Margate weather in January

In January, Margate sees average daytime highs of 26°C and overnight lows near 20°C, with 106 mm of rain across 14.4 wet days and about 13.8 hours of daylight. It is the 3rd-warmest and 1st-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 18% of the time in January, and the air most often feels muggy.

Daylight stretches from about 14 hours at the start of January to 13 h 30 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, January is Margate's 10th-clearest and 4th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Margate's year-round climate.

Daytime high
26°
3rd warmest
Overnight low
20°
11th coldest
Rainfall
106 mm
14.4 wet days
Daylight
13 h 48 min
5:14 AM – 7:02 PM
Cloud cover
70%
10th clearest
Wind
14 km/h
4th windiest
Solar energy
5.63 kWh/m²
Travel score
5.8
out of 10

Margate is town in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa.

Density
1,178/km²
people per km²
Founded
1908

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 Margate reaches about 26°C in the afternoon and slips back to 20°C overnight — a 6°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 22°C and 29°C. Set against its neighbours, January runs about 1°C warmer than December and on par with February.

15°20°25°30°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
12620
22620
32620
42620
52620
62620
72620
82620
92620
102620
112620
122620
132620
142620
152620
162620
172620
182620
192620
202620
212620
222620
232620
242620
252620
262620
272620
282620
292620
302620
312620

Margate weather by month

How January compares with the rest of the year at a glance. January is the 3rd-warmest and 1st-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan26° / 20°10614.413.85.8
Feb27° / 20°9012.613.15.9
Mar26° / 19°9312.312.26.3
Apr25° / 17°728.611.37.3
May24° / 15°344.810.58.3
Jun22° / 12°283.6108.4
Jul22° / 12°324.110.28.2
Aug22° / 13°365.410.97.8
Sep22° / 14°608.411.87.0
Oct22° / 16°9113.312.86.1
Nov24° / 17°10113.713.66.0
Dec25° / 19°10514.8145.9

Cloud cover in January

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 18% of the time in January.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 14% of January, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 68%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
13169
23169
33169
43169
53268
63268
73268
83268
93367
103367
113367
123367
133268
143268
153268
163169
173169
183268
193268
203268
213268
223268
233268
243268
253268
263268
273367
283367
293466
303466
313565

Chance of precipitation in January

Any precipitation

Margate gets around 106 mm of rain over 14.4 wet days in January, the wettest month. The line is the day-by-day chance of measurable precipitation.

Day to day, the chance of measurable rain averages around 46% and peaks near 48% on the wettest days.

0%20%40%60%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
148
248
347
447
547
647
747
846
946
1046
1145
1245
1345
1445
1545
1646
1746
1846
1946
2046
2146
2246
2346
2446
2546
2646
2746
2846
2946
3045
3145

Humidity in January

DryComfortableHumidMuggyOppressiveMiserable

Most of January feels muggy — the stacked bands show each day's mix of comfort levels, read off the dew point.

By dew point, January lands in the muggy band about 50% of days. Sticky, muggy-or-worse air turns up on roughly 70% of them.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Comfortable (%)Humid (%)Muggy (%)Oppressive (%)
18264718
28264719
38254719
48254820
58244820
68244820
78244820
88244820
98234820
108234820
117234920
127244920
137244920
147244920
157244920
166245020
176245020
186245020
195245120
205245120
214255120
224255120
234255120
244255120
254245220
263245320
273245320
283235420
293235420
303235321
313225421

Wind in January

Winds average 14 km/h in January.

Across January, daily wind ranges from about 13 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
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 hours at the start of January to 13 h 30 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 5:03 AM to 5:27 AM, and sunset from 7:01 PM to 6:57 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
114.05:037:01
214.05:037:01
314.05:047:01
413.95:057:01
513.95:057:02
613.95:067:02
713.95:077:02
813.95:087:02
913.95:087:02
1013.95:097:02
1113.95:107:02
1213.95:117:02
1313.85:117:02
1413.85:127:02
1513.85:137:02
1613.85:147:02
1713.85:157:02
1813.85:167:01
1913.75:167:01
2013.75:177:01
2113.75:187:01
2213.75:197:00
2313.75:207:00
2413.75:217:00
2513.65:227:00
2613.65:226:59
2713.65:236:59
2813.65:246:58
2913.55:256:58
3013.55:266:57
3113.55:276:57

Solar energy in January

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in January, about 5.63 kWh/m² — the sunniest month for solar.

