Somerset East weather in January

In January, Somerset East sees average daytime highs of 28°C and overnight lows near 15°C, with 76 mm of rain across 10.3 wet days and about 13.9 hours of daylight. It is the 1st-warmest and 1st-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 50% of the time in January, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 14 h 06 min at the start of January to 13 h 36 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, January is Somerset East's 8th-clearest and 7th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Somerset East's year-round climate.

Daytime high
28°
1st warmest
Overnight low
15°
11th coldest
Rainfall
76 mm
10.3 wet days
Daylight
13 h 54 min
5:29 AM – 7:25 PM
Cloud cover
45%
8th clearest
Wind
11 km/h
7th windiest
Solar energy
6.91 kWh/m²
Travel score
6.2
out of 10

Somerset East is town in South Africa.

Founded
1825

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 Somerset East reaches about 28°C in the afternoon and slips back to 15°C overnight — a 13°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 21°C and 34°C. Set against its neighbours, January runs about 1°C warmer than December and on par with February.

10°15°20°25°30°35°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
12815
22815
32815
42815
52815
62815
72815
82815
92815
102815
112815
122815
132815
142815
152815
162815
172815
182815
192815
202815
212815
222815
232815
242815
252815
262815
272815
282815
292815
302815
312815

Somerset East 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 daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan28° / 15°7610.313.96.2
Feb28° / 15°7310.213.26.3
Mar26° / 14°731012.26.9
Apr23° / 11°477.611.27.4
May21° / 224.810.37.7
Jun19° / 234.69.97.3
Jul19° / 233.810.17.5
Aug20° / 315.310.87.4
Sep22° / 325.111.87.7
Oct24° / 10°558.712.87.3
Nov25° / 12°67913.77.1
Dec27° / 14°709.914.16.7

Cloud cover in January

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 50% of the time in January.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 16% of January, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 34%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
16832
26733
36733
46733
56634
66634
76634
86634
96634
106634
116634
126634
136634
146634
156634
166634
176535
186634
196634
206535
216535
226535
236535
246535
256436
266436
276436
286436
296535
306535
316535

Chance of precipitation in January

Any precipitation

Somerset East gets around 76 mm of rain over 10.3 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 33% and peaks near 34% on the wettest days.

0%10%20%30%40%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
133
233
333
433
533
633
733
833
933
1033
1133
1233
1333
1433
1533
1633
1732
1832
1932
2032
2132
2232
2333
2433
2533
2633
2734
2834
2934
3034
3134

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 39% of days. It rarely turns muggy — the humid and sticky bands barely register.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)Muggy (%)
14535201
24435201
34435201
44336201
54336201
64236211
74236211
84236211
94136212
104136222
114135222
124135212
134135212
144136212
154136212
164136212
174036222
184036222
193936222
203937232
213837232
223737232
233738232
243639232
253640232
263540222
273541222
283441222
293442222
303342232
313343232

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
2011calm
2111calm
2211calm
2311calm
2411calm
2511calm
2611calm
2711calm
2811calm
2910calm
3010calm
3110calm

Sunrise & sunset in January

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 14 h 06 min at the start of January to 13 h 36 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 5:17 AM to 5:42 AM, and sunset from 7:24 PM to 7:19 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
114.15:177:24
214.15:187:25
314.15:197:25
414.15:197:25
514.15:207:25
614.15:217:25
714.15:227:25
814.15:227:25
914.05:237:25
1014.05:247:25
1114.05:257:25
1214.05:267:25
1314.05:267:25
1414.05:277:25
1514.05:287:25
1613.95:297:25
1713.95:307:25
1813.95:317:25
1913.95:327:24
2013.95:327:24
2113.85:337:24
2213.85:347:23
2313.85:357:23
2413.85:367:23
2513.85:377:22
2613.75:387:22
2713.75:397:22
2813.75:407:21
2913.75:417:21
3013.65:427:20
3113.65:427:19

Solar energy in January

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in January, about 6.91 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 2.94 kWh/m² to a high of 7.16 kWh/m² in December across the year — January's 6.91 kWh/m² sits near the top of that range.

02468151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
17.1Intense
27.1Intense
37.1Intense
47.1Intense
57.1Intense
67.0Intense
77.0Intense
87.0Intense
97.0Intense
107.0Intense
117.0Intense
127.0Intense
137.0Intense
147.0Intense
157.0Intense
167.0Intense
177.0Intense
186.9Intense
196.9Intense
206.9Intense
216.9Intense
226.8Intense
236.8Intense
246.8Intense
256.8Intense
266.7Intense
276.7Intense
286.7Intense
296.7Intense
306.6Intense
316.6Intense
Planning a trip in January

Is January a good time to visit Somerset East?

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

6.2
Sightseeing
12th-best month of the year
7.0
Beach & pool
1st-best month of the year

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

What to pack for Somerset East in January

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

In January, Somerset East sees daytime highs around 28°C and nights near 15°C. Pack light clothes and sun protection. Worth having: rain gear. About 10 days see rain.

light clothessun protectionrain gear

UV index in Somerset East 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 Somerset East peaks around January 14 at about 14 (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 — every month of the year.

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecExtremeVery highHighModerateHighExtremeJan 14UV 14Jun 23UV 3
UV index (midday)Level
Jan14Extreme
Feb12Extreme
Mar10Very high
Apr6High
May5Moderate
Jun3Moderate
Jul3Moderate
Aug5Moderate
Sep7High
Oct11Extreme
Nov12Extreme
Dec13Extreme

Air quality in Somerset East 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 Somerset East is worst in June — around 16 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 2.7× the cleanest month (January, 6 µg/m³).

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

01020JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecGoodModerateGoodJun 1516 µg/m³Jan 196 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan6Good
Feb6Good
Mar8Good
Apr11Good
May16Moderate
Jun16Moderate
Jul16Moderate
Aug16Moderate
Sep14Moderate
Oct11Good
Nov7Good
Dec6Good
Location & terrain

Where is Somerset East?

Somerset East sits at 32.7°S, 25.6°E, 748 m above sea level, in South Africa. The nearest listed city is Cradock, 62 km away.

Topography around Somerset East

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Somerset East has large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 793 m around an average of 837 m above sea level; within 16 km, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,030 m; within 80 km, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 2,066 m.

The land around Somerset East is covered by trees (38%) and grassland (28%) within 3 km, grassland (62%) and shrubs (23%) within 16 km, and grassland (70%) and shrubs (21%) within 80 km.

3 km
793 m
16 km
1,030 m
80 km
2,066 m
treesshrubsgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrain
January weather nearby: Cradock 62 km · Fort Beaufort 98 km · Grahamstown 109 km · Graaff Reinet 112 km · Kariega 116 km · Alice 117 km · Whittlesea 131 km · Port Elizabeth 138 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 Somerset East (-32.7217°, 25.588°, elevation 748 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).