Northam weather in January

In January, Northam sees average daytime highs of 30°C and overnight lows near 20°C, with 99 mm of rain across 12.3 wet days and about 13.4 hours of daylight. It is the 3rd-warmest and 2nd-wettest month of the year here.

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 30°C through the month. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 44% of the time in January, and the air most often feels humid.

Daylight stretches from about 13 h 30 min at the start of January to 13 h 12 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, January is Northam's 11th-clearest and 6th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Northam's year-round climate.

Daytime high
30°
3rd warmest
Overnight low
20°
12th coldest
Rainfall
99 mm
12.3 wet days
Daylight
13 h 24 min
5:38 AM – 7:02 PM
Cloud cover
50%
11th clearest
Wind
8 km/h
6th windiest
Solar energy
6.62 kWh/m²
Travel score
4.8
out of 10

Temperature in January

Average highAverage lowShaded bands: 10–90% of days

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 30°C through the month.

A typical January day in Northam reaches about 30°C in the afternoon and slips back to 20°C overnight — a 10°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 26°C and 34°C. Set against its neighbours, January runs on par with December and on par with February.

15°20°25°30°35°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
13020
23020
33020
43020
53020
63020
73020
83020
93020
103020
113020
123020
133020
143020
153020
163020
173020
183020
193020
203020
213020
223020
233020
243020
253020
263020
273020
283020
293020
303020
313020

Northam weather by month

How January compares with the rest of the year at a glance. January is the 3rd-warmest and 2nd-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan30° / 20°9912.313.44.8
Feb30° / 20°869.812.95.1
Mar29° / 18°738.812.26.2
Apr26° / 15°365.211.47.8
May24° / 10°152.110.89.0
Jun22° / 60.810.58.9
Jul21° / 30.610.68.9
Aug25° / 10°30.611.19.3
Sep29° / 14°121.911.87.5
Oct30° / 17°416.812.65.6
Nov30° / 19°7710.713.24.8
Dec30° / 20°10413.413.54.7

Cloud cover in January

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 44% 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 35%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
16139
26337
36337
46337
56535
66535
76535
86535
96634
106634
116535
126634
136535
146535
156436
166535
176436
186436
196436
206436
216436
226436
236436
246535
256436
266535
276535
286634
296634
306733
316733

Chance of precipitation in January

Any precipitation

Northam gets around 99 mm of rain over 12.3 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 40% and peaks near 41% on the wettest days.

0%10%20%30%40%50%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
140
240
340
439
539
639
739
839
939
1039
1140
1240
1340
1440
1540
1641
1740
1840
1940
2041
2141
2241
2341
2441
2540
2640
2740
2840
2939
3039
3139

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 44% of days. Sticky, muggy-or-worse air turns up on roughly 22% of them.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)Muggy (%)
19304318
29294318
39294318
410294318
510294318
610294318
710294318
810294318
910284318
1010284419
1110274419
1210264419
1310264520
1410254520
1510244521
169234622
179234622
189224623
199224624
208224624
218224525
228224525
238224526
248224426
257224427
267234427
277234327
287244327
297244227
307254227
317264226

Wind in January

Winds average 8 km/h in January.

Across January, daily wind ranges from about 7 km/h on the calmest days to 8 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

0246810151015202531
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
227calm
237calm
247calm
257calm
267calm
277calm
287calm
297calm
307calm
317calm

Sunrise & sunset in January

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 13 h 30 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 18 minutes over January. Sunrise moves from 5:28 AM to 5:49 AM, and sunset from 7:00 PM to 6:59 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
113.55:287:00
213.55:297:00
313.55:307:00
413.55:307:01
513.55:317:01
613.55:317:01
713.55:327:01
813.55:337:01
913.55:337:02
1013.55:347:02
1113.45:357:02
1213.45:367:02
1313.45:367:02
1413.45:377:02
1513.45:387:02
1613.45:387:02
1713.45:397:02
1813.45:407:02
1913.45:417:02
2013.35:417:02
2113.35:427:02
2213.35:437:02
2313.35:437:01
2413.35:447:01
2513.35:457:01
2613.35:467:01
2713.25:467:01
2813.25:477:00
2913.25:487:00
3013.25:497:00
3113.25:496:59

Solar energy in January

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in January, about 6.62 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 3.95 kWh/m² to a high of 6.73 kWh/m² in December across the year — January's 6.62 kWh/m² falls in the middle.

0246151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
16.8Intense
26.8Intense
36.8Intense
46.8Intense
56.8Intense
66.8Intense
76.8Intense
86.7Intense
96.7Intense
106.7Intense
116.7Intense
126.7Intense
136.6Intense
146.6Intense
156.6Intense
166.6Intense
176.6Intense
186.5Intense
196.5Intense
206.5Intense
216.5Intense
226.5Intense
236.5Intense
246.5Intense
256.5Intense
266.5Intense
276.5Intense
286.5Intense
296.5Intense
306.5Intense
316.5Intense
Planning a trip in January

Hazard calendar for Northam

In seasonPeak

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

Northam's rainy season runs November–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 Northam?

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

4.8
Sightseeing
10th-best month of the year
6.6
Beach & pool
9th-best month of the year

January is a reasonable time to visit Northam for sightseeing. The water and warmth also suit a beach or pool day.

What to pack for Northam in January

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

In January, Northam sees daytime highs around 30°C and nights near 20°C. Pack light clothes and sun protection. Worth having: rain gear. About 12 days see rain.

light clothessun protectionrain gear

UV index in Northam 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 Northam peaks around January 13 at about 14 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near June 16 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 13UV 14Jun 16UV 5
UV index (midday)Level
Jan14Extreme
Feb13Extreme
Mar12Extreme
Apr9Very high
May6High
Jun5Moderate
Jul6High
Aug7Very high
Sep9Very high
Oct10Extreme
Nov12Extreme
Dec14Extreme

Air quality in Northam 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 Northam is worst in July — around 35 µg/m³ PM2.5 (poor), about 4.5× the cleanest month (December, 8 µg/m³).

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

010203040JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecGoodModerateGoodJul 1135 µg/m³Dec 208 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan9Good
Feb12Moderate
Mar15Moderate
Apr22Moderate
May31Moderate
Jun34Moderate
Jul35Poor
Aug29Moderate
Sep30Moderate
Oct18Moderate
Nov10Good
Dec8Good
Location & terrain

Where is Northam?

Northam sits at 25.0°S, 27.3°E, 1,016 m above sea level, in South Africa. The nearest listed city is Amandelbult, 16 km away.

Topography around Northam

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Northam has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 40 m around an average of 1,010 m above sea level; within 16 km, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 342 m; within 80 km, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,207 m.

The land around Northam is covered by shrubs (39%) and grassland (30%) within 3 km, shrubs (50%) and grassland (24%) within 16 km, and shrubs (55%) and grassland (25%) within 80 km.

3 km
40 m
16 km
342 m
80 km
1,207 m
treesshrubsgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrain
January weather nearby: Amandelbult 16 km · Thabazimbi 43 km · Hartbeestfontein-A 59 km · Rustenburg 79 km · Letlhabile 82 km · Marikana 85 km · Brits 91 km · Mabopane 101 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 Northam (-24.9578°, 27.2654°, elevation 1,016 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).