Mooi River weather in January

In January, Mooi River sees average daytime highs of 26°C and overnight lows near 15°C, with 137 mm of rain across 18.2 wet days and about 13.7 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 19% of the time in January, and the air most often feels comfortable.

Daylight stretches from about 13 h 48 min at the start of January to 13 h 24 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, January is Mooi River's 10th-clearest and 5th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Mooi River's year-round climate.

Daytime high
26°
1st warmest
Overnight low
15°
11th coldest
Rainfall
137 mm
18.2 wet days
Daylight
13 h 42 min
5:19 AM – 7:00 PM
Cloud cover
66%
10th clearest
Wind
8 km/h
5th windiest
Solar energy
5.98 kWh/m²
Travel score
5.4
out of 10

Mooi River is town in South Africa.

Founded
1852

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 Mooi River reaches about 26°C in the afternoon and slips back to 15°C overnight — a 10°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 20°C and 31°C. Set against its neighbours, January runs on par with December and on par with February.

10°15°20°25°30°35°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
12615
22615
32615
42615
52615
62615
72615
82615
92615
102615
112615
122615
132615
142615
152615
162615
172615
182615
192615
202615
212615
222615
232615
242615
252615
262615
272615
282615
292616
302616
312616

Mooi River 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° / 15°13718.213.75.4
Feb26° / 15°11715.2135.7
Mar25° / 14°941412.26.4
Apr22° / 11°528.311.37.1
May20° / 203.710.67.8
Jun18° / 152.510.27.6
Jul18° / 182.510.37.6
Aug20° / 244.4117.7
Sep23° / 336.811.87.5
Oct23° / 11°7713.812.76.3
Nov24° / 13°1081713.55.7
Dec25° / 14°12419.913.85.3

Cloud cover in January

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 19% 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 59%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
14159
24159
34060
44159
54258
64258
74258
84258
94258
104258
114258
124159
134060
144060
154060
163862
173961
183862
193862
203961
213961
223862
233961
243961
254060
264060
274159
284258
294357
304357
314357

Chance of precipitation in January

Any precipitation

Mooi River gets around 137 mm of rain over 18.2 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 59% and peaks near 61% on the wettest days.

0%20%40%60%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
160
260
359
459
558
658
757
857
957
1056
1156
1256
1356
1457
1557
1657
1758
1858
1959
2059
2160
2260
2360
2461
2561
2661
2761
2860
2960
3060
3159

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 52% of days. It rarely turns muggy — the humid and sticky bands barely register.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)
1165232
2165232
3165232
4175132
5175132
6175132
7175132
8175132
9175132
10165232
11165232
12165331
13155431
14155332
15145432
16145432
17135433
18125533
19125434
20115435
21115336
22115336
23105337
24105238
25105139
2695239
2795140
2895140
2995140
3095140
3195140

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 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
208calm
218calm
228calm
238calm
248calm
258calm
268calm
278calm
288calm
298calm
308calm
318calm

Sunrise & sunset in January

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 13 h 48 min at the start of January to 13 h 24 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 5:08 AM to 5:31 AM, and sunset from 6:58 PM to 6:55 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
113.85:086:58
213.85:096:59
313.85:096:59
413.85:106:59
513.85:116:59
613.85:116:59
713.85:127:00
813.85:137:00
913.85:147:00
1013.85:147:00
1113.75:157:00
1213.75:167:00
1313.75:177:00
1413.75:177:00
1513.75:187:00
1613.75:197:00
1713.75:207:00
1813.65:216:59
1913.65:216:59
2013.65:226:59
2113.65:236:59
2213.65:246:59
2313.65:256:58
2413.55:256:58
2513.55:266:58
2613.55:276:57
2713.55:286:57
2813.55:296:57
2913.45:306:56
3013.45:306:56
3113.45:316:55

Solar energy in January

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in January, about 5.98 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 3.47 kWh/m² to a high of 6.09 kWh/m² in December across the year — January's 5.98 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
66.1Intense
76.1Intense
86.1Intense
96.1Intense
106.1Intense
116.1Intense
126.1Intense
136.1Intense
146.0Intense
156.0Intense
166.0Intense
176.0Intense
186.0Bright
196.0Bright
205.9Bright
215.9Bright
225.9Bright
235.9Bright
245.9Bright
255.9Bright
265.9Bright
275.9Bright
285.9Bright
295.9Bright
305.9Bright
315.9Bright
Planning a trip in January

Hazard calendar for Mooi River

In seasonPeak

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

Mooi River'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 Mooi River?

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

5.4
Sightseeing
11th-best month of the year
5.1
Beach & pool
5th-best month of the year

January is a reasonable time to visit Mooi River for sightseeing.

What to pack for Mooi River in January

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

In January, Mooi River sees daytime highs around 26°C and nights near 15°C. Pack rain gear. Worth having: light clothes and sun protection. About 18 days see rain.

rain gearlight clothessun protection

UV index in Mooi River 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 Mooi River peaks around January 15 at about 14 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near June 23 at about 4 (moderate).

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

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecExtremeVery highHighModerateHighVery highExtremeJan 15UV 14Jun 23UV 4
UV index (midday)Level
Jan14Extreme
Feb13Extreme
Mar11Extreme
Apr7Very high
May6High
Jun4Moderate
Jul4Moderate
Aug6High
Sep8Very high
Oct11Extreme
Nov11Extreme
Dec13Extreme

Air quality in Mooi River 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 Mooi River is worst in July — around 71 µg/m³ PM2.5 (unhealthy), about 4.3× the cleanest month (December, 17 µg/m³).

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

020406080JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecModeratePoorUnhealthyPoorModerateJul 1769 µg/m³Dec 2317 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan17Moderate
Feb21Moderate
Mar27Moderate
Apr37Poor
May51Poor
Jun57Unhealthy
Jul71Unhealthy
Aug58Unhealthy
Sep49Poor
Oct28Moderate
Nov25Moderate
Dec17Moderate
Location & terrain

Where is Mooi River?

Mooi River sits at 29.2°S, 30.0°E, 1,403 m above sea level, in South Africa. The nearest listed city is Estcourt, 25 km away.

Topography around Mooi River

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Mooi River has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 140 m around an average of 1,420 m above sea level; within 16 km, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 499 m; within 80 km, extreme variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 3,183 m.

The land around Mooi River is covered by grassland (62%) and cropland (21%) within 3 km, grassland (67%) and cropland (21%) within 16 km, and grassland (56%) and trees (21%) within 80 km.

3 km
140 m
16 km
499 m
80 km
3,183 m
treesshrubsgrasslandcroplandartificial surfaceswater
January weather nearby: Estcourt 25 km · Wembesi 27 km · Howick 38 km · Mpophomeni 44 km · Pietermaritzburg 60 km · Greytown 60 km · Ladysmith 75 km · Richmond 79 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 Mooi River (-29.2082°, 29.9946°, elevation 1,403 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).