Middelburg weather in January

In January, Middelburg sees average daytime highs of 26°C and overnight lows near 16°C, with 122 mm of rain across 15.6 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 26°C through the month. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 33% of the time in January, and the air most often feels comfortable.

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 Middelburg's 10th-clearest and 6th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Middelburg's year-round climate.

Daytime high
26°
1st warmest
Overnight low
16°
12th coldest
Rainfall
122 mm
15.6 wet days
Daylight
13 h 24 min
5:28 AM – 6:55 PM
Cloud cover
55%
10th clearest
Wind
9 km/h
6th windiest
Solar energy
6.52 kWh/m²
Travel score
5.9
out of 10

Middelburg is town in Mpumalanga, South Africa.

Founded
1864

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 Middelburg reaches about 26°C in the afternoon and slips back to 16°C overnight — a 10°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 23°C and 30°C. Set against its neighbours, January runs on par with December and on par with February.

10°15°20°25°30°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
12616
22616
32616
42616
52616
62616
72616
82616
92616
102616
112616
122616
132616
142616
152616
162616
172616
182616
192616
202616
212616
222616
232616
242616
252616
262616
272616
282616
292616
302616
312616

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.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan26° / 16°12215.613.45.9
Feb26° / 16°9111.912.96.3
Mar25° / 15°8611.212.26.9
Apr23° / 12°406.111.47.8
May21° / 152.510.88.4
Jun19° / 51.110.48.2
Jul19° / 60.810.68.3
Aug22° / 91.511.18.7
Sep25° / 11°183.411.88.6
Oct26° / 13°6810.412.67.0
Nov25° / 14°10214.313.36.1
Dec26° / 16°11516.613.65.7

Cloud cover in January

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 33% of the time in January.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 25% of January, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 42%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
15842
25941
35941
45941
55941
65941
75941
85941
95941
105941
115842
125842
135644
145644
155545
165545
175545
185545
195644
205644
215644
225743
235743
245743
255842
265842
275941
286139
296139
306238
316238

Chance of precipitation in January

Any precipitation

Middelburg gets around 122 mm of rain over 15.6 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 49% and peaks near 52% on the wettest days.

0%20%40%60%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
152
251
351
450
550
649
749
849
948
1048
1148
1248
1348
1448
1548
1649
1749
1849
1950
2050
2150
2251
2351
2451
2551
2651
2750
2850
2949
3048
3148

Humidity in January

DryComfortableHumidMuggyOppressiveMiserable

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

By dew point, January lands in the comfortable band about 50% of days. It rarely turns muggy — the humid and sticky bands barely register.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)
1195427
2205327
3205327
4215227
5215227
6225226
7225226
8225226
9235126
10235027
11235027
12225127
13225028
14224929
15224929
16214830
17214831
18204832
19204832
20194833
21194834
22184834
23184735
24184735
25174735
26174835
27174835
28174834
29174934
30184933
31185032

Wind in January

Winds average 9 km/h in January.

Across January, daily wind ranges from about 9 km/h on the calmest days to 9 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

051015151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
19calm
29calm
39calm
49calm
59calm
69calm
79calm
89calm
99calm
109calm
119calm
129calm
139calm
149calm
159calm
169calm
179calm
189calm
199calm
209calm
219calm
229calm
239calm
249calm
259calm
269calm
279calm
289calm
299calm
309calm
319calm

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 5:18 AM to 5:39 AM, and sunset from 6:53 PM to 6:52 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
113.65:186:53
213.65:186:53
313.65:196:53
413.65:206:54
513.65:206:54
613.65:216:54
713.55:226:54
813.55:226:54
913.55:236:55
1013.55:246:55
1113.55:246:55
1213.55:256:55
1313.55:266:55
1413.55:276:55
1513.55:276:55
1613.45:286:55
1713.45:296:55
1813.45:296:55
1913.45:306:55
2013.45:316:55
2113.45:326:54
2213.45:326:54
2313.35:336:54
2413.35:346:54
2513.35:356:54
2613.35:356:53
2713.35:366:53
2813.35:376:53
2913.25:386:52
3013.25:386:52
3113.25:396:52

Solar energy in January

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in January, about 6.52 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 3.97 kWh/m² to a high of 6.6 kWh/m² in December across the year — January's 6.52 kWh/m² sits near the top of that range.

0246151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
16.7Intense
26.7Intense
36.7Intense
46.7Intense
56.7Intense
66.7Intense
76.6Intense
86.6Intense
96.6Intense
106.6Intense
116.5Intense
126.5Intense
136.5Intense
146.5Intense
156.5Intense
166.5Intense
176.5Intense
186.4Intense
196.4Intense
206.4Intense
216.4Intense
226.4Intense
236.4Intense
246.4Intense
256.4Intense
266.4Intense
276.4Intense
286.5Intense
296.5Intense
306.5Intense
316.5Intense
Planning a trip in January

Hazard calendar for Middelburg

In seasonPeak

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

Middelburg'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 Middelburg?

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

5.9
Sightseeing
11th-best month of the year
5.8
Beach & pool
6th-best month of the year

January is a reasonable time to visit Middelburg for sightseeing.

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 26°C and nights near 16°C. Pack rain gear and sun protection. Worth having: light clothes. About 16 days see rain.

rain gearsun protectionlight clothes

UV index in Middelburg 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 Middelburg peaks around January 14 at about 14 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near June 18 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 highExtremeJan 14UV 14Jun 18UV 5
UV index (midday)Level
Jan14Extreme
Feb13Extreme
Mar12Extreme
Apr8Very high
May6High
Jun5High
Jul6High
Aug8Very high
Sep9Very high
Oct10Very high
Nov12Extreme
Dec14Extreme

Air quality in Middelburg 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 Middelburg is worst in July — around 74 µg/m³ PM2.5 (unhealthy), about 5.1× the cleanest month (December, 15 µg/m³).

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

020406080JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecModeratePoorUnhealthyPoorModerateJul 1473 µg/m³Dec 2315 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan15Moderate
Feb20Moderate
Mar26Moderate
Apr41Poor
May59Unhealthy
Jun66Unhealthy
Jul74Unhealthy
Aug59Unhealthy
Sep48Poor
Oct29Moderate
Nov18Moderate
Dec15Moderate
Location & terrain

Where is Middelburg?

Middelburg sits at 25.8°S, 29.5°E, 1,479 m above sea level, in South Africa. The nearest listed city is Emalahleni, 26 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 109 m around an average of 1,478 m above sea level; within 16 km, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 343 m; within 80 km, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,404 m.

The land around Middelburg is covered by artificial surfaces (50%) and grassland (34%) within 3 km, grassland (65%) and cropland (22%) within 16 km, and grassland (60%) and cropland (26%) within 80 km.

3 km
109 m
16 km
343 m
80 km
1,404 m
treesshrubsgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwater
January weather nearby: Emalahleni 26 km · Hendrina 49 km · Phola 50 km · Thubelihle 52 km · Verena 55 km · Kriel 57 km · Belfast 58 km · Kwaggafontein 72 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 Middelburg (-25.7751°, 29.4648°, elevation 1,479 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).