Phalaborwa weather in January

In January, Phalaborwa sees average daytime highs of 32°C and overnight lows near 22°C, with 94 mm of rain across 9.4 wet days and about 13.3 hours of daylight. It is the 2nd-warmest and 1st-wettest month of the year here.

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 32°C through the month. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 32% of the time in January, and the air most often feels muggy.

Daylight stretches from about 13 h 30 min at the start of January to 13 h 06 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, January is Phalaborwa's 10th-clearest and 2nd-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Phalaborwa's year-round climate.

Daytime high
32°
2nd warmest
Overnight low
22°
12th coldest
Rainfall
94 mm
9.4 wet days
Daylight
13 h 18 min
5:25 AM – 6:45 PM
Cloud cover
58%
10th clearest
Wind
13 km/h
2nd windiest
Solar energy
5.97 kWh/m²
Travel score
4.2
out of 10

Phalaborwa is town in South Africa.

Founded
1957

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 32°C through the month.

A typical January day in Phalaborwa reaches about 32°C in the afternoon and slips back to 22°C overnight — a 9°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 27°C and 36°C. Set against its neighbours, January runs on par with December and on par with February.

15°20°25°30°35°40°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
13222
23222
33222
43222
53222
63222
73222
83222
93222
103222
113222
123222
133222
143222
153222
163222
173222
183222
193222
203222
213222
223222
233222
243222
253222
263222
273222
283222
293222
303222
313222

How January really feels in Phalaborwa

Once humidity and wind are folded in, January averages 31 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
31
heat index over the day's high
Days feeling ≤ C
0
wind chill below the day's low

The story in January is heat — humidity pushes the afternoon "feels like" well above the raw temperature.

Phalaborwa weather by month

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

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan32° / 22°949.413.34.2
Feb32° / 22°68812.84.3
Mar31° / 21°436.412.25.0
Apr29° / 19°213.811.56.4
May28° / 15°91.710.98.1
Jun26° / 13°40.810.68.9
Jul25° / 12°50.610.79.0
Aug27° / 14°4111.28.4
Sep29° / 17°11211.96.8
Oct30° / 19°24412.65.8
Nov31° / 20°627.913.24.7
Dec32° / 22°939.813.54.2

Cloud cover in January

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 32% 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
25347
35347
45446
55446
65446
75446
85446
95446
105347
115347
125248
135248
145149
155149
165050
175050
185050
195050
205050
215050
225149
235149
245248
255347
265347
275446
285545
295545
305644
315644

Chance of precipitation in January

Any precipitation

Phalaborwa gets around 94 mm of rain over 9.4 wet days in January, the wettest month. The line is the day-by-day chance of measurable precipitation.

Day to day, the chance of measurable rain averages around 31% and peaks near 32% on the wettest days.

0%10%20%30%40%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
130
230
330
430
530
630
730
830
930
1030
1131
1231
1331
1431
1531
1631
1732
1832
1932
2032
2132
2231
2331
2431
2531
2630
2730
2830
2930
3030
3130

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 47% of days. Sticky, muggy-or-worse air turns up on roughly 63% of them.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Comfortable (%)Humid (%)Muggy (%)Oppressive (%)
17324713
27324713
37324813
47324813
57324813
67324813
77334713
87334714
97334614
106334615
116334515
126334516
136334516
146324516
156314517
166314517
176304618
186294618
196294618
206294718
216284719
226284719
236284718
246284718
256284818
266284818
276284818
285284818
295294818
305294818
315294817

Wind in January

Winds average 13 km/h in January.

