Stellenbosch weather in January

In January, Stellenbosch sees average daytime highs of 24°C and overnight lows near 17°C, with 21 mm of rain across 3.4 wet days and about 14 hours of daylight. It is the 2nd-warmest and 10th-wettest month of the year here.

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 24°C through the month. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 76% of the time in January, and the air most often feels comfortable.

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 Stellenbosch's 2nd-clearest and 1st-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Stellenbosch's year-round climate.

Daytime high
24°
2nd warmest
Overnight low
17°
11th coldest
Rainfall
21 mm
3.4 wet days
Daylight
14 hours
5:53 AM – 7:55 PM
Cloud cover
23%
2nd clearest
Wind
16 km/h
1st windiest
Solar energy
8.14 kWh/m²
Travel score
8.8
out of 10

Stellenbosch is town in the Western Cape, South Africa.

Density
11,678/km²
people per km²
Founded
1679

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 24°C through the month.

A typical January day in Stellenbosch reaches about 24°C in the afternoon and slips back to 17°C overnight — a 7°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 21°C and 28°C. Set against its neighbours, January runs about 1°C warmer than December and on par with February.

10°15°20°25°30°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
12417
22417
32417
42417
52417
62417
72417
82417
92417
102417
112417
122417
132417
142417
152417
162417
172517
182517
192517
202517
212517
222517
232517
242517
252517
262517
272517
282517
292517
302517
312517

Stellenbosch weather by month

How January compares with the rest of the year at a glance. January is the 2nd-warmest and 10th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan24° / 17°213.4148.8
Feb25° / 17°183.213.38.7
Mar24° / 16°213.512.38.6
Apr21° / 14°565.711.27.4
May19° / 12°90910.36.4
Jun16° / 10°138119.85.1
Jul16° / 12210.3105.1
Aug16° / 10510.910.75.1
Sep17° / 11°688.811.85.8
Oct19° / 12°456.612.96.9
Nov21° / 14°415.813.87.5
Dec23° / 16°244.214.28.4

Cloud cover in January

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 76% of the time in January.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 13% of January, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 11%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
18515
28614
38614
48614
58614
68713
78713
88713
98713
108812
118911
128911
138911
148911
158911
168911
179010
18919
19919
20919
21919
229010
239010
249010
259010
269010
279010
289010
299010
309010
319010

Chance of precipitation in January

Any precipitation

Stellenbosch gets around 21 mm of rain over 3.4 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 11% and peaks near 12% on the wettest days.

0%10%20%30%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
112
212
312
412
512
612
712
812
912
1012
1112
1212
1312
1411
1511
1611
1710
1810
1910
2010
2110
2210
2310
2410
2510
2610
2710
2810
2911
3011
3111

Humidity in January

DryComfortableHumidMuggyOppressiveMiserable

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

By dew point, January lands in the comfortable band about 48% of days. It rarely turns muggy — the humid and sticky bands barely register.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)Muggy (%)
12749241
22749241
32748241
42748241
52748241
62748241
72748241
82747241
92747241
102747241
112847242
122847242
132847242
142847242
152747242
162747252
172647252
182547262
192447272
202348272
212248282
222149282
232049292
242050291
251950301
261851301
271851301
281850311
291752310
301752310
311751320

Wind in January

Winds average 16 km/h in January, the windiest month of the year.

Across January, daily wind ranges from about 16 km/h on the calmest days to 17 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

05101520151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
116light breeze
216light breeze
316light breeze
416light breeze
516light breeze
616light breeze
716light breeze
816light breeze
917light 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
2216light breeze
2316light breeze
2416light breeze
2516light breeze
2616light breeze
2716light breeze
2816light breeze
2916light breeze
3016light breeze
3116light 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 5:41 AM to 6:07 AM, and sunset from 7:54 PM to 7:49 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
114.25:417:54
214.25:427:55
314.25:427:55
414.25:437:55
514.25:447:55
614.25:457:55
714.25:457:55
814.25:467:55
914.15:477:55
1014.15:487:55
1114.15:497:55
1214.15:497:55
1314.15:507:55
1414.15:517:55
1514.05:527:55
1614.05:537:55
1714.05:547:54
1814.05:557:54
1914.05:567:54
2014.05:577:54
2113.95:587:53
2213.95:587:53
2313.95:597:53
2413.96:007:52
2513.86:017:52
2613.86:027:51
2713.86:037:51
2813.86:047:50
2913.76:057:50
3013.76:067:49
3113.76:077:49

Solar energy in January

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in January, about 8.14 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 2.47 kWh/m² to a high of 8.15 kWh/m² in December across the year — January's 8.14 kWh/m² sits near the top of that range.

