Middelburg weather in January

In January, Middelburg sees average daytime highs of 29°C and overnight lows near 15°C, with 76 mm of rain across 10.5 wet days and about 13.8 hours of daylight. It is the 1st-warmest and 1st-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 56% of the time in January, and the air most often feels dry.

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 Middelburg's 9th-clearest and 8th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Middelburg's year-round climate.

Daytime high: 29°; 1st warmest
Overnight low: 15°; 11th coldest
Rainfall: 76 mm; 10.5 wet days
Daylight: 13 h 48 min; 5:34 AM – 7:25 PM
Cloud cover: 38%; 9th clearest
Wind: 12 km/h; 8th windiest
Solar energy: 7.76 kWh/m²
Travel score: 5.6; out of 10

Middelburg is town in the Eastern Cape, South Africa.

Founded: 1852

Air quality: WHO Ambient Air Quality Database. Density & description: Wikidata (CC0), GeoNames.

← December Middelburg year-round climate February →Best places to visit in January

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

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 Middelburg reaches about 29°C in the afternoon and slips back to 15°C overnight — a 15°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 23°C and 35°C. Set against its neighbours, January runs on par with December and about 1°C warmer than February.

	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	17	18	19	20	21	22	23	24	25	26	27	28	29	30	31
Avg high (°C)	30	30	30	30	30	30	30	30	30	29	29	29	29	29	29	29	29	29	29	29	29	29	29	29	29	29	29	29	29	29	29
Avg low (°C)	14	14	14	15	15	15	15	15	15	15	15	15	15	15	15	15	15	15	15	15	15	15	15	15	15	15	15	15	15	15	15

	Avg high (°C)	Avg low (°C)
1	30	14
2	30	14
3	30	14
4	30	15
5	30	15
6	30	15
7	30	15
8	30	15
9	30	15
10	29	15
11	29	15
12	29	15
13	29	15
14	29	15
15	29	15
16	29	15
17	29	15
18	29	15
19	29	15
20	29	15
21	29	15
22	29	15
23	29	15
24	29	15
25	29	15
26	29	15
27	29	15
28	29	15
29	29	15
30	29	15
31	29	15

How January really feels in Middelburg

Once humidity and wind are folded in, January averages 0 days that feel above 32°C and 0 that feel at or below 0°C — the comfort signal a plain temperature reading hides.

Days feeling ≥ 32°C

heat index over the day's high

Days feeling ≤ 0°C

wind chill below the day's low

January sits comfortably in between — no days that feel dangerously hot or drop to a hard freeze once humidity and wind are folded in.

Middelburg 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.

Month	High / Low (°C)	Rainfall (mm)	Wet days	Daylight (hours)	Travel score
Jan	29° / 15°	76	10.5	13.8	5.6
Feb	29° / 15°	73	10.5	13.2	5.9
Mar	26° / 13°	59	9.1	12.2	7.1
Apr	22° / 9°	33	6.1	11.3	7.7
May	19° / 5°	15	3.3	10.4	7.5
Jun	16° / 2°	13	2.3	10	6.2
Jul	16° / 1°	12	2.3	10.2	6.2
Aug	18° / 3°	14	2.6	10.9	7.3
Sep	22° / 7°	18	2.8	11.8	8.2
Oct	24° / 9°	30	5.2	12.8	8.1
Nov	27° / 11°	46	6.3	13.6	7.5
Dec	29° / 13°	51	7.8	14	6.3

Cloud cover in January

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 56% of the time in January.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 21% of January, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 24%.

	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	17	18	19	20	21	22	23	24	25	26	27	28	29	30	31
Clearer (%)	78	78	78	78	77	77	77	78	78	78	78	78	78	77	77	77	77	76	75	75	75	74	74	74	74	74	74	74	74	74	75
Cloudier (%)	22	22	22	22	23	23	23	22	22	22	22	22	22	23	23	23	23	24	25	25	25	26	26	26	26	26	26	26	26	26	25

	Clearer (%)	Cloudier (%)
1	78	22
2	78	22
3	78	22
4	78	22
5	77	23
6	77	23
7	77	23
8	78	22
9	78	22
10	78	22
11	78	22
12	78	22
13	78	22
14	77	23
15	77	23
16	77	23
17	77	23
18	76	24
19	75	25
20	75	25
21	75	25
22	74	26
23	74	26
24	74	26
25	74	26
26	74	26
27	74	26
28	74	26
29	74	26
30	74	26
31	75	25

Chance of precipitation in January

Any precipitation

Middelburg gets around 76 mm of rain over 10.5 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 33% and peaks near 35% on the wettest days.