Across January, daily wind ranges from about 12 km/h on the calmest days to 13 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

05101520151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
112light breeze
212light breeze
312light breeze
412light breeze
512light breeze
613light breeze
713light breeze
813light breeze
913light breeze
1013light breeze
1113light breeze
1213light breeze
1313light breeze
1413light breeze
1513light breeze
1613light breeze
1713light breeze
1813light breeze
1913light breeze
2013light breeze
2113light breeze
2213light breeze
2313light breeze
2413light breeze
2513light breeze
2613light breeze
2713light breeze
2813light breeze
2913light breeze
3013light breeze
3113light breeze

Sunrise & sunset in January

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 13 h 30 min at the start of January to 13 h 06 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 5:15 AM to 5:35 AM, and sunset from 6:42 PM to 6:42 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
113.55:156:42
213.55:166:43
313.45:166:43
413.45:176:43
513.45:176:43
613.45:186:44
713.45:196:44
813.45:196:44
913.45:206:44
1013.45:216:44
1113.45:216:44
1213.45:226:44
1313.45:236:45
1413.45:236:45
1513.35:246:45
1613.35:256:45
1713.35:266:45
1813.35:266:45
1913.35:276:45
2013.35:286:44
2113.35:286:44
2213.35:296:44
2313.25:306:44
2413.25:306:44
2513.25:316:44
2613.25:326:44
2713.25:336:43
2813.25:336:43
2913.15:346:43
3013.15:356:42
3113.15:356:42

Solar energy in January

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in January, about 5.97 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 3.76 kWh/m² to a high of 5.98 kWh/m² in December across the year — January's 5.97 kWh/m² sits near the top of that range.

0246151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
16.1Intense
26.1Intense
36.1Intense
46.1Intense
56.0Intense
66.0Intense
76.0Intense
86.0Intense
96.0Intense
106.0Intense
116.0Bright
126.0Bright
136.0Bright
145.9Bright
155.9Bright
165.9Bright
175.9Bright
185.9Bright
195.9Bright
205.9Bright
215.9Bright
225.9Bright
235.9Bright
245.9Bright
255.9Bright
265.9Bright
275.9Bright
285.9Bright
295.9Bright
305.9Bright
316.0Bright
Planning a trip in January

Is January a good time to visit Phalaborwa?

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

4.2
Sightseeing
11th-best month of the year
6.6
Beach & pool
11th-best month of the year

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

What to pack for Phalaborwa in January

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

In January, Phalaborwa sees daytime highs around 32°C and nights near 22°C. Pack light clothes. Worth having: rain gear and sun protection. About 9 days see rain.

light clothesrain gearsun protection

UV index in Phalaborwa 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 Phalaborwa peaks around January 20 at about 14 (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 20UV 14Jun 20UV 5
UV index (midday)Level
Jan14Extreme
Feb13Extreme
Mar12Extreme
Apr8Very high
May6High
Jun5High
Jul5High
Aug7Very high
Sep8Very high
Oct10Very high
Nov12Extreme
Dec12Extreme

Air quality in Phalaborwa 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 Phalaborwa is worst in September — around 16 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 2.5× the cleanest month (January, 7 µg/m³).

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

01020JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecGoodModerateGoodSep 1516 µg/m³Jan 147 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan7Good
Feb8Good
Mar8Good
Apr11Good
May15Moderate
Jun13Moderate
Jul15Moderate
Aug13Moderate
Sep16Moderate
Oct12Good
Nov9Good
Dec7Good
Location & terrain

Where is Phalaborwa?

Phalaborwa sits at 23.9°S, 31.1°E, 435 m above sea level, in South Africa. The nearest listed city is Acornhoek, 72 km away.

Topography around Phalaborwa

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Phalaborwa has significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 257 m around an average of 426 m above sea level; within 16 km, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 788 m; within 80 km, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 2,179 m.

The land around Phalaborwa is covered by trees (39%) and shrubs (27%) within 3 km, shrubs (64%) within 16 km, and shrubs (65%) and grassland (21%) within 80 km.

3 km
257 m
16 km
788 m
80 km
2,179 m
treesshrubsgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwater
January weather nearby: Acornhoek 72 km · Giyani 83 km · Nkowakowa 87 km · Thulamahashi 87 km · Mafemani 94 km · Dwarsloop 95 km · Tzaneen 100 km · Duiwelskloof 106 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 Phalaborwa (-23.943°, 31.1411°, elevation 435 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).