Richards Bay weather in January

In January, Richards Bay sees average daytime highs of 29°C and overnight lows near 23°C, with 108 mm of rain across 13.5 wet days and about 13.6 hours of daylight. It is the 2nd-warmest and 1st-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 32% of the time in January, and the air most often feels muggy.

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 Richards Bay's 9th-clearest and 6th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Richards Bay's year-round climate.

Daytime high
29°
2nd warmest
Overnight low
23°
11th coldest
Rainfall
108 mm
13.5 wet days
Daylight
13 h 36 min
5:12 AM – 6:51 PM
Cloud cover
57%
9th clearest
Wind
17 km/h
6th windiest
Solar energy
6.12 kWh/m²
Travel score
5.3
out of 10

Richards Bay is town.

Air quality
Moderate
PM2.5 13 µg/m³ · 2012
Founded
1879

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 Richards Bay reaches about 29°C in the afternoon and slips back to 23°C overnight — a 6°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 25°C and 33°C. Set against its neighbours, January runs about 1°C warmer than December and on par with February.

20°25°30°35°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
12923
22923
32923
42923
52923
62923
72923
82923
92923
102923
112923
122923
132923
142923
152923
162923
172923
182923
192923
202923
212923
222923
232923
242923
252923
262923
272923
282923
292923
302923
312923

Richards Bay 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
Jan29° / 23°10813.513.65.3
Feb29° / 23°9511.9135.3
Mar28° / 22°9712.312.25.9
Apr27° / 20°7910.411.36.8
May25° / 18°567.610.67.8
Jun24° / 16°396.610.28.2
Jul23° / 15°476.910.48.0
Aug24° / 16°397118.0
Sep25° / 18°548.211.87.4
Oct25° / 19°8012.212.76.5
Nov26° / 20°9313.213.46.0
Dec28° / 22°8611.713.85.9

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 19% of January, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 49%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
15149
25149
35248
45248
55248
65248
75347
85347
95347
105248
115149
125149
135149
145050
155050
165050
174951
184951
195050
204951
214951
225050
235050
245050
255149
265149
275248
285248
295347
305446
315545

Chance of precipitation in January

Any precipitation

Richards Bay gets around 108 mm of rain over 13.5 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 43% and peaks near 46% on the wettest days.

0%20%40%60%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
139
240
340
441
541
642
742
842
943
1043
1143
1243
1343
1442
1542
1642
1743
1843
1943
2043
2144
2244
2344
2444
2544
2645
2745
2845
2946
3046
3146

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 85% of them.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Comfortable (%)Humid (%)Muggy (%)Oppressive (%)Miserable (%)
121450340
221449340
321449350
421449350
521448350
621448350
721448360
821447360
921447360
1021447370
1121446370
1221446370
1321446370
1421446370
1521446370
1621446380
1721346380
1821346380
1921346390
2021246390
2121247390
2221247390
2321147390
2421147400
2521047400
2621048400
2711048410
281948411
291947421
301947421
311847431

Wind in January

Winds average 17 km/h in January.

Across January, daily wind ranges from about 17 km/h on the calmest days to 18 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

05101520151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
118light breeze
218light breeze
318light breeze
418light breeze
518light breeze
618light breeze
718light breeze
818light breeze
918light breeze
1017light breeze
1117light breeze
1217light breeze
1317light breeze
1417light breeze
1517light breeze
1617light breeze
1717light breeze
1817light breeze
1917light breeze
2017light breeze
2117light breeze
2217light breeze
2317light breeze
2417light breeze
2517light breeze
2617light breeze
2717light breeze
2817light breeze
2917light breeze
3017light breeze
3117light breeze

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 5:01 AM to 5:24 AM, and sunset from 6:49 PM to 6:47 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
113.85:016:49
213.85:016:49
313.85:026:50
413.85:036:50
513.85:036:50
613.85:046:50
713.85:056:50
813.75:066:51
913.75:066:51
1013.75:076:51
1113.75:086:51
1213.75:096:51
1313.75:096:51
1413.75:106:51
1513.75:116:51
1613.65:126:51
1713.65:126:51
1813.65:136:50
1913.65:146:50
2013.65:156:50
2113.65:166:50
2213.65:166:50
2313.55:176:49
2413.55:186:49
2513.55:196:49
2613.55:206:49
2713.55:216:48
2813.45:216:48
2913.45:226:47
3013.45:236:47
3113.45:246:47

Solar energy in January

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in January, about 6.12 kWh/m² — the sunniest month for solar.

