Orkney weather in January

In January, Orkney sees average daytime highs of 29°C and overnight lows near 18°C, with 97 mm of rain across 14.4 wet days and about 13.5 hours of daylight. It is the 2nd-warmest and 2nd-wettest month of the year here.

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 29°C through the month. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 45% 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 Orkney's 11th-clearest and 6th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Orkney's year-round climate.

Daytime high
29°
2nd warmest
Overnight low
18°
12th coldest
Rainfall
97 mm
14.4 wet days
Daylight
13 h 30 min
5:37 AM – 7:08 PM
Cloud cover
48%
11th clearest
Wind
10 km/h
6th windiest
Solar energy
7 kWh/m²
Travel score
4.9
out of 10

Orkney is town in North West province, South Africa.

Founded
1940

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 29°C through the month.

A typical January day in Orkney reaches about 29°C in the afternoon and slips back to 18°C overnight — a 12°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 25°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)
13018
23018
33018
43018
53018
63018
73018
83018
93018
103018
113018
123018
133018
143018
152918
162918
172918
182918
192918
202918
212918
222918
232918
242918
252918
262918
272918
282918
292918
302918
312918

How January really feels in Orkney

Once humidity and wind are folded in, January averages 0 days that feel above 32°C and 0 that feel at or below 0°C — the comfort signal a plain temperature reading hides.

Days feeling ≥ 32°C
0
heat index over the day's high
Days feeling ≤ C
0
wind chill below the day's low

January sits comfortably in between — no days that feel dangerously hot or drop to a hard freeze once humidity and wind are folded in.

Orkney 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
Jan29° / 18°9714.413.54.9
Feb29° / 17°7712.3135.4
Mar27° / 15°6810.812.26.5
Apr25° / 12°406.911.47.8
May23° / 193.110.78.6
Jun20° / 101.510.38.3
Jul20° / 50.910.58.5
Aug23° / 121.7119.0
Sep27° / 10°15311.88.3
Oct28° / 14°609.412.66.4
Nov29° / 15°7311.313.35.5
Dec30° / 17°9914.913.74.8

Cloud cover in January

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 45% of the time in January.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 25% of January, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 31%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
16931
26832
36931
46931
56931
67030
77030
87129
97129
107129
117129
127129
137129
147030
157030
167030
176931
186931
196832
206832
216832
226832
236832
246832
256931
266931
276931
286931
296931
307030
317030

Chance of precipitation in January

Any precipitation

Orkney gets around 97 mm of rain over 14.4 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 46% and peaks near 49% on the wettest days.

0%20%40%60%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
146
246
346
445
545
645
744
844
944
1044
1144
1245
1345
1446
1546
1647
1747
1847
1948
2048
2148
2249
2349
2449
2549
2649
2748
2848
2947
3047
3146

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 37% of days. It rarely turns muggy — the humid and sticky bands barely register.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)Muggy (%)
13339262
23338272
33338272
43338272
53338272
63338272
73438272
83437272
93437282
103437282
113336292
123336302
133235312
143135322
153135332
163034342
172934362
182734362
192635372
202535382
212435382
222436392
232336392
242237392
252237392
262137392
272138392
282138393
292138383
302139382
312139382

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

051015151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
111calm
211calm
311calm
411calm
511calm
611calm
711calm
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 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 5:26 AM to 5:48 AM, and sunset from 7:07 PM to 7:05 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
113.75:267:07
213.75:277:07
313.75:287:07
413.75:287:07
513.65:297:08
613.65:307:08
713.65:307:08
813.65:317:08
913.65:327:08
1013.65:327:08
1113.65:337:08
1213.65:347:08
1313.65:357:08
1413.65:357:08
1513.55:367:08
1613.55:377:08
1713.55:387:08
1813.55:387:08
1913.55:397:08
2013.55:407:08
2113.55:417:08
2213.45:417:08
2313.45:427:07
2413.45:437:07
2513.45:447:07
2613.45:447:07
2713.45:457:06
2813.35:467:06
2913.35:477:06
3013.35:487:05
3113.35:487:05

Solar energy in January

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in January, about 7 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 3.84 kWh/m² to a high of 7.23 kWh/m² in December across the year — January's 7 kWh/m² sits near the top of that range.

02468151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
17.2Intense
27.2Intense
37.2Intense
47.2Intense
57.2Intense
67.2Intense
77.1Intense
87.1Intense
97.1Intense
107.1Intense
117.1Intense
127.1Intense
137.0Intense
147.0Intense
157.0Intense
167.0Intense
177.0Intense
186.9Intense
196.9Intense
206.9Intense
216.9Intense
226.9Intense
236.8Intense
246.8Intense
256.8Intense
266.8Intense
276.8Intense
286.8Intense
296.8Intense
306.8Intense
316.8Intense
Planning a trip in January

Hazard calendar for Orkney

In seasonPeak

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

Orkney'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 Orkney?

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

4.9
Sightseeing
11th-best month of the year
6.5
Beach & pool
8th-best month of the year

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

What to pack for Orkney in January

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

In January, Orkney sees daytime highs around 29°C and nights near 18°C. Pack light clothes, rain gear and sun protection. About 14 days see rain.

light clothesrain gearsun protection

UV index in Orkney 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 Orkney peaks around January 13 at about 15 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near June 20 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 15Jun 20UV 5
UV index (midday)Level
Jan15Extreme
Feb13Extreme
Mar12Extreme
Apr9Very high
May6High
Jun5Moderate
Jul5High
Aug7Very high
Sep9Very high
Oct11Extreme
Nov12Extreme
Dec14Extreme

Air quality in Orkney 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 Orkney is worst in June — around 57 µg/m³ PM2.5 (unhealthy), about 4.6× the cleanest month (December, 12 µg/m³).

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

0204060JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecModeratePoorUnhealthyPoorModerateJun 2257 µg/m³Dec 1913 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan14Moderate
Feb19Moderate
Mar26Moderate
Apr34Moderate
May48Poor
Jun57Unhealthy
Jul56Unhealthy
Aug45Poor
Sep38Poor
Oct26Moderate
Nov15Moderate
Dec12Moderate
Location & terrain

Where is Orkney?

Orkney sits at 27.0°S, 26.7°E, 1,312 m above sea level, in South Africa. The nearest listed city is Klerksdorp, 14 km away.

Topography around Orkney

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Orkney has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 51 m around an average of 1,299 m above sea level; within 16 km, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 133 m; within 80 km, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 445 m.

The land around Orkney is covered by grassland (55%) within 3 km, grassland (57%) and cropland (27%) within 16 km, and grassland (58%) and cropland (36%) within 80 km.

3 km
51 m
16 km
133 m
80 km
445 m
treesshrubsgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwater
January weather nearby: Klerksdorp 14 km · Stilfontein 18 km · Hartbeesfontein 35 km · Viljoenskroon 37 km · Bothaville 46 km · Potchefstroom 52 km · Leeudoringstad 52 km · Vredefort 69 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 Orkney (-26.9802°, 26.6727°, elevation 1,312 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).