land around Malmesbury is covered by cropland (39%), grassland (26%) and artificial surfaces (23%) within 3 km, cropland (67%) within 16 km, and cropland (30%) and grassland (25%) within 80 km.

3 km
188 m
16 km
892 m
80 km
2,073 m
treesshrubsgrasslandcroplandartificial surfaceswater
January weather nearby: Atlantis 25 km · Wellington 33 km · Moorreesburg 35 km · Paarl 38 km · Durbanville 42 km · Kraaifontein 43 km · Kuils River 54 km · Stellenbosch 54 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 Malmesbury (-33.4608°, 18.7271°, elevation 136 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).