Phuthaditjhaba weather in January

In January, Phuthaditjhaba sees average daytime highs of 23°C and overnight lows near 13°C, with 177 mm of rain across 19 wet days and about 13.6 hours of daylight. It is the 1st-warmest and 1st-wettest month of the year here.

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 23°C through the month. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 28% of the time in January, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 13 h 48 min at the start of January to 13 h 24 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, January is Phuthaditjhaba's 11th-clearest and 8th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Phuthaditjhaba's year-round climate.

Daytime high
23°
1st warmest
Overnight low
13°
12th coldest
Rainfall
177 mm
19 wet days
Daylight
13 h 36 min
5:25 AM – 7:03 PM
Cloud cover
57%
11th clearest
Wind
9 km/h
8th windiest
Solar energy
6.74 kWh/m²
Travel score
5.6
out of 10

Phuthaditjhaba is town.

Density
3,536/km²
people per km²
Founded
1974

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 23°C through the month.

A typical January day in Phuthaditjhaba reaches about 23°C in the afternoon and slips back to 13°C overnight — a 11°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 19°C and 27°C. Set against its neighbours, January runs on par with December and on par with February.

10°15°20°25°30°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
12413
22413
32413
42413
52413
62413
72413
82313
92313
102313
112313
122313
132313
142313
152313
162313
172313
182313
192313
202313
212313
222313
232313
242313
252313
262313
272313
282313
292313
302313
312313

How January really feels in Phuthaditjhaba

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.

Phuthaditjhaba weather by month

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

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysSnow daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan23° / 13°17719013.65.6
Feb23° / 13°13415.30135.9
Mar22° / 11°10013.9012.26.3
Apr20° / 537.80.111.36.8
May18° / 253.50.110.67.1
Jun15° / 131.90.210.26.2
Jul15° / 111.90.510.46.2
Aug17° / 304.20.4117.0
Sep21° / 324.50.311.87.7
Oct22° / 10712.5012.76.5
Nov22° / 10°13514.4013.46.1
Dec23° / 12°16818.9013.85.6

Cloud cover in January

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 28% of the time in January.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 29% of January, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 43%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
15842
25842
35842
45842
55842
65842
75842
85842
95941
105941
115941
125842
135842
145842
155743
165743
175743
185743
195743
205743
215743
225743
235545
245545
255644
265644
275644
285644
295644
305743
315743

Chance of precipitation in January

Any precipitation

Phuthaditjhaba gets around 177 mm of rain over 19 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 60% and peaks near 64% on the wettest days.

0%20%40%60%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
160
260
360
460
559
659
759
858
958
1058
1158
1258
1358
1459
1559
1660
1761
1861
1962
2062
2163
2263
2364
2464
2564
2663
2763
2862
2961
3060
3159

Humidity in January

DryComfortableHumidMuggyOppressiveMiserable

Most of January feels dry — the stacked bands show each day's mix of comfort levels, read off the dew point.

By dew point, January lands in the dry band about 55% of days. It rarely turns muggy — the humid and sticky bands barely register.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)
160391
260391
360391
459401
559401
660400
760400
860400
960400
1060400
1159410
1259410
1358420
1458420
1557430
1656440
1755450
1854460
1952471
2052471
2151481
2250491
2350491
2449501
2549501
2649501
2749491
2850491
2950491
3051481
3151472

Wind in January

Winds average 9 km/h in January.

Across January, daily wind ranges from about 9 km/h on the calmest days to 9 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

051015151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
19calm
29calm
39calm
49calm
59calm
69calm
79calm
89calm
99calm
109calm
119calm
129calm
139calm
149calm
159calm
169calm
179calm
189calm
199calm
209calm
219calm
229calm
239calm
249calm
259calm
269calm
279calm
289calm
299calm
309calm
319calm

