Plettenberg Bay weather in January

In January, Plettenberg Bay sees average daytime highs of 23°C and overnight lows near 17°C, with 48 mm of rain across 8.8 wet days and about 14 hours of daylight. It is the 2nd-warmest and 7th-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 51% of the time in January, and the air most often feels humid.

Daylight stretches from about 14 h 12 min at the start of January to 13 h 42 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, January is Plettenberg Bay's 6th-clearest and 4th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Plettenberg Bay's year-round climate.

Daytime high
23°
2nd warmest
Overnight low
17°
11th coldest
Rainfall
48 mm
8.8 wet days
Daylight
14 hours
5:35 AM – 7:37 PM
Cloud cover
42%
6th clearest
Wind
14 km/h
4th windiest
Solar energy
7.22 kWh/m²
Travel score
7.3
out of 10

Plettenberg Bay is town in the Western Cape, South Africa.

Founded
1779

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 Plettenberg Bay reaches about 23°C in the afternoon and slips back to 17°C overnight — a 5°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 20°C and 26°C. Set against its neighbours, January runs about 1°C warmer than December and on par with February.

15°20°25°30°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
12317
22317
32317
42317
52317
62317
72317
82317
92317
102317
112317
122317
132317
142317
152317
162317
172317
182317
192317
202318
212318
222318
232318
242318
252318
262318
272318
282318
292318
302318
312318

Plettenberg Bay weather by month

How January compares with the rest of the year at a glance. January is the 2nd-warmest and 7th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan23° / 17°488.8147.3
Feb23° / 18°428.113.37.4
Mar22° / 17°518.412.37.3
Apr21° / 15°497.711.27.0
May19° / 13°456.610.36.9
Jun18° / 11°437.19.86.5
Jul17° / 10°477.6106.2
Aug17° / 11°638.910.76.0
Sep18° / 12°498.611.86.2
Oct19° / 13°609.112.96.4
Nov20° / 14°679.313.86.6
Dec22° / 16°469.114.27.0

Cloud cover in January

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 51% of the time in January.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 18% of January, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 31%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
17030
26931
37030
47030
57030
66931
76931
87030
97030
106931
116931
126931
136931
146931
156931
166931
176931
186931
196832
206931
216931
226832
236832
246832
256832
266931
276931
286931
296931
306931
317030

Chance of precipitation in January

Any precipitation

Plettenberg Bay gets around 48 mm of rain over 8.8 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 28% and peaks near 31% on the wettest days.

0%10%20%30%40%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
131
231
331
431
530
630
730
829
929
1029
1129
1228
1328
1427
1527
1626
1726
1826
1926
2026
2126
2226
2327
2427
2528
2628
2728
2829
2929
3029
3129

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 15% of them.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)Muggy (%)
113344112
212344112
312344212
412344212
512334213
612334213
712334213
812334214
912334114
1012334114
1112334114
1212334114
1311334115
1411334115
1511334115
1611334115
1710334116
1810334116
1910324216
209324316
219314316
229314416
238304516
248294616
258294716
268284816
278284915
288274915
298275015
307275115
317265215

Wind in January

Winds average 14 km/h in January.

Across January, daily wind ranges from about 14 km/h on the calmest days to 14 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

05101520151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
114light breeze
214light breeze
314light breeze
414light breeze
514light breeze
614light breeze
714light breeze
814light breeze
914light breeze
1014light breeze
1114light breeze
1214light breeze
1314light breeze
1414light breeze
1514light breeze
1614light breeze
1714light breeze
1814light breeze
1914light breeze
2014light breeze
2114light breeze
2214light breeze
2314light breeze
2414light breeze
2514light breeze
2614light breeze
2714light breeze
2814light breeze
2914light breeze
3014light breeze
3114light breeze

Sunrise & sunset in January

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 14 h 12 min at the start of January to 13 h 42 min by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days shrink by about 30 minutes over January. Sunrise moves from 5:23 AM to 5:49 AM, and sunset from 7:37 PM to 7:31 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
114.25:237:37
214.25:237:37
314.25:247:37
414.25:257:37
514.25:267:37
614.25:267:37
714.25:277:38
814.25:287:38
914.15:297:38
1014.15:307:38
1114.15:307:38
1214.15:317:37
1314.15:327:37
1414.15:337:37
1514.15:347:37
1614.05:357:37
1714.05:367:37
1814.05:367:36
1914.05:377:36
2014.05:387:36
2113.95:397:36
2213.95:407:35
2313.95:417:35
2413.95:427:34
2513.95:437:34
2613.85:447:34
2713.85:457:33
2813.85:467:33
2913.85:477:32
3013.75:487:31
3113.75:497:31

Solar energy in January

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in January, about 7.22 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 2.65 kWh/m² to a high of 7.44 kWh/m² in December across the year — January's 7.22 kWh/m² sits near the top of that range.

