Newcastle weather in January

In January, Newcastle sees average daytime highs of 27°C and overnight lows near 16°C, with 141 mm of rain across 17.6 wet days and about 13.6 hours of daylight. It is the 1st-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 33% of the time in January, and the air most often feels comfortable.

Daylight stretches from about 13 h 42 min at the start of January to 13 h 18 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, January is Newcastle's 10th-clearest and 9th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Newcastle's year-round climate.

Daytime high
27°
1st warmest
Overnight low
16°
12th coldest
Rainfall
141 mm
17.6 wet days
Daylight
13 h 36 min
5:22 AM – 6:57 PM
Cloud cover
56%
10th clearest
Wind
8 km/h
9th windiest
Solar energy
6.36 kWh/m²
Travel score
5.4
out of 10

Newcastle is city in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa.

Density
5,342/km²
people per km²
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 27°C through the month.

A typical January day in Newcastle reaches about 27°C in the afternoon and slips back to 16°C overnight — a 11°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 on par with December and on par with February.

10°15°20°25°30°35°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
12816
22816
32816
42816
52816
62816
72816
82816
92716
102716
112716
122716
132716
142716
152716
162716
172716
182716
192716
202716
212716
222716
232716
242716
252716
262716
272716
282716
292816
302816
312816

Newcastle weather by month

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

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan27° / 16°14117.613.65.4
Feb27° / 16°10113.2135.9
Mar26° / 15°9911.812.26.6
Apr24° / 12°457.411.47.8
May22° / 18310.68.5
Jun20° / 102.210.38.3
Jul20° / 132.110.48.3
Aug23° / 223.9118.5
Sep26° / 11°40711.87.7
Oct26° / 13°9413.812.76.3
Nov27° / 14°12016.513.45.5
Dec27° / 15°15518.913.75.2

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 20% of January, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 47%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
15347
25446
35446
45446
55545
65545
75545
85545
95446
105446
115347
125347
135347
145248
155149
165149
175149
185149
195149
205149
215149
225149
235149
245248
255347
265446
275545
285545
295743
305842
315842

Chance of precipitation in January

Any precipitation

Newcastle gets around 141 mm of rain over 17.6 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 56% and peaks near 58% on the wettest days.

0%20%40%60%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
158
257
357
456
556
656
755
855
955
1055
1155
1255
1355
1455
1556
1656
1756
1857
1957
2057
2158
2258
2358
2458
2558
2658
2757
2857
2957
3056
3155

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 43% of days. It rarely turns muggy — the humid and sticky bands barely register.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)Muggy (%)
11346402
21345402
31445402
41445402
51444402
61544401
71544401
81544401
91544401
101544401
111544411
121444411
131444411
141443421
151443421
161343431
171343431
181342441
191242451
201242451
211242461
221142461
231142461
241142471
251042471
261042471
271042472
281042462
29943462
30943452
31944452

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 8 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

051015151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
18calm
28calm
38calm
48calm
58calm
68calm
78calm
88calm
98calm
108calm
118calm
128calm
138calm
148calm
158calm
168calm
178calm
188calm
198calm
208calm
218calm
228calm
238calm
248calm
258calm
268calm
278calm
288calm
298calm
308calm
318calm

Sunrise & sunset in January

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 13 h 42 min at the start of January to 13 h 18 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 5:12 AM to 5:34 AM, and sunset from 6:55 PM to 6:53 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
113.75:126:55
213.75:126:56
313.75:136:56
413.75:146:56
513.75:146:56
613.75:156:56
713.75:166:57
813.75:166:57
913.75:176:57
1013.75:186:57
1113.65:186:57
1213.65:196:57
1313.65:206:57
1413.65:216:57
1513.65:216:57
1613.65:226:57
1713.65:236:57
1813.65:246:57
1913.55:256:57
2013.55:256:56
2113.55:266:56
2213.55:276:56
2313.55:286:56
2413.55:286:56
2513.45:296:55
2613.45:306:55
2713.45:316:55
2813.45:326:54
2913.45:326:54
3013.35:336:54
3113.35:346:53

Solar energy in January

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in January, about 6.36 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 3.68 kWh/m² to a high of 6.56 kWh/m² in December across the year — January's 6.36 kWh/m² sits near the top of that range.

0246151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
16.6Intense
26.6Intense
36.6Intense
46.6Intense
56.6Intense
66.5Intense
76.5Intense
86.5Intense
96.5Intense
106.5Intense
116.4Intense
126.4Intense
136.4Intense
146.4Intense
156.3Intense
166.3Intense
176.3Intense
186.3Intense
196.3Intense
206.2Intense
216.2Intense
226.2Intense
236.2Intense
246.2Intense
256.3Intense
266.3Intense
276.3Intense
286.3Intense
296.3Intense
306.3Intense
316.3Intense
Planning a trip in January

Hazard calendar for Newcastle

In seasonPeak

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

Newcastle'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 Newcastle?

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
5.7
Beach & pool
8th-best month of the year

January is a reasonable time to visit Newcastle for sightseeing.

What to pack for Newcastle in January

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

In January, Newcastle sees daytime highs around 27°C and nights near 16°C. Pack light clothes, rain gear and sun protection. About 18 days see rain.

light clothesrain gearsun protection

UV index in Newcastle 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 Newcastle peaks around January 15 at about 15 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near June 20 at about 5 (moderate).

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

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecExtremeVery highHighModerateHighVery highExtremeJan 15UV 15Jun 20UV 5
UV index (midday)Level
Jan15Extreme
Feb13Extreme
Mar11Extreme
Apr8Very high
May6High
Jun5Moderate
Jul5High
Aug7High
Sep9Very high
Oct10Very high
Nov12Extreme
Dec14Extreme

Air quality in Newcastle 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 Newcastle is worst in September — around 54 µg/m³ PM2.5 (poor), about 5.0× the cleanest month (January, 11 µg/m³).

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

0204060JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecGoodModeratePoorModerateSep 1252 µg/m³Jan 1311 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan11Good
Feb13Moderate
Mar16Moderate
Apr22Moderate
May27Moderate
Jun30Moderate
Jul35Moderate
Aug44Poor
Sep54Poor
Oct26Moderate
Nov15Moderate
Dec12Good
Location & terrain

Where is Newcastle?

Newcastle sits at 27.8°S, 29.9°E, 1,195 m above sea level, in South Africa. The nearest listed city is Volksrust, 44 km away.

Topography around Newcastle

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Newcastle has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 76 m around an average of 1,205 m above sea level; within 16 km, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 833 m; within 80 km, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,427 m.

The land around Newcastle is covered by grassland (53%) and artificial surfaces (35%) within 3 km, grassland (77%) within 16 km, and grassland (80%) within 80 km.

3 km
76 m
16 km
833 m
80 km
1,427 m
treesshrubsgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrain
January weather nearby: Volksrust 44 km · Glencoe 51 km · Dundee 54 km · Daggakraal 70 km · Mondlo 81 km · Vrede 84 km · Vryheid 85 km · Ladysmith 90 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 Newcastle (-27.758°, 29.9318°, elevation 1,195 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).