	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	17	18	19	20	21	22	23	24	25	26	27	28	29	30	31
Rain chance (%)	30	30	31	31	31	32	32	32	32	32	32	32	32	32	33	33	33	33	34	34	34	35	35	35	35	35	35	35	35	35	35

	Rain chance (%)
1	30
2	30
3	31
4	31
5	31
6	32
7	32
8	32
9	32
10	32
11	32
12	32
13	32
14	32
15	33
16	33
17	33
18	33
19	34
20	34
21	34
22	35
23	35
24	35
25	35
26	35
27	35
28	35
29	35
30	35
31	35

Humidity in January

DryComfortableHumidMuggyOppressiveMiserable

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

By dew point, January lands in the dry band about 77% of days. It rarely turns muggy — the humid and sticky bands barely register.

	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	17	18	19	20	21	22	23	24	25	26	27	28	29	30	31
Dry (%)	85	84	83	82	82	82	81	81	81	80	80	80	80	79	79	78	78	76	76	75	75	73	73	73	72	72	72	72	72	71	71
Comfortable (%)	12	13	13	14	14	14	15	15	15	16	16	16	16	17	17	18	18	19	19	20	20	21	21	21	22	22	23	23	23	24	24
Humid (%)	3	3	4	4	4	4	4	4	4	4	4	4	4	4	4	4	4	5	5	5	5	6	6	6	6	6	5	5	5	5	5

	Dry (%)	Comfortable (%)	Humid (%)
1	85	12	3
2	84	13	3
3	83	13	4
4	82	14	4
5	82	14	4
6	82	14	4
7	81	15	4
8	81	15	4
9	81	15	4
10	80	16	4
11	80	16	4
12	80	16	4
13	80	16	4
14	79	17	4
15	79	17	4
16	78	18	4
17	78	18	4
18	76	19	5
19	76	19	5
20	75	20	5
21	75	20	5
22	73	21	6
23	73	21	6
24	73	21	6
25	72	22	6
26	72	22	6
27	72	23	5
28	72	23	5
29	72	23	5
30	71	24	5
31	71	24	5

Wind in January

Winds average 12 km/h in January.

Across January, daily wind ranges from about 12 km/h on the calmest days to 13 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	17	18	19	20	21	22	23	24	25	26	27	28	29	30	31
Wind speed (km/h)	13	13	13	13	13	13	13	13	13	13	12	12	12	12	12	12	12	12	12	12	12	12	12	12	12	12	12	12	12	12	12
Feels	light breeze	light breeze	light breeze	light breeze	light breeze	light breeze	light breeze	light breeze	light breeze	light breeze	light breeze	light breeze	light breeze	light breeze	light breeze	light breeze	light breeze	light breeze	light breeze	light breeze	calm	calm	calm	calm	calm	calm	calm	calm	calm	calm	calm

	Wind speed (km/h)	Feels
1	13	light breeze
2	13	light breeze
3	13	light breeze
4	13	light breeze
5	13	light breeze
6	13	light breeze
7	13	light breeze
8	13	light breeze
9	13	light breeze
10	13	light breeze
11	12	light breeze
12	12	light breeze
13	12	light breeze
14	12	light breeze
15	12	light breeze
16	12	light breeze
17	12	light breeze
18	12	light breeze
19	12	light breeze
20	12	light breeze
21	12	calm
22	12	calm
23	12	calm
24	12	calm
25	12	calm
26	12	calm
27	12	calm
28	12	calm
29	12	calm
30	12	calm
31	12	calm

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 5:23 AM to 5:47 AM, and sunset from 7:24 PM to 7:20 PM.