Sunrise & sunset in January

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 13 h 48 min at the start of January to 13 h 24 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 5:14 AM to 5:37 AM, and sunset from 7:01 PM to 6:59 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
113.85:147:01
213.85:157:02
313.85:167:02
413.85:167:02
513.85:177:02
613.75:187:03
713.75:187:03
813.75:197:03
913.75:207:03
1013.75:217:03
1113.75:217:03
1213.75:227:03
1313.75:237:03
1413.75:247:03
1513.65:247:03
1613.65:257:03
1713.65:267:03
1813.65:277:03
1913.65:277:03
2013.65:287:02
2113.65:297:02
2213.55:307:02
2313.55:317:02
2413.55:317:02
2513.55:327:01
2613.55:337:01
2713.45:347:01
2813.45:357:00
2913.45:367:00
3013.45:366:59
3113.45:376:59

Solar energy in January

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in January, about 6.74 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 3.74 kWh/m² to a high of 6.98 kWh/m² in December across the year — January's 6.74 kWh/m² sits near the top of that range.

0246151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
16.9Intense
26.9Intense
36.9Intense
46.9Intense
56.9Intense
66.9Intense
76.9Intense
86.9Intense
96.9Intense
106.9Intense
116.9Intense
126.9Intense
136.8Intense
146.8Intense
156.8Intense
166.8Intense
176.8Intense
186.7Intense
196.7Intense
206.7Intense
216.7Intense
226.6Intense
236.6Intense
246.6Intense
256.6Intense
266.6Intense
276.6Intense
286.6Intense
296.6Intense
306.6Intense
316.6Intense
Planning a trip in January

Hazard calendar for Phuthaditjhaba

In seasonPeak

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

Phuthaditjhaba'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 Phuthaditjhaba?

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

5.6
Sightseeing
11th-best month of the year
4.5
Beach & pool
2nd-best month of the year

January is a reasonable time to visit Phuthaditjhaba for sightseeing.

What to pack for Phuthaditjhaba in January

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

In January, Phuthaditjhaba sees daytime highs around 23°C and nights near 13°C. Pack rain gear and sun protection. Worth having: light clothes. About 19 days see rain.

rain gearsun protectionlight clothes

UV index in Phuthaditjhaba 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 Phuthaditjhaba peaks around January 14 at about 15 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near June 22 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 14UV 15Jun 22UV 5
UV index (midday)Level
Jan15Extreme
Feb13Extreme
Mar12Extreme
Apr8Very high
May6High
Jun5Moderate
Jul5Moderate
Aug7High
Sep9Very high
Oct10Extreme
Nov12Extreme
Dec14Extreme

Air quality in Phuthaditjhaba 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 Phuthaditjhaba is worst in August — around 27 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 3.8× the cleanest month (December, 7 µg/m³).

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

0102030JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecGoodModerateGoodAug 1227 µg/m³Dec 227 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan7Good
Feb9Good
Mar12Moderate
Apr14Moderate
May18Moderate
Jun22Moderate
Jul27Moderate
Aug27Moderate
Sep26Moderate
Oct15Moderate
Nov9Good
Dec7Good
Location & terrain

Where is Phuthaditjhaba?

Phuthaditjhaba sits at 28.5°S, 28.8°E, 1,671 m above sea level, in South Africa. The nearest listed city is Tshiame, 28 km away.

Topography around Phuthaditjhaba

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Phuthaditjhaba has significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 495 m around an average of 1,700 m above sea level; within 16 km, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,047 m; within 80 km, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 2,364 m.

The land around Phuthaditjhaba is covered by artificial surfaces (49%) and grassland (35%) within 3 km, grassland (78%) within 16 km, and grassland (72%) and cropland (24%) within 80 km.

3 km
495 m
16 km
1,047 m
80 km
2,364 m
treesshrubsgrasslandcroplandartificial surfaceswater
January weather nearby: Tshiame 28 km · Harrismith 42 km · Bethlehem 60 km · Fouriesburg 60 km · Butha-Buthe 61 km · Hlotse 85 km · Reitz 89 km · Ladysmith 94 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 Phuthaditjhaba (-28.5242°, 28.8158°, elevation 1,671 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).