02468151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
18.2Intense
28.2Intense
38.2Intense
48.2Intense
58.2Intense
68.2Intense
78.2Intense
88.2Intense
98.2Intense
108.2Intense
118.2Intense
128.2Intense
138.2Intense
148.2Intense
158.2Intense
168.2Intense
178.2Intense
188.1Intense
198.1Intense
208.1Intense
218.1Intense
228.1Intense
238.0Intense
248.0Intense
258.0Intense
267.9Intense
277.9Intense
287.9Intense
297.8Intense
307.8Intense
317.8Intense
Planning a trip in January

Hazard calendar for Stellenbosch

In seasonPeak

None of Stellenbosch's seasonal hazards are active in January. The full-year calendar below shows when the rainy season, cyclone risk and dust haze do peak.

Stellenbosch's rainy season runs May–September, 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 Stellenbosch?

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

8.8
Sightseeing
1st-best month of the year
7.5
Beach & pool
2nd-best month of the year

January is one of the better times to visit Stellenbosch for general sightseeing. The water and warmth also suit a beach or pool day.

What to pack for Stellenbosch in January

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

In January, Stellenbosch sees daytime highs around 24°C and nights near 17°C. Pack sun protection. Worth having: light clothes. About 3 days see rain.

sun protectionlight clothes

Sea temperature near Stellenbosch in January

The nearest coast averages about 19°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 21 km away) is warmest in January at about 19°C and coldest in July near 15°C.

The water stays below 20°C all year — cool enough that most swimmers want a wetsuit.

14°16°18°20°JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecbracingcool
Sea temperature (°C)Comfort
Jan19Cool
Feb18Cool
Mar17Cool
Apr16Cool
May16Cool
Jun15Cool
Jul15Bracing
Aug15Bracing
Sep15Cool
Oct16Cool
Nov17Cool
Dec18Cool

UV index in Stellenbosch 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 Stellenbosch peaks around January 13 at about 13 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near June 20 at about 3 (moderate).

The index reaches 3 or more — the level where the WHO recommends sun protection — in 11 months of the year.

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecExtremeVery highModerateExtremeJan 13UV 13Jun 20UV 3
UV index (midday)Level
Jan13Extreme
Feb10Very high
Mar9Very high
Apr6High
May3Moderate
Jun3Moderate
Jul3Moderate
Aug4Moderate
Sep6High
Oct10Extreme
Nov11Extreme
Dec12Extreme

Air quality in Stellenbosch 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 Stellenbosch is worst in May — around 52 µg/m³ PM2.5 (poor), about 3.4× the cleanest month (December, 15 µg/m³).

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

0204060JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecModeratePoorModerateMay 2152 µg/m³Dec 1516 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan20Moderate
Feb19Moderate
Mar28Moderate
Apr41Poor
May52Poor
Jun50Poor
Jul47Poor
Aug41Poor
Sep33Moderate
Oct29Moderate
Nov18Moderate
Dec15Moderate
Location & terrain

Where is Stellenbosch?

Stellenbosch sits at 33.9°S, 18.9°E, 122 m above sea level, in South Africa. The nearest listed city is Kuils River, 15 km away.

Topography around Stellenbosch

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Stellenbosch has large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 605 m around an average of 167 m above sea level; within 16 km, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,612 m; within 80 km, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 2,073 m.

The land around Stellenbosch is covered by artificial surfaces (29%), grassland (28%) and trees (26%) within 3 km, grassland (45%) and trees (22%) within 16 km, and water (34%) and grassland (25%) within 80 km.

3 km
605 m
16 km
1,612 m
80 km
2,073 m
treesshrubsgrasslandcroplandartificial surfaceswater
January weather nearby: Kuils River 15 km · Kraaifontein 17 km · Somerset West 17 km · Le Roux 22 km · Durbanville 23 km · Franschhoek 23 km · Paarl 24 km · Grabouw 28 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 Stellenbosch (-33.9346°, 18.8668°, elevation 122 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. 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).