	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	17	18	19	20	21	22	23	24	25	26	27	28	29	30	31
Daylight (h)	14.0	14.0	14.0	14.0	14.0	14.0	14.0	14.0	13.9	13.9	13.9	13.9	13.9	13.9	13.9	13.8	13.8	13.8	13.8	13.8	13.8	13.7	13.7	13.7	13.7	13.7	13.6	13.6	13.6	13.6	13.5
Sunrise (AM)	5:23	5:23	5:24	5:25	5:25	5:26	5:27	5:28	5:28	5:29	5:30	5:31	5:31	5:32	5:33	5:34	5:35	5:36	5:37	5:37	5:38	5:39	5:40	5:41	5:42	5:43	5:44	5:44	5:45	5:46	5:47
Sunset (PM)	7:24	7:24	7:24	7:24	7:24	7:25	7:25	7:25	7:25	7:25	7:25	7:25	7:25	7:25	7:25	7:25	7:24	7:24	7:24	7:24	7:24	7:23	7:23	7:23	7:22	7:22	7:21	7:21	7:21	7:20	7:20

	Daylight (h)	Sunrise (AM)	Sunset (PM)
1	14.0	5:23	7:24
2	14.0	5:23	7:24
3	14.0	5:24	7:24
4	14.0	5:25	7:24
5	14.0	5:25	7:24
6	14.0	5:26	7:25
7	14.0	5:27	7:25
8	14.0	5:28	7:25
9	13.9	5:28	7:25
10	13.9	5:29	7:25
11	13.9	5:30	7:25
12	13.9	5:31	7:25
13	13.9	5:31	7:25
14	13.9	5:32	7:25
15	13.9	5:33	7:25
16	13.8	5:34	7:25
17	13.8	5:35	7:24
18	13.8	5:36	7:24
19	13.8	5:37	7:24
20	13.8	5:37	7:24
21	13.8	5:38	7:24
22	13.7	5:39	7:23
23	13.7	5:40	7:23
24	13.7	5:41	7:23
25	13.7	5:42	7:22
26	13.7	5:43	7:22
27	13.6	5:44	7:21
28	13.6	5:44	7:21
29	13.6	5:45	7:21
30	13.6	5:46	7:20
31	13.5	5:47	7:20

Solar energy in January

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in January, about 7.76 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 3.26 kWh/m² to a high of 8.18 kWh/m² in December across the year — January's 7.76 kWh/m² sits near the top of that range.

	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	17	18	19	20	21	22	23	24	25	26	27	28	29	30	31
Solar energy (kWh/m²)	8.1	8.1	8.0	8.0	8.0	8.0	8.0	7.9	7.9	7.9	7.9	7.9	7.8	7.8	7.8	7.8	7.8	7.7	7.7	7.7	7.7	7.6	7.6	7.6	7.6	7.5	7.5	7.5	7.5	7.4	7.4
Level	Intense	Intense	Intense	Intense	Intense	Intense	Intense	Intense	Intense	Intense	Intense	Intense	Intense	Intense	Intense	Intense	Intense	Intense	Intense	Intense	Intense	Intense	Intense	Intense	Intense	Intense	Intense	Intense	Intense	Intense	Intense

	Solar energy (kWh/m²)	Level
1	8.1	Intense
2	8.1	Intense
3	8.0	Intense
4	8.0	Intense
5	8.0	Intense
6	8.0	Intense
7	8.0	Intense
8	7.9	Intense
9	7.9	Intense
10	7.9	Intense
11	7.9	Intense
12	7.9	Intense
13	7.8	Intense
14	7.8	Intense
15	7.8	Intense
16	7.8	Intense
17	7.8	Intense
18	7.7	Intense
19	7.7	Intense
20	7.7	Intense
21	7.7	Intense
22	7.6	Intense
23	7.6	Intense
24	7.6	Intense
25	7.6	Intense
26	7.5	Intense
27	7.5	Intense
28	7.5	Intense
29	7.5	Intense
30	7.4	Intense
31	7.4	Intense

Planning a trip in January

Is January a good time to visit Middelburg?