02468151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
17.4Intense
27.4Intense
37.4Intense
47.4Intense
57.4Intense
67.3Intense
77.3Intense
87.3Intense
97.3Intense
107.3Intense
117.3Intense
127.3Intense
137.3Intense
147.3Intense
157.3Intense
167.2Intense
177.2Intense
187.2Intense
197.2Intense
207.2Intense
217.2Intense
227.1Intense
237.1Intense
247.1Intense
257.1Intense
267.1Intense
277.0Intense
287.0Intense
297.0Intense
307.0Intense
317.0Intense
Planning a trip in January

Is January a good time to visit Plettenberg Bay?

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

7.3
Sightseeing
2nd-best month of the year
5.6
Beach & pool
2nd-best month of the year

January is one of the better times to visit Plettenberg Bay for general sightseeing.

What to pack for Plettenberg Bay in January

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

In January, Plettenberg Bay sees daytime highs around 23°C and nights near 17°C. Pack sun protection. Worth having: light clothes and rain gear. About 9 days see rain.

sun protectionlight clothesrain gear

Sea temperature near Plettenberg Bay in January

The nearest coast averages about 21°C in January — the other half of the beach question. The full-year curve and swim-comfort zones are below.

The sea offshore is warmest in January at about 21°C and coldest in August near 17°C.

It's comfortable for a long swim from Dec 20 to Mar 14 — about 2.8 months when the water holds above 20°C.

16°18°20°22°JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDeccoolrefreshingcomfortable to swim
Sea temperature (°C)Comfort
Jan21Refreshing
Feb21Refreshing
Mar20Refreshing
Apr19Cool
May18Cool
Jun17Cool
Jul17Cool
Aug17Cool
Sep17Cool
Oct17Cool
Nov18Cool
Dec20Cool

UV index in Plettenberg Bay in January

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in January peaks around 13 (very high — sun protection essential). The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.

Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Plettenberg Bay peaks around January 15 at about 13 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near June 23 at about 3 (moderate).

The index reaches 3 or more — the level where the WHO recommends sun protection — in 10 months of the year.

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecExtremeVery highModerateExtremeJan 15UV 13Jun 23UV 3
UV index (midday)Level
Jan13Extreme
Feb11Extreme
Mar9Very high
Apr6High
May4Moderate
Jun3Moderate
Jul3Moderate
Aug4Moderate
Sep6High
Oct10Extreme
Nov11Extreme
Dec12Extreme
Location & terrain

Where is Plettenberg Bay?

Plettenberg Bay sits at 34.1°S, 23.4°E, 77 m above sea level, in South Africa. The nearest listed city is Knysna, 30 km away.

Topography around Plettenberg Bay

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Plettenberg Bay has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 174 m around an average of 39 m above sea level; within 16 km, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 521 m; within 80 km, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,914 m.

The land around Plettenberg Bay is covered by water (36%), trees (25%) and grassland (20%) within 3 km, water (49%) and trees (30%) within 16 km, and water (36%) and grassland (33%) within 80 km.

3 km
174 m
16 km
521 m
80 km
1,914 m
treesshrubsgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwaterwetland
January weather nearby: Knysna 30 km · George 84 km · Dysselsdorp 101 km · Groot-Brakrivier 106 km · Mossel Bay 114 km · Oudtshoorn 119 km · Kruisfontein 125 km · Humansdorp 129 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 Plettenberg Bay (-34.0527°, 23.3716°, elevation 77 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. Sea temperatures are the NOAA OISST v2.1 1991–2020 monthly climatology (public domain), sampled at the nearest ocean point. UV index is derived from CAMS (Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service) clear-sky UV data — contains modified Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service information. Topography is sampled from the Copernicus DEM GLO-90 elevation model (© ESA/Airbus) and ESA WorldCover 2021 land cover (CC BY 4.0).