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 3.12 kWh/m² to a high of 5.63 kWh/m² in January across the year — January's 5.63 kWh/m² sits near the top of that range.

0246151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
15.7Bright
25.7Bright
35.7Bright
45.7Bright
55.7Bright
65.7Bright
75.7Bright
85.7Bright
95.7Bright
105.7Bright
115.7Bright
125.7Bright
135.7Bright
145.7Bright
155.7Bright
165.7Bright
175.7Bright
185.6Bright
195.6Bright
205.6Bright
215.6Bright
225.6Bright
235.6Bright
245.6Bright
255.6Bright
265.5Bright
275.5Bright
285.5Bright
295.5Bright
305.5Bright
315.5Bright
Planning a trip in January

Hazard calendar for Margate

In seasonPeak

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

Margate sits in the South Indian Ocean cyclone belt; the season peaks January–March.

Cyclone
Jan
Feb
Mar
Apr
May
Jun
Jul
Aug
Sep
Oct
Nov
Dec

Is January a good time to visit Margate?

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

5.8
Sightseeing
12th-best month of the year
5.6
Beach & pool
6th-best month of the year

January is a reasonable time to visit Margate for sightseeing.

What to pack for Margate in January

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

In January, Margate sees daytime highs around 26°C and nights near 20°C. Pack rain gear. Worth having: light clothes and sun protection. About 14 days see rain.

rain gearlight clothessun protection

Sea temperature near Margate in January

The nearest coast averages about 26°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 February at about 26°C and coldest in August near 22°C.

The water stays above 20°C all year — warm enough for a swim any month.

20°22°24°26°28°JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecrefreshingwarmcomfortable to swim
Sea temperature (°C)Comfort
Jan26Warm
Feb26Warm
Mar26Warm
Apr25Warm
May24Warm
Jun23Refreshing
Jul22Refreshing
Aug22Refreshing
Sep22Refreshing
Oct22Refreshing
Nov23Refreshing
Dec24Warm

UV index in Margate 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 Margate peaks around January 16 at about 13 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near June 22 at about 4 (moderate).

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

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecExtremeVery highHighModerateHighExtremeJan 16UV 13Jun 22UV 4
UV index (midday)Level
Jan14Extreme
Feb11Extreme
Mar10Very high
Apr6High
May5Moderate
Jun4Moderate
Jul4Moderate
Aug5High
Sep5High
Oct10Extreme
Nov10Extreme
Dec12Extreme

Air quality in Margate 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 Margate is worst in July — around 60 µg/m³ PM2.5 (unhealthy), about 4.0× the cleanest month (December, 15 µg/m³).

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

020406080JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecModeratePoorUnhealthyPoorModerateJul 1659 µg/m³Dec 2415 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan15Moderate
Feb21Moderate
Mar24Moderate
Apr31Moderate
May47Poor
Jun53Poor
Jul60Unhealthy
Aug52Poor
Sep37Poor
Oct27Moderate
Nov23Moderate
Dec15Moderate
Location & terrain

Where is Margate?

Margate sits at 30.9°S, 30.4°E, 20 m above sea level, in South Africa. The nearest listed city is Ga-Malakhe, 7.0 km away.

Topography around Margate

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Margate has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 151 m around an average of 41 m above sea level; within 16 km, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 580 m; within 80 km, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 2,255 m.

The land around Margate is covered by water (45%) and trees (28%) within 3 km, water (50%), trees (24%) and grassland (21%) within 16 km, and grassland (39%), water (33%) and trees (24%) within 80 km.

3 km
151 m
16 km
580 m
80 km
2,255 m
treesshrubsgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwater
January weather nearby: Ga-Malakhe 7.0 km · Port Shepstone 16 km · eMuziwezinto 68 km · Scottburgh 74 km · Clydesdale 75 km · eMkhomazi 84 km · Kokstad 97 km · Folweni 105 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 Margate (-30.8636°, 30.3705°, elevation 20 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. Tropical-cyclone seasons are the published climatological basin seasons (NOAA National Hurricane Center / regional warning centres). 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).