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

5.6

Sightseeing

12th-best month of the year

7.3

Beach & pool

3rd-best month of the year

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

What to pack for Middelburg in January

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

In January, Middelburg sees daytime highs around 29°C and nights near 15°C. Pack light clothes and sun protection. Worth having: rain gear. About 11 days see rain.

light clothessun protectionrain gear

UV index in Middelburg in January

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in January peaks around 15 (very high — sun protection essential). The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.

Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Middelburg peaks around January 14 at about 15 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near June 21 at about 4 (moderate).

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

	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec
UV index (midday)	15	13	11	7	5	4	4	6	7	11	12	14
Level	Extreme	Extreme	Extreme	High	High	Moderate	Moderate	High	Very high	Extreme	Extreme	Extreme

	UV index (midday)	Level
Jan	15	Extreme
Feb	13	Extreme
Mar	11	Extreme
Apr	7	High
May	5	High
Jun	4	Moderate
Jul	4	Moderate
Aug	6	High
Sep	7	Very high
Oct	11	Extreme
Nov	12	Extreme
Dec	14	Extreme

Location & terrain

Where is Middelburg?

Middelburg sits at 31.5°S, 25.0°E, 1,253 m above sea level, in South Africa. The nearest listed city is Cradock, 94 km away.

Topography around Middelburg

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Middelburg has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 150 m around an average of 1,263 m above sea level; within 16 km, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 686 m; within 80 km, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,530 m.

The land around Middelburg is covered by grassland (61%) within 3 km, grassland (85%) within 16 km, and grassland (90%) within 80 km.

3 km

150 m

grassland 61%

16 km

686 m

grassland 85%

80 km

1,530 m

grassland 90%

treesshrubsgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrain

← December Middelburg year-round climate February →Best places to visit in January

January weather nearby: Cradock 94 km · Graaff Reinet 96 km · De Aar 133 km · Burgersdorp 137 km · Somerset East 147 km · Queenstown 182 km · Aliwal North 185 km · Whittlesea 188 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

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 Middelburg (-31.4929°, 25.0063°, elevation 1,253 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. Topography is sampled from the Copernicus DEM GLO-90 elevation model (© ESA/Airbus) and ESA WorldCover 2021 land cover (CC BY 4.0).

	Avg high (°C)	Avg low (°C)
1	30	14
2	30	14
3	30	14
4	30	15
5	30	15
6	30	15
7	30	15
8	30	15
9	30	15
10	29	15
11	29	15
12	29	15
13	29	15
14	29	15
15	29	15
16	29	15
17	29	15
18	29	15
19	29	15
20	29	15
21	29	15
22	29	15
23	29	15
24	29	15
25	29	15
26	29	15
27	29	15
28	29	15
29	29	15
30	29	15
31	29	15

	Clearer (%)	Cloudier (%)
1	78	22
2	78	22
3	78	22
4	78	22
5	77	23
6	77	23
7	77	23
8	78	22
9	78	22
10	78	22
11	78	22
12	78	22
13	78	22
14	77	23
15	77	23
16	77	23
17	77	23
18	76	24
19	75	25
20	75	25
21	75	25
22	74	26
23	74	26
24	74	26
25	74	26
26	74	26
27	74	26
28	74	26
29	74	26
30	74	26
31	75	25

	Rain chance (%)
1	30
2	30
3	31
4	31
5	31
6	32
7	32
8	32
9	32
10	32
11	32
12	32
13	32
14	32
15	33
16	33
17	33
18	33
19	34
20	34
21	34
22	35
23	35
24	35
25	35
26	35
27	35
28	35
29	35
30	35
31	35

	Dry (%)	Comfortable (%)	Humid (%)
1	85	12	3
2	84	13	3
3	83	13	4
4	82	14	4
5	82	14	4
6	82	14	4
7	81	15	4
8	81	15	4
9	81	15	4
10	80	16	4
11	80	16	4
12	80	16	4
13	80	16	4
14	79	17	4
15	79	17	4
16	78	18	4
17	78	18	4
18	76	19	5
19	76	19	5
20	75	20	5
21	75	20	5
22	73	21	6
23	73	21	6
24	73	21	6
25	72	22	6
26	72	22	6
27	72	23	5
28	72	23	5
29	72	23	5
30	71	24	5
31	71	24	5

