Mdantsane weather in January

In January, Mdantsane sees average daytime highs of 26°C and overnight lows near 19°C, with 76 mm of rain across 11.1 wet days and about 13.9 hours of daylight. It is the 2nd-warmest and 4th-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 28% of the time in January, and the air most often feels muggy.

Daylight stretches from about 14 h 06 min at the start of January to 13 h 36 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, January is Mdantsane's 10th-clearest and 4th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Mdantsane's year-round climate.

Daytime high
26°
2nd warmest
Overnight low
19°
11th coldest
Rainfall
76 mm
11.1 wet days
Daylight
14 hours
5:20 AM – 7:17 PM
Cloud cover
61%
10th clearest
Wind
15 km/h
4th windiest
Solar energy
6.12 kWh/m²
Travel score
6.5
out of 10

Mdantsane is township.

Founded
1940

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 Mdantsane reaches about 26°C in the afternoon and slips back to 19°C overnight — a 7°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 22°C and 30°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)
12519
22519
32519
42519
52519
62519
72519
82619
92619
102619
112619
122619
132619
142619
152619
162619
172619
182619
192619
202619
212619
222619
232619
242619
252619
262619
272620
282620
292620
302620
312620

Mdantsane weather by month

How January compares with the rest of the year at a glance. January is the 2nd-warmest and 4th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan26° / 19°7611.113.96.5
Feb26° / 20°8010.513.26.4
Mar25° / 19°8211.512.36.7
Apr24° / 17°738.211.27.4
May23° / 15°254.610.38.0
Jun21° / 12°253.59.98.0
Jul21° / 12°284.1107.9
Aug21° / 12°38610.87.5
Sep21° / 13°496.711.87.1
Oct22° / 15°651012.86.7
Nov23° / 16°7710.713.76.6
Dec24° / 18°7611.414.16.7

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 16% of January, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 56%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
14456
24456
34357
44357
54357
64357
74456
84456
94456
104456
114456
124555
134555
144357
154456
164456
174456
184456
194456
204456
214357
224357
234357
244357
254456
264456
274456
284456
294456
304456
314555

Chance of precipitation in January

Any precipitation

Mdantsane gets around 76 mm of rain over 11.1 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 36% and peaks near 38% on the wettest days.

0%10%20%30%40%50%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
137
237
337
437
536
636
736
835
935
1035
1135
1234
1334
1434
1534
1634
1734
1834
1934
2035
2135
2235
2336
2436
2537
2637
2738
2838
2938
3038
3138

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 40% 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 (%)
141439376
241438376
341438377
441438387
541437387
641437387
741437387
841437388
941437388
1041437388
1141437388
1241436388
1341436388
1441436388
1541436398
1631436397
1731436407
1831436407
1931436417
2031436417
2121336427
2221336427
2321336427
2421336436
2521236436
2621236446
2721136446
2821137447
2911136447
3011037457
3111036458

Wind in January

Winds average 15 km/h in January.

Across January, daily wind ranges from about 15 km/h on the calmest days to 15 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

05101520151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
115light breeze
215light breeze
315light breeze
415light breeze
515light breeze
615light breeze
715light breeze
815light breeze
915light breeze
1015light breeze
1115light breeze
1215light breeze
1315light breeze
1415light breeze
1515light breeze
1615light breeze
1715light breeze
1815light breeze
1915light breeze
2015light breeze
2115light breeze
2215light breeze
2315light breeze
2415light breeze
2515light breeze
2615light breeze
2715light breeze
2815light breeze
2915light breeze
3015light breeze
3115light breeze

Sunrise & sunset in January

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 14 h 06 min at the start of January to 13 h 36 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 5:08 AM to 5:33 AM, and sunset from 7:16 PM to 7:11 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
114.15:087:16
214.15:097:16
314.15:097:17
414.15:107:17
514.15:117:17
614.15:117:17
714.15:127:17
814.15:137:17
914.15:147:17
1014.05:157:17
1114.05:157:17
1214.05:167:17
1314.05:177:17
1414.05:187:17
1514.05:197:17
1614.05:207:17
1713.95:217:17
1813.95:217:16
1913.95:227:16
2013.95:237:16
2113.95:247:16
2213.85:257:15
2313.85:267:15
2413.85:277:14
2513.85:287:14
2613.75:297:14
2713.75:307:13
2813.75:317:13
2913.75:317:12
3013.75:327:12
3113.65:337:11

Solar energy in January

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in January, about 6.12 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 2.87 kWh/m² to a high of 6.25 kWh/m² in December across the year — January's 6.12 kWh/m² sits near the top of that range.

