Mbombela weather in January

In January, Mbombela sees average daytime highs of 27°C and overnight lows near 18°C, with 155 mm of rain across 17.5 wet days and about 13.4 hours of daylight. It is the 1st-warmest and 1st-wettest month of the year here.

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 27°C through the month. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 28% of the time in January, and the air most often feels muggy.

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 Mbombela's 10th-clearest and 8th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Mbombela's year-round climate.

Daytime high
27°
1st warmest
Overnight low
18°
12th coldest
Rainfall
155 mm
17.5 wet days
Daylight
13 h 24 min
5:23 AM – 6:48 PM
Cloud cover
61%
10th clearest
Wind
5 km/h
8th windiest
Solar energy
5.83 kWh/m²
Travel score
5.3
out of 10

Mbombela is city in Mpumalanga, South Africa.

Density
1,517/km²
people per km²
Founded
1905

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 27°C through the month.

A typical January day in Mbombela reaches about 27°C in the afternoon and slips back to 18°C overnight — a 9°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 23°C and 31°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)
12718
22718
32718
42718
52718
62718
72718
82718
92718
102718
112718
122718
132718
142718
152718
162718
172718
182718
192718
202718
212718
222718
232718
242718
252718
262718
272718
282818
292818
302818
312818

Mbombela weather by month

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

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan27° / 18°15517.513.45.3
Feb27° / 18°13414.812.95.6
Mar27° / 17°1071412.26.2
Apr25° / 14°538.411.47.4
May24° / 11°193.510.88.7
Jun22° / 92.310.48.6
Jul21° / 122.610.68.4
Aug23° / 173.811.18.5
Sep25° / 12°346.611.87.8
Oct25° / 14°7113.312.66.4
Nov26° / 16°12216.313.25.5
Dec27° / 17°15218.413.65.2

Cloud cover in January

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 28% of the time in January.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 17% of January, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 55%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
14753
24753
34753
44753
54753
64753
74852
84753
94753
104753
114753
124555
134456
144456
154456
164357
174258
184258
194258
204258
214258
224258
234258
244357
254357
264456
274555
284555
294654
304753
314951

Chance of precipitation in January

Any precipitation

Mbombela gets around 155 mm of rain over 17.5 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 57% and peaks near 59% on the wettest days.

0%20%40%60%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
154
254
354
454
554
654
754
855
955
1056
1156
1257
1357
1458
1558
1658
1759
1859
1959
2059
2159
2259
2358
2458
2558
2658
2758
2858
2958
3057
3157

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 46% of days. Sticky, muggy-or-worse air turns up on roughly 47% of them.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)Muggy (%)Oppressive (%)
111041471
211041471
311041461
411141461
511142451
611142451
711142451
811142451
911142451
1011142451
1111142451
1211142451
1311142451
1411142451
1521142451
1621142451
1721042461
1821042461
1921042461
2021042461
2121042461
222942471
232942471
242942471
251942471
261842481
271842481
281842491
291842491
301742491
311742491

Wind in January

Winds average 5 km/h in January.

Across January, daily wind ranges from about 5 km/h on the calmest days to 6 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

0246810151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
15calm
25calm
35calm
45calm
55calm
65calm
75calm
85calm
95calm
106calm
116calm
126calm
136calm
146calm
156calm
166calm
176calm
186calm
196calm
206calm
216calm
225calm
235calm
245calm
255calm
265calm
275calm
285calm
295calm
305calm
315calm

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 5:12 AM to 5:34 AM, and sunset from 6:46 PM to 6:45 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
113.65:126:46
213.65:136:46
313.65:146:47
413.55:146:47
513.55:156:47
613.55:166:47
713.55:166:48
813.55:176:48
913.55:186:48
1013.55:186:48
1113.55:196:48
1213.55:206:48
1313.55:206:48
1413.55:216:48
1513.45:226:48
1613.45:236:48
1713.45:236:48
1813.45:246:48
1913.45:256:48
2013.45:266:48
2113.45:266:48
2213.35:276:48
2313.35:286:47
2413.35:286:47
2513.35:296:47
2613.35:306:47
2713.35:316:47
2813.25:316:46
2913.25:326:46
3013.25:336:46
3113.25:346:45

Solar energy in January

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in January, about 5.83 kWh/m² — the sunniest month for solar.

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 3.71 kWh/m² to a high of 5.83 kWh/m² in January across the year — January's 5.83 kWh/m² sits near the top of that range.

0246151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
16.0Bright
26.0Bright
36.0Bright
46.0Bright
56.0Bright
66.0Bright
75.9Bright
85.9Bright
95.9Bright
105.9Bright
115.8Bright
125.8Bright
135.8Bright
145.8Bright
155.8Bright
165.8Bright
175.8Bright
185.7Bright
195.7Bright
205.7Bright
215.7Bright
225.8Bright
235.8Bright
245.8Bright
255.8Bright
265.8Bright
275.8Bright
285.8Bright
295.8Bright
305.8Bright
315.8Bright
Planning a trip in January

Hazard calendar for Mbombela

In seasonPeak

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

Mbombela'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 Mbombela?

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

5.3
Sightseeing
11th-best month of the year
5.6
Beach & pool
9th-best month of the year

January is a reasonable time to visit Mbombela for sightseeing.

What to pack for Mbombela in January

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

In January, Mbombela sees daytime highs around 27°C and nights near 18°C. Pack light clothes and rain gear. Worth having: sun protection. About 18 days see rain.

light clothesrain gearsun protection

UV index in Mbombela 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 Mbombela peaks around December 22 at about 13 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near June 23 at about 5 (high).

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

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecExtremeVery highHighVery highExtremeDec 22UV 13Jun 23UV 5
UV index (midday)Level
Jan13Extreme
Feb13Extreme
Mar12Extreme
Apr8Very high
May6High
Jun5High
Jul5High
Aug7Very high
Sep9Very high
Oct10Extreme
Nov12Extreme
Dec13Extreme

Air quality in Mbombela 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 Mbombela is worst in July — around 52 µg/m³ PM2.5 (poor), about 3.9× the cleanest month (December, 13 µg/m³).

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

0204060JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecModeratePoorModerateJul 1850 µg/m³Dec 2014 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan20Moderate
Feb18Moderate
Mar24Moderate
Apr26Moderate
May34Moderate
Jun37Poor
Jul52Poor
Aug43Poor
Sep34Moderate
Oct23Moderate
Nov30Moderate
Dec13Moderate
Location & terrain

Where is Mbombela?

Mbombela sits at 25.5°S, 31.0°E, 658 m above sea level, in South Africa. The nearest listed city is White River, 16 km away.

Topography around Mbombela

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Mbombela has significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 354 m around an average of 709 m above sea level; within 16 km, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 895 m; within 80 km, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 2,053 m.

The land around Mbombela is covered by trees (49%) and artificial surfaces (35%) within 3 km, trees (48%) and grassland (28%) within 16 km, and grassland (45%) and trees (36%) within 80 km.

3 km
354 m
16 km
895 m
80 km
2,053 m
treesshrubsgrasslandcroplandartificial surfaces
January weather nearby: White River 16 km · Tekwane 18 km · Barberton 36 km · Matsulu 39 km · Sabie 46 km · Schoemansdal 60 km · Mkhuhlu 61 km · Hlanganani 61 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 Mbombela (-25.4751°, 30.9693°, elevation 658 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).