Marikana weather in January

In January, Marikana sees average daytime highs of 29°C and overnight lows near 19°C, with 97 mm of rain across 14.3 wet days and about 13.4 hours of daylight. It is the 1st-warmest and 2nd-wettest month of the year here.

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 29°C through the month. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 40% of the time in January, and the air most often feels humid.

Daylight stretches from about 13 h 36 min at the start of January to 13 h 12 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, January is Marikana's 11th-clearest and 6th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Marikana's year-round climate.

Daytime high
29°
1st warmest
Overnight low
19°
12th coldest
Rainfall
97 mm
14.3 wet days
Daylight
13 h 24 min
5:36 AM – 7:03 PM
Cloud cover
52%
11th clearest
Wind
8 km/h
6th windiest
Solar energy
6.65 kWh/m²
Travel score
5.2
out of 10

Temperature in January

Average highAverage lowShaded bands: 10–90% of days

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 29°C through the month.

A typical January day in Marikana reaches about 29°C in the afternoon and slips back to 19°C overnight — a 10°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 24°C and 33°C. Set against its neighbours, January runs on par with December and on par with February.

15°20°25°30°35°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
12918
22918
32918
42918
52918
62919
72919
82919
92919
102919
112919
122919
132919
142919
152919
162919
172919
182919
192919
202919
212919
222919
232919
242919
252919
262919
272919
282919
292919
302919
312919

Marikana 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
Jan29° / 19°9714.313.45.2
Feb29° / 18°8911.712.95.5
Mar27° / 17°7310.212.26.7
Apr25° / 13°365.611.47.9
May23° / 172.310.88.8
Jun20° / 71.210.48.5
Jul20° / 30.610.68.6
Aug23° / 61.311.19.1
Sep27° / 13°152.211.88.4
Oct28° / 15°537.312.66.7
Nov28° / 17°8211.713.35.8
Dec28° / 18°1151513.65.4

Cloud cover in January

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 40% of the time in January.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 24% of January, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 36%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
16238
26238
36337
46337
56337
66337
76436
86436
96535
106436
116436
126535
136436
146436
156436
166436
176337
186337
196337
206436
216337
226436
236337
246436
256436
266535
276535
286634
296634
306634
316733

Chance of precipitation in January

Any precipitation

Marikana gets around 97 mm of rain over 14.3 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 46% and peaks near 47% on the wettest days.

0%20%40%60%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
146
246
346
446
545
645
745
845
945
1045
1146
1246
1346
1446
1546
1646
1747
1847
1947
2047
2147
2247
2347
2447
2547
2646
2746
2846
2945
3045
3144

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 49% of days. Sticky, muggy-or-worse air turns up on roughly 7% of them.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)Muggy (%)
11432486
21432486
31432476
41532477
51532467
61533467
71533457
81533457
91533457
101533457
111532457
121532467
131531477
141531487
151530486
161430496
171430506
181330516
191330516
201230526
211230526
221130527
231131517
241131517
251032517
261032517
271033507
281034506
291034496
301035486
311036486

Wind in January

Winds average 8 km/h in January.

Across January, daily wind ranges from about 8 km/h on the calmest days to 8 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

051015151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
18calm
28calm
38calm
48calm
58calm
68calm
78calm
88calm
98calm
108calm
118calm
128calm
138calm
148calm
158calm
168calm
178calm
188calm
198calm
208calm
218calm
228calm
238calm
248calm
258calm
268calm
278calm
288calm
298calm
308calm
318calm

Sunrise & sunset in January

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 13 h 36 min at the start of January to 13 h 12 min by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days shrink by about 24 minutes over January. Sunrise moves from 5:26 AM to 5:47 AM, and sunset from 7:01 PM to 7:00 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
113.65:267:01
213.65:277:01
313.65:277:01
413.65:287:01
513.65:287:02
613.55:297:02
713.55:307:02
813.55:307:02
913.55:317:02
1013.55:327:02
1113.55:337:03
1213.55:337:03
1313.55:347:03
1413.55:357:03
1513.55:357:03
1613.45:367:03
1713.45:377:03
1813.45:387:03
1913.45:387:02
2013.45:397:02
2113.45:407:02
2213.45:417:02
2313.35:417:02
2413.35:427:02
2513.35:437:01
2613.35:447:01
2713.35:447:01
2813.35:457:01
2913.25:467:00
3013.25:467:00
3113.25:477:00

Solar energy in January

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in January, about 6.65 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 3.92 kWh/m² to a high of 6.79 kWh/m² in December across the year — January's 6.65 kWh/m² falls in the middle.

0246151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
16.9Intense
26.8Intense
36.8Intense
46.8Intense
56.8Intense
66.8Intense
76.8Intense
86.8Intense
96.8Intense
106.8Intense
116.7Intense
126.7Intense
136.7Intense
146.7Intense
156.6Intense
166.6Intense
176.6Intense
186.6Intense
196.5Intense
206.5Intense
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 Marikana

In seasonPeak

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

Marikana'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 Marikana?

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

5.2
Sightseeing
12th-best month of the year
6.5
Beach & pool
9th-best month of the year

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

What to pack for Marikana in January

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

In January, Marikana sees daytime highs around 29°C and nights near 19°C. Pack light clothes, rain gear and sun protection. About 14 days see rain.

light clothesrain gearsun protection

UV index in Marikana 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 Marikana peaks around January 10 at about 14 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near June 17 at about 5 (moderate).

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

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecExtremeVery highHighHighVery highExtremeJan 10UV 14Jun 17UV 5
UV index (midday)Level
Jan14Extreme
Feb13Extreme
Mar12Extreme
Apr9Very high
May6High
Jun5Moderate
Jul6High
Aug7Very high
Sep9Very high
Oct11Extreme
Nov12Extreme
Dec14Extreme

Air quality in Marikana 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 Marikana is worst in June — around 166 µg/m³ PM2.5 (very unhealthy), about 6.5× the cleanest month (January, 26 µg/m³).

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

0306090120150180JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecModeratePoorUnhealthyVery unhealthyUnhealthyPoorModerateJun 21166 µg/m³Jan 1126 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan26Moderate
Feb40Poor
Mar62Unhealthy
Apr103Unhealthy
May152Very unhealthy
Jun166Very unhealthy
Jul164Very unhealthy
Aug125Unhealthy
Sep93Unhealthy
Oct53Poor
Nov38Poor
Dec28Moderate
Location & terrain

Where is Marikana?

Marikana sits at 25.7°S, 27.5°E, 1,170 m above sea level, in South Africa. The nearest listed city is Rustenburg, 24 km away.

Topography around Marikana

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Marikana has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 99 m around an average of 1,160 m above sea level; within 16 km, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 575 m; within 80 km, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 917 m.

The land around Marikana is covered by grassland (59%) within 3 km, grassland (54%) within 16 km, and grassland (49%) and shrubs (20%) within 80 km.

3 km
99 m
16 km
575 m
80 km
917 m
treesshrubsgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwater
January weather nearby: Rustenburg 24 km · Hartbeestfontein-A 29 km · Brits 31 km · Hartbeespoort 40 km · Letlhabile 44 km · Bagale 44 km · Krugersdorp 52 km · Ga-Rankuwa 53 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 Marikana (-25.699°, 27.4748°, elevation 1,170 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).