Mpumalanga weather in January

In January, Mpumalanga sees average daytime highs of 27°C and overnight lows near 20°C, with 101 mm of rain across 15.6 wet days and about 13.7 hours of daylight. It is the 2nd-warmest and 2nd-wettest month of the year here.

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 27°C through the month. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 20% of the time in January, and the air most often feels muggy.

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 Mpumalanga's 10th-clearest and 4th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Mpumalanga's year-round climate.

Daytime high
27°
2nd warmest
Overnight low
20°
11th coldest
Rainfall
101 mm
15.6 wet days
Daylight
13 h 42 min
5:15 AM – 6:58 PM
Cloud cover
68%
10th clearest
Wind
10 km/h
4th windiest
Solar energy
5.52 kWh/m²
Travel score
5.6
out of 10

Mpumalanga is township in KwaZulu-Natal, 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 27°C through the month.

A typical January day in Mpumalanga reaches about 27°C in the afternoon and slips back to 20°C overnight — a 8°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 22°C and 32°C. Set against its neighbours, January runs about 1°C warmer than December and on par with February.

15°20°25°30°35°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
12719
22719
32719
42719
52719
62719
72719
82719
92719
102719
112719
122719
132719
142719
152720
162720
172720
182720
192720
202720
212720
222720
232720
242720
252720
262720
272720
282720
292720
302720
312820

Mpumalanga weather by month

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

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan27° / 20°10115.613.75.6
Feb28° / 20°8713.113.15.7
Mar27° / 19°8712.712.26.2
Apr26° / 16°609.111.37.1
May25° / 13°33510.58.2
Jun23° / 11°223.910.18.5
Jul23° / 10°343.910.38.4
Aug23° / 12°305.610.98.1
Sep24° / 14°58911.87.2
Oct24° / 15°8813.812.76.3
Nov25° / 17°10114.813.55.8
Dec26° / 18°10215.613.95.6

Cloud cover in January

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 20% 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 65%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
13367
23367
33466
43466
53466
63565
73466
83565
93664
103664
113664
123664
133565
143565
153565
163565
173565
183466
193565
203565
213565
223565
233565
243565
253664
263664
273664
283763
293763
303763
313862

Chance of precipitation in January

Any precipitation

Mpumalanga gets around 101 mm of rain over 15.6 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 49% and peaks near 50% on the wettest days.

0%20%40%60%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
149
249
349
449
549
649
749
849
949
1049
1149
1249
1349
1449
1549
1649
1749
1850
1950
2050
2150
2250
2350
2450
2550
2650
2750
2850
2950
3050
3149

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 55% of days. Sticky, muggy-or-worse air turns up on roughly 70% of them.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)Muggy (%)Oppressive (%)
117265115
217265115
317255215
417255215
517245315
617245315
717245315
817235316
917235415
1017235415
1117245315
1217245315
1316245415
1416245415
1516245415
1616255414
1705255614
1805255614
1905255614
2004255714
2104255615
2204255615
2304255615
2404245715
2503245815
2603245815
2703235816
2803235816
2903225817
3003225817
3103225817

Wind in January

Winds average 10 km/h in January.

Across January, daily wind ranges from about 10 km/h on the calmest days to 10 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

051015151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
110calm
210calm
310calm
410calm
510calm
610calm
710calm
810calm
910calm
1010calm
1110calm
1210calm
1310calm
1410calm
1510calm
1610calm
1710calm
1810calm
1910calm
2010calm
2110calm
2210calm
2310calm
2410calm
2510calm
2610calm
2710calm
2810calm
2910calm
3010calm
3110calm

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 5:04 AM to 5:28 AM, and sunset from 6:57 PM to 6:54 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
113.95:046:57
213.95:056:57
313.95:056:58
413.95:066:58
513.95:076:58
613.85:076:58
713.85:086:58
813.85:096:58
913.85:106:59
1013.85:106:59
1113.85:116:59
1213.85:126:59
1313.85:136:59
1413.85:136:59
1513.75:146:58
1613.75:156:58
1713.75:166:58
1813.75:176:58
1913.75:186:58
2013.75:186:58
2113.65:196:58
2213.65:206:57
2313.65:216:57
2413.65:226:57
2513.65:236:56
2613.55:236:56
2713.55:246:56
2813.55:256:55
2913.55:266:55
3013.55:276:54
3113.45:286:54

Solar energy in January

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in January, about 5.52 kWh/m² — the sunniest month for solar.