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 3.16 kWh/m² to a high of 6.12 kWh/m² in January across the year — January's 6.12 kWh/m² sits near the top of that range.

0246151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
16.3Intense
26.3Intense
36.3Intense
46.3Intense
56.3Intense
66.3Intense
76.3Intense
86.2Intense
96.2Intense
106.2Intense
116.2Intense
126.2Intense
136.2Intense
146.2Intense
156.1Intense
166.1Intense
176.1Intense
186.1Intense
196.1Intense
206.1Intense
216.0Intense
226.0Intense
236.0Intense
246.0Intense
256.0Intense
266.0Intense
276.0Bright
286.0Bright
296.0Bright
306.0Bright
316.0Bright
Planning a trip in January

Hazard calendar for Richards Bay

In seasonPeak

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

Richards Bay sits in the South Indian Ocean cyclone belt; the season peaks January–March.

Cyclone
Jan
Feb
Mar
Apr
May
Jun
Jul
Aug
Sep
Oct
Nov
Dec

Is January a good time to visit Richards Bay?

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

5.3
Sightseeing
11th-best month of the year
6.5
Beach & pool
8th-best month of the year

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

What to pack for Richards Bay in January

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

In January, Richards Bay sees daytime highs around 29°C and nights near 23°C. Pack light clothes and sun protection. Worth having: rain gear. About 14 days see rain.

light clothessun protectionrain gear

Sea temperature near Richards Bay in January

The nearest coast averages about 26°C in January — the other half of the beach question. The full-year curve and swim-comfort zones are below.

The sea at the nearest coast (about 13 km away) is warmest in February at about 27°C and coldest in August near 22°C.

The water stays above 20°C all year — warm enough for a swim any month.

20°22°24°26°28°JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecrefreshingwarmcomfortable to swim
Sea temperature (°C)Comfort
Jan26Warm
Feb27Warm
Mar26Warm
Apr25Warm
May24Warm
Jun23Refreshing
Jul22Refreshing
Aug22Refreshing
Sep22Refreshing
Oct22Refreshing
Nov24Refreshing
Dec25Warm

UV index in Richards Bay in January

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in January peaks around 12 (very high — sun protection essential). The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.

Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Richards Bay peaks around February 10 at about 12 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near June 21 at about 4 (moderate).

The index reaches 3 or more — the level where the WHO recommends sun protection — every month of the year.

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecExtremeHighModerateHighVery highVery highExtremeFeb 10UV 12Jun 21UV 4
UV index (midday)Level
Jan12Extreme
Feb12Extreme
Mar11Extreme
Apr6High
May5Moderate
Jun4Moderate
Jul4Moderate
Aug6High
Sep6High
Oct10Extreme
Nov10Very high
Dec12Extreme

Air quality in Richards Bay 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 Richards Bay is worst in July — around 21 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 3.4× the cleanest month (January, 6 µg/m³).

Seasonal pattern from CAMS reanalysis, scaled to Richards Bay's WHO annual average of 13 µg/m³.

0102030JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecGoodModerateGoodJul 1420 µg/m³Jan 186 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan6Good
Feb7Good
Mar9Good
Apr15Moderate
May17Moderate
Jun19Moderate
Jul21Moderate
Aug18Moderate
Sep16Moderate
Oct12Moderate
Nov9Good
Dec7Good
Location & terrain

Where is Richards Bay?

Richards Bay sits at 28.8°S, 32.0°E, 9 m above sea level, in South Africa. The nearest listed city is Empangeni, 14 km away.

Topography around Richards Bay

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Richards Bay has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 48 m around an average of 12 m above sea level; within 16 km, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 187 m; within 80 km, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,252 m.

The land around Richards Bay is covered by trees (25%) and water (23%) within 3 km, trees (37%) and water (33%) within 16 km, and water (34%), trees (29%) and grassland (24%) within 80 km.

3 km
48 m
16 km
187 m
80 km
1,252 m
treesshrubsgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwaterwetlandmangroves
January weather nearby: Empangeni 14 km · eSikhaleni 17 km · Mtubatuba 43 km · Eshowe 56 km · Mandeni 73 km · Ulundi 79 km · KwaDukuza 95 km · Shakaskraal 109 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 Richards Bay (-28.783°, 32.0377°, elevation 9 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. Tropical-cyclone seasons are the published climatological basin seasons (NOAA National Hurricane Center / regional warning centres). 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. 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).