Parys weather in January

In January, Parys sees average daytime highs of 28°C and overnight lows near 17°C, with 120 mm of rain across 15.6 wet days and about 13.5 hours of daylight. It is the 1st-warmest and 2nd-wettest month of the year here.

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 28°C through the month. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 40% 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 Parys's 11th-clearest and 6th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Parys's year-round climate.

Daytime high
28°
1st warmest
Overnight low
17°
12th coldest
Rainfall
120 mm
15.6 wet days
Daylight
13 h 30 min
5:34 AM – 7:05 PM
Cloud cover
50%
11th clearest
Wind
11 km/h
6th windiest
Solar energy
6.85 kWh/m²
Travel score
5.5
out of 10

Parys is town in Free State, South Africa.

Density
2,168/km²
people per km²
Founded
1882

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 28°C through the month.

A typical January day in Parys reaches about 28°C in the afternoon and slips back to 17°C overnight — a 11°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 23°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)
12817
22817
32817
42817
52817
62817
72817
82817
92817
102817
112817
122817
132817
142817
152817
162817
172817
182817
192817
202817
212817
222817
232817
242817
252817
262817
272817
282817
292817
302817
312817

How January really feels in Parys

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.

Parys 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
Jan28° / 17°12015.613.55.5
Feb27° / 17°9512.9136.1
Mar26° / 15°8011.512.26.7
Apr24° / 11°416.911.47.8
May22° / 203.310.78.3
Jun19° / 101.610.38.1
Jul19° / 50.910.58.3
Aug22° / 142.211.18.7
Sep26° / 11°193.411.88.4
Oct27° / 13°7310.212.66.9
Nov27° / 15°9412.713.36.2
Dec28° / 16°12916.613.75.4

Cloud cover in January

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 40% of the time in January.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 26% of January, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 35%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
16436
26436
36535
46535
56535
66535
76535
86634
96634
106634
116634
126634
136634
146535
156535
166634
176634
186634
196535
206436
216436
226436
236535
246535
256535
266535
276535
286535
296634
306733
316733

Chance of precipitation in January

Any precipitation

Parys gets around 120 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 50% and peaks near 53% on the wettest days.

0%20%40%60%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
150
250
350
449
549
648
748
848
948
1048
1148
1249
1349
1450
1551
1651
1752
1852
1953
2053
2153
2253
2353
2453
2553
2652
2752
2851
2950
3049
3148

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 40% of days. It rarely turns muggy — the humid and sticky bands barely register.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)
1284328
2284328
3294328
4294328
5294328
6294328
7294328
8294328
9294329
10294229
11284230
12284131
13284132
14274033
15264034
16263935
17253936
18243937
19243838
20233838
21223839
22223840
23213840
24213840
25213840
26213940
27213940
28213939
29214039
30214038
31214138

Wind in January

Winds average 11 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
811calm
911calm
1011calm
1111calm
1211calm
1311calm
1411calm
1511calm
1611calm
1711calm
1811calm
1911calm
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 5:23 AM to 5:45 AM, and sunset from 7:03 PM to 7:02 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
113.75:237:03
213.75:247:04
313.75:257:04
413.65:257:04
513.65:267:04
613.65:277:04
713.65:277:05
813.65:287:05
913.65:297:05
1013.65:297:05
1113.65:307:05
1213.65:317:05
1313.65:327:05
1413.55:327:05
1513.55:337:05
1613.55:347:05
1713.55:357:05
1813.55:357:05
1913.55:367:05
2013.55:377:05
2113.45:387:05
2213.45:387:04
2313.45:397:04
2413.45:407:04
2513.45:417:04
2613.45:417:03
2713.35:427:03
2813.35:437:03
2913.35:447:02
3013.35:457:02
3113.35:457:02

Solar energy in January

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in January, about 6.85 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 3.83 kWh/m² to a high of 7.07 kWh/m² in December across the year — January's 6.85 kWh/m² sits near the top of that range.

02468151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
17.0Intense
27.0Intense
37.0Intense
47.0Intense
57.0Intense
67.0Intense
77.0Intense
87.0Intense
97.0Intense
107.0Intense
117.0Intense
126.9Intense
136.9Intense
146.9Intense
156.9Intense
166.8Intense
176.8Intense
186.8Intense
196.8Intense
206.8Intense
216.7Intense
226.7Intense
236.7Intense
246.7Intense
256.7Intense
266.7Intense
276.7Intense
286.7Intense
296.7Intense
306.7Intense
316.7Intense
Planning a trip in January

Hazard calendar for Parys

In seasonPeak

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

Parys'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 Parys?

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

5.5
Sightseeing
11th-best month of the year
6.1
Beach & pool
7th-best month of the year

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

What to pack for Parys in January

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

In January, Parys sees daytime highs around 28°C and nights near 17°C. Pack light clothes, rain gear and sun protection. About 16 days see rain.

light clothesrain gearsun protection

UV index in Parys 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 Parys 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
Apr8Very high
May6High
Jun5Moderate
Jul5High
Aug7Very high
Sep9Very high
Oct10Very high
Nov12Extreme
Dec14Extreme

Air quality in Parys 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 Parys is worst in July — around 103 µg/m³ PM2.5 (unhealthy), about 4.4× the cleanest month (January, 24 µg/m³).

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

0306090120JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecModeratePoorUnhealthyPoorModerateJul 11103 µg/m³Jan 1124 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan24Moderate
Feb32Moderate
Mar48Poor
Apr64Unhealthy
May88Unhealthy
Jun100Unhealthy
Jul103Unhealthy
Aug83Unhealthy
Sep65Unhealthy
Oct44Poor
Nov31Moderate
Dec25Moderate
Location & terrain

Where is Parys?

Parys sits at 26.9°S, 27.5°E, 1,398 m above sea level, in South Africa. The nearest listed city is Vredefort, 15 km away.

Topography around Parys

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Parys has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 100 m around an average of 1,396 m above sea level; within 16 km, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 366 m; within 80 km, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 559 m.

The land around Parys is covered by grassland (38%) and artificial surfaces (25%) within 3 km, grassland (57%) and cropland (21%) within 16 km, and grassland (57%) and cropland (36%) within 80 km.

3 km
100 m
16 km
366 m
80 km
559 m
treesshrubsgrasslandcroplandartificial surfaceswater
January weather nearby: Vredefort 15 km · Sasolburg 37 km · Koppies 39 km · Potchefstroom 41 km · Vanderbijlpark 43 km · Fochville 46 km · Vereeniging 53 km · Evaton 57 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 Parys (-26.9033°, 27.4573°, elevation 1,398 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).