Mpophomeni weather in January

In January, Mpophomeni sees average daytime highs of 26°C and overnight lows near 16°C, with 157 mm of rain across 18.6 wet days and about 13.7 hours of daylight. It is the 2nd-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 humid.

Daylight stretches from about 13 h 54 min at the start of January to 13 h 24 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, January is Mpophomeni's 10th-clearest and 6th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Mpophomeni's year-round climate.

Daytime high
26°
2nd warmest
Overnight low
16°
11th coldest
Rainfall
157 mm
18.6 wet days
Daylight
13 h 42 min
5:17 AM – 7:00 PM
Cloud cover
69%
10th clearest
Wind
7 km/h
6th windiest
Solar energy
5.62 kWh/m²
Travel score
5.3
out of 10

Mpophomeni is human settlement in South Africa.

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 Mpophomeni 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 19°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)
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

Mpophomeni weather by month

How January compares with the rest of the year at a glance. January is the 2nd-warmest and 1st-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan26° / 16°15718.613.75.3
Feb26° / 16°13215.813.15.6
Mar25° / 15°11015.212.26.1
Apr23° / 12°6610.111.37.0
May21° / 305.410.57.7
Jun20° / 233.910.17.7
Jul20° / 29410.37.8
Aug21° / 366.510.97.5
Sep23° / 10°549.611.87.0
Oct23° / 12°10116.212.75.9
Nov24° / 13°12618.313.55.4
Dec25° / 15°14920.513.95.2

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 18% of January, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 64%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
13664
23763
33763
43664
53664
63862
73862
83862
93862
103862
113862
123862
133763
143763
153565
163565
173565
183466
193565
203565
213565
223466
233466
243466
253565
263664
273664
283664
293763
303862
313862

Chance of precipitation in January

Any precipitation

Mpophomeni gets around 157 mm of rain over 18.6 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 60% and peaks near 62% on the wettest days.

0%20%40%60%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
161
260
360
459
559
659
758
858
958
1058
1158
1258
1358
1459
1559
1659
1760
1860
1961
2061
2161
2262
2362
2462
2562
2662
2762
2862
2962
3062
3161

Humidity in January

DryComfortableHumidMuggyOppressiveMiserable

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

By dew point, January lands in the humid band about 58% of days. Sticky, muggy-or-worse air turns up on roughly 13% of them.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)Muggy (%)
16255712
26255613
36245713
46245713
56245713
66245713
76245713
86245713
96245713
106245713
116255613
126255613
136255613
146255613
156255712
165265712
175265712
185265613
195255713
204255813
214255813
224255813
233255814
243245914
253245914
263235915
273226015
283226015
293225916
302216116
312216116

Wind in January

Winds average 7 km/h in January.

Across January, daily wind ranges from about 7 km/h on the calmest days to 7 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

0246810151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
17calm
27calm
37calm
47calm
57calm
67calm
77calm
87calm
97calm
107calm
117calm
127calm
137calm
147calm
157calm
167calm
177calm
187calm
197calm
207calm
217calm
227calm
237calm
247calm
257calm
267calm
277calm
287calm
297calm
307calm
317calm

Sunrise & sunset in January

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 13 h 54 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 30 minutes over January. Sunrise moves from 5:06 AM to 5:30 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)
113.95:066:58
213.95:076:59
313.95:086:59
413.85:086:59
513.85:096:59
613.85:106:59
713.85:117:00
813.85:117:00
913.85:127:00
1013.85:137:00
1113.85:137:00
1213.85:147:00
1313.75:157:00
1413.75:167:00
1513.75:177:00
1613.75:177:00
1713.75:187:00
1813.75:196:59
1913.75:206:59
2013.65:216:59
2113.65:216:59
2213.65:226:59
2313.65:236:58
2413.65:246:58
2513.55:256:58
2613.55:266:57
2713.55:266:57
2813.55:276:57
2913.55:286:56
3013.45:296:56
3113.45:306:55

Solar energy in January

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in January, about 5.62 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 3.35 kWh/m² to a high of 5.65 kWh/m² in December across the year — January's 5.62 kWh/m² sits near the top of that range.

0246151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
15.8Bright
25.8Bright
35.8Bright
45.8Bright
55.8Bright
65.8Bright
75.7Bright
85.7Bright
95.7Bright
105.7Bright
115.7Bright
125.7Bright
135.7Bright
145.7Bright
155.7Bright
165.7Bright
175.6Bright
185.6Bright
195.6Bright
205.6Bright
215.6Bright
225.6Bright
235.5Bright
245.5Bright
255.5Bright
265.5Bright
275.5Bright
285.5Bright
295.5Bright
305.5Bright
315.5Bright
Planning a trip in January

Hazard calendar for Mpophomeni

In seasonPeak

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

Mpophomeni'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 Mpophomeni?

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
5.0
Beach & pool
5th-best month of the year

January is a reasonable time to visit Mpophomeni for sightseeing.

What to pack for Mpophomeni in January

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

In January, Mpophomeni sees daytime highs around 26°C and nights near 16°C. Pack rain gear. Worth having: light clothes and sun protection. About 19 days see rain.

rain gearlight clothessun protection

UV index in Mpophomeni 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 Mpophomeni 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.

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecExtremeHighModerateHighVery highExtremeJan 15UV 14Jun 23UV 4
UV index (midday)Level
Jan15Extreme
Feb13Extreme
Mar11Extreme
Apr7High
May6High
Jun4Moderate
Jul4Moderate
Aug6High
Sep7Very high
Oct11Extreme
Nov11Extreme
Dec13Extreme

Air quality in Mpophomeni 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 Mpophomeni 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 Mpophomeni?

Mpophomeni sits at 29.6°S, 30.2°E, 1,103 m above sea level, in South Africa. The nearest listed city is Howick, 11 km away.

Topography around Mpophomeni

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Mpophomeni has significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 356 m around an average of 1,154 m above sea level; within 16 km, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,101 m; within 80 km, extreme variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 3,371 m.

The land around Mpophomeni is covered by grassland (70%) within 3 km, grassland (46%) and trees (36%) within 16 km, and grassland (49%) and trees (34%) within 80 km.

3 km
356 m
16 km
1,101 m
80 km
3,371 m
treesshrubsgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwater
January weather nearby: Howick 11 km · Pietermaritzburg 21 km · Richmond 35 km · Mooi River 44 km · Mpumalanga 51 km · Greytown 69 km · Estcourt 69 km · Wembesi 70 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 Mpophomeni (-29.5682°, 30.1862°, elevation 1,103 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).