	Avg high (°C)	Avg low (°C)
1	30	14
2	30	14
3	30	14
4	30	15
5	30	15
6	30	15
7	30	15
8	30	15
9	30	15
10	29	15
11	29	15
12	29	15
13	29	15
14	29	15
15	29	15
16	29	15
17	29	15
18	29	15
19	29	15
20	29	15
21	29	15
22	29	15
23	29	15
24	29	15
25	29	15
26	29	15
27	29	15
28	29	15
29	29	15
30	29	15
31	29	15

	Clearer (%)	Cloudier (%)
1	78	22
2	78	22
3	78	22
4	78	22
5	77	23
6	77	23
7	77	23
8	78	22
9	78	22
10	78	22
11	78	22
12	78	22
13	78	22
14	77	23
15	77	23
16	77	23
17	77	23
18	76	24
19	75	25
20	75	25
21	75	25
22	74	26
23	74	26
24	74	26
25	74	26
26	74	26
27	74	26
28	74	26
29	74	26
30	74	26
31	75	25

	Rain chance (%)
1	30
2	30
3	31
4	31
5	31
6	32
7	32
8	32
9	32
10	32
11	32
12	32
13	32
14	32
15	33
16	33
17	33
18	33
19	34
20	34
21	34
22	35
23	35
24	35
25	35
26	35
27	35
28	35
29	35
30	35
31	35

	Dry (%)	Comfortable (%)	Humid (%)
1	85	12	3
2	84	13	3
3	83	13	4
4	82	14	4
5	82	14	4
6	82	14	4
7	81	15	4
8	81	15	4
9	81	15	4
10	80	16	4
11	80	16	4
12	80	16	4
13	80	16	4
14	79	17	4
15	79	17	4
16	78	18	4
17	78	18	4
18	76	19	5
19	76	19	5
20	75	20	5
21	75	20	5
22	73	21	6
23	73	21	6
24	73	21	6
25	72	22	6
26	72	22	6
27	72	23	5
28	72	23	5
29	72	23	5
30	71	24	5
31	71	24	5

	Avg high (°C)	Avg low (°C)
1	30	14
2	30	14
3	30	14
4	30	15
5	30	15
6	30	15
7	30	15
8	30	15
9	30	15
10	29	15
11	29	15
12	29	15
13	29	15
14	29	15
15	29	15
16	29	15
17	29	15
18	29	15
19	29	15
20	29	15
21	29	15
22	29	15
23	29	15
24	29	15
25	29	15
26	29	15
27	29	15
28	29	15
29	29	15
30	29	15
31	29	15

	Clearer (%)	Cloudier (%)
1	78	22
2	78	22
3	78	22
4	78	22
5	77	23
6	77	23
7	77	23
8	78	22
9	78	22
10	78	22
11	78	22
12	78	22
13	78	22
14	77	23
15	77	23
16	77	23
17	77	23
18	76	24
19	75	25
20	75	25
21	75	25
22	74	26
23	74	26
24	74	26
25	74	26
26	74	26
27	74	26
28	74	26
29	74	26
30	74	26
31	75	25

	Rain chance (%)
1	30
2	30
3	31
4	31
5	31
6	32
7	32
8	32
9	32
10	32
11	32
12	32
13	32
14	32
15	33
16	33
17	33
18	33
19	34
20	34
21	34
22	35
23	35
24	35
25	35
26	35
27	35
28	35
29	35
30	35
31	35

	Dry (%)	Comfortable (%)	Humid (%)
1	85	12	3
2	84	13	3
3	83	13	4
4	82	14	4
5	82	14	4
6	82	14	4
7	81	15	4
8	81	15	4
9	81	15	4
10	80	16	4
11	80	16	4
12	80	16	4
13	80	16	4
14	79	17	4
15	79	17	4
16	78	18	4
17	78	18	4
18	76	19	5
19	76	19	5
20	75	20	5
21	75	20	5
22	73	21	6
23	73	21	6
24	73	21	6
25	72	22	6
26	72	22	6
27	72	23	5
28	72	23	5
29	72	23	5
30	71	24	5
31	71	24	5