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 3.2 kWh/m² to a high of 5.52 kWh/m² in January across the year — January's 5.52 kWh/m² sits near the top of that range.

0246151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
15.6Bright
25.6Bright
35.6Bright
45.6Bright
55.6Bright
65.6Bright
75.6Bright
85.6Bright
95.6Bright
105.6Bright
115.6Bright
125.6Bright
135.6Bright
145.6Bright
155.6Bright
165.5Bright
175.5Bright
185.5Bright
195.5Bright
205.5Bright
215.5Bright
225.5Bright
235.5Bright
245.5Bright
255.5Bright
265.5Bright
275.4Bright
285.4Bright
295.4Bright
305.4Bright
315.4Bright
Planning a trip in January

Hazard calendar for Mpumalanga

In seasonPeak

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

Mpumalanga sits in the South Indian Ocean cyclone belt; the season peaks January–March.

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

Is January a good time to visit Mpumalanga?

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

5.6
Sightseeing
11th-best month of the year
5.8
Beach & pool
9th-best month of the year

January is a reasonable time to visit Mpumalanga for sightseeing.

What to pack for Mpumalanga in January

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

In January, Mpumalanga sees daytime highs around 27°C and nights near 20°C. Pack light clothes and rain gear. Worth having: sun protection. About 16 days see rain.

light clothesrain gearsun protection

Sea temperature near Mpumalanga in January

The nearest coast averages about 25°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 42 km away) is warmest in February at about 26°C and coldest in August near 21°C.

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

20°22°24°26°28°JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDeccoolrefreshingwarmcomfortable to swim
Sea temperature (°C)Comfort
Jan25Warm
Feb26Warm
Mar26Warm
Apr25Warm
May24Refreshing
Jun23Refreshing
Jul22Refreshing
Aug21Refreshing
Sep21Refreshing
Oct22Refreshing
Nov23Refreshing
Dec24Warm

UV index in Mpumalanga 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 Mpumalanga peaks around January 16 at about 13 (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.

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecExtremeHighModerateHighExtremeJan 16UV 13Jun 23UV 4
UV index (midday)Level
Jan13Extreme
Feb12Extreme
Mar10Very high
Apr5High
May5Moderate
Jun4Moderate
Jul4Moderate
Aug5High
Sep5High
Oct10Extreme
Nov10Very high
Dec12Extreme

Air quality in Mpumalanga 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 Mpumalanga is worst in July — around 148 µg/m³ PM2.5 (unhealthy), about 6.1× the cleanest month (January, 24 µg/m³).

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

0306090120150JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecModeratePoorUnhealthyPoorModerateJul 11147 µg/m³Jan 1625 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan24Moderate
Feb31Moderate
Mar50Poor
Apr77Unhealthy
May126Unhealthy
Jun144Unhealthy
Jul148Unhealthy
Aug116Unhealthy
Sep88Unhealthy
Oct57Unhealthy
Nov41Poor
Dec30Moderate
Location & terrain

Where is Mpumalanga?

Mpumalanga sits at 29.8°S, 30.6°E, 711 m above sea level, in South Africa. The nearest listed city is Pinetown, 24 km away.

Topography around Mpumalanga

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Mpumalanga has significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 354 m around an average of 607 m above sea level; within 16 km, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 701 m; within 80 km, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 2,041 m.

The land around Mpumalanga is covered by artificial surfaces (40%), grassland (29%) and trees (27%) within 3 km, trees (43%) and grassland (33%) within 16 km, and trees (38%), grassland (29%) and water (20%) within 80 km.

3 km
354 m
16 km
701 m
80 km
2,041 m
treesshrubsgrasslandcroplandartificial surfaceswater
January weather nearby: Pinetown 24 km · Folweni 26 km · Ntuzuma 31 km · Pietermaritzburg 32 km · Richmond 36 km · Durban 38 km · eMkhomazi 46 km · Mpophomeni 51 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 Mpumalanga (-29.8129°, 30.6365°, elevation 711 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. Tropical-cyclone seasons are the published climatological basin seasons (NOAA National Hurricane Center / regional warning centres). 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).