0246151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
16.2Intense
26.2Intense
36.2Intense
46.2Intense
56.2Intense
66.2Intense
76.2Intense
86.2Intense
96.2Intense
106.2Intense
116.2Intense
126.2Intense
136.2Intense
146.2Intense
156.2Intense
166.2Intense
176.2Intense
186.2Intense
196.2Intense
206.1Intense
216.1Intense
226.1Intense
236.1Intense
246.1Intense
256.0Intense
266.0Intense
276.0Intense
286.0Bright
296.0Bright
305.9Bright
315.9Bright
Planning a trip in January

Is January a good time to visit Mdantsane?

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

6.5
Sightseeing
11th-best month of the year
6.1
Beach & pool
3rd-best month of the year

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

What to pack for Mdantsane in January

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

In January, Mdantsane sees daytime highs around 26°C and nights near 19°C. Pack sun protection. Worth having: light clothes and rain gear. About 11 days see rain.

sun protectionlight clothesrain gear

Sea temperature near Mdantsane in January

The nearest coast averages about 24°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 23 km away) is warmest in February at about 25°C and coldest in August near 20°C.

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

18°20°22°24°26°JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDeccoolrefreshingwarmcomfortable to swim
Sea temperature (°C)Comfort
Jan24Warm
Feb25Warm
Mar25Warm
Apr24Warm
May23Refreshing
Jun22Refreshing
Jul21Refreshing
Aug20Refreshing
Sep21Refreshing
Oct21Refreshing
Nov22Refreshing
Dec23Refreshing

UV index in Mdantsane 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 Mdantsane peaks around January 15 at about 13 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near June 22 at about 3 (moderate).

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

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecExtremeVery highHighModerateHighExtremeJan 15UV 13Jun 22UV 3
UV index (midday)Level
Jan13Extreme
Feb11Extreme
Mar10Very high
Apr6High
May5Moderate
Jun3Moderate
Jul3Moderate
Aug5Moderate
Sep6High
Oct10Extreme
Nov11Extreme
Dec12Extreme

Air quality in Mdantsane 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 Mdantsane is worst in August — around 20 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 2.6× the cleanest month (February, 8 µg/m³).

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

0102030JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecGoodModerateGoodAug 1520 µg/m³Feb 98 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan8Good
Feb8Good
Mar9Good
Apr12Good
May15Moderate
Jun17Moderate
Jul17Moderate
Aug20Moderate
Sep16Moderate
Oct12Moderate
Nov9Good
Dec8Good
Location & terrain

Where is Mdantsane?

Mdantsane sits at 32.9°S, 27.8°E, 278 m above sea level, in South Africa. The nearest listed city is East London, 16 km away.

Topography around Mdantsane

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Mdantsane has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 182 m around an average of 257 m above sea level; within 16 km, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 521 m; within 80 km, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,921 m.

The land around Mdantsane is covered by trees (44%), artificial surfaces (25%) and grassland (24%) within 3 km, trees (53%) and grassland (31%) within 16 km, and grassland (36%), water (28%) and trees (25%) within 80 km.

3 km
182 m
16 km
521 m
80 km
1,921 m
treesshrubsgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwater
January weather nearby: East London 16 km · Gonubie 22 km · Ndevana 25 km · Bhisho 33 km · Qonce 36 km · Stutterheim 52 km · Dimbaza 53 km · Butterworth 76 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 Mdantsane (-32.9332°, 27.7766°, elevation 278 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).