Tongaat weather in January

In January, Tongaat sees average daytime highs of 27°C and overnight lows near 20°C, with 124 mm of rain across 16.1 wet days and about 13.7 hours of daylight. It is the 2nd-warmest and 2nd-wettest month of the year here.

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 27°C through the month. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 23% of the time in January, and the air most often feels muggy.

Daylight stretches from about 13 h 54 min at the start of January to 13 h 24 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, January is Tongaat's 9th-clearest and 5th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Tongaat's year-round climate.

Daytime high
27°
2nd warmest
Overnight low
20°
11th coldest
Rainfall
124 mm
16.1 wet days
Daylight
13 h 42 min
5:14 AM – 6:56 PM
Cloud cover
66%
9th clearest
Wind
12 km/h
5th windiest
Solar energy
5.75 kWh/m²
Travel score
5.6
out of 10

Tongaat is township in South Africa.

Founded
1945

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 27°C through the month.

A typical January day in Tongaat reaches about 27°C in the afternoon and slips back to 20°C overnight — a 7°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 22°C and 31°C. Set against its neighbours, January runs about 1°C warmer than December and on par with February.

15°20°25°30°35°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
12619
22620
32620
42620
52620
62620
72620
82620
92620
102620
112620
122620
132620
142620
152720
162720
172720
182720
192720
202720
212720
222720
232720
242720
252720
262720
272720
282720
292720
302720
312720

Tongaat weather by month

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

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan27° / 20°12416.113.75.6
Feb27° / 20°11413.713.15.8
Mar26° / 19°10813.712.26.2
Apr25° / 17°7710.311.37.1
May23° / 14°456.110.58.1
Jun22° / 11°284.510.18.2
Jul22° / 11°43510.38.0
Aug22° / 13°396.710.97.7
Sep23° / 14°7010.211.86.9
Oct23° / 16°1061512.76.1
Nov24° / 17°12315.713.55.8
Dec26° / 19°12816.713.95.6

Cloud cover in January

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 23% 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 61%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
13664
23664
33862
43763
53862
63862
73862
83961
93961
103961
113961
123862
133961
143961
153862
163763
173862
183862
193862
203862
213862
223862
233961
243862
253961
263961
274060
284060
294159
304159
314258

Chance of precipitation in January

Any precipitation

Tongaat gets around 124 mm of rain over 16.1 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 52% and peaks near 53% on the wettest days.

0%20%40%60%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
152
252
351
451
551
650
750
850
950
1050
1150
1250
1350
1451
1551
1651
1751
1852
1952
2052
2153
2253
2353
2453
2553
2653
2753
2853
2953
3053
3153

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 55% of days. Sticky, muggy-or-worse air turns up on roughly 72% of them.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)Muggy (%)Oppressive (%)
116255117
216245217
316245217
416245217
516235317
617235217
717225317
817225317
917225317
1017225317
1117225317
1217225317
1317225416
1417225416
1516225516
1616225516
1706225616
1806225616
1905225716
2005225716
2105225716
2204225816
2304225816
2404225816
2504225717
2603225817
2703225817
2803215818
2903215719
3003215719
3103215620

Wind in January

Winds average 12 km/h in January.

Across January, daily wind ranges from about 11 km/h on the calmest days to 12 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

051015151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
112calm
212calm
312calm
412calm
512calm
612calm
712calm
812calm
912calm
1012calm
1112calm
1212calm
1312calm
1412calm
1512calm
1612calm
1712calm
1812calm
1912calm
2012calm
2112calm
2212calm
2312calm
2411calm
2511calm
2611calm
2711calm
2811calm
2911calm
3011calm
3111calm

Sunrise & sunset in January

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 13 h 54 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 30 minutes over January. Sunrise moves from 5:03 AM to 5:26 AM, and sunset from 6:55 PM to 6:52 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
113.95:036:55
213.95:036:55
313.95:046:55
413.85:056:55
513.85:056:56
613.85:066:56
713.85:076:56
813.85:086:56
913.85:086:56
1013.85:096:56
1113.85:106:56
1213.85:116:56
1313.75:116:56
1413.75:126:56
1513.75:136:56
1613.75:146:56
1713.75:146:56
1813.75:156:56
1913.75:166:56
2013.65:176:55
2113.65:186:55
2213.65:196:55
2313.65:196:55
2413.65:206:54
2513.55:216:54
2613.55:226:54
2713.55:236:53
2813.55:246:53
2913.55:246:53
3013.45:256:52
3113.45:266:52

Solar energy in January

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in January, about 5.75 kWh/m² — the sunniest month for solar.

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 3.21 kWh/m² to a high of 5.75 kWh/m² in January across the year — January's 5.75 kWh/m² sits near the top of that range.

0246151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
15.9Bright
25.9Bright
35.9Bright
45.9Bright
55.8Bright
65.8Bright
75.8Bright
85.8Bright
95.8Bright
105.8Bright
115.8Bright
125.8Bright
135.8Bright
145.8Bright
155.8Bright
165.8Bright
175.8Bright
185.8Bright
195.8Bright
205.7Bright
215.7Bright
225.7Bright
235.7Bright
245.7Bright
255.7Bright
265.7Bright
275.7Bright
285.7Bright
295.7Bright
305.7Bright
315.7Bright
Planning a trip in January

Hazard calendar for Tongaat

In seasonPeak

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

Tongaat 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 Tongaat?

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
5.6
Beach & pool
6th-best month of the year

January is a reasonable time to visit Tongaat for sightseeing.

What to pack for Tongaat in January

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

In January, Tongaat sees daytime highs around 27°C and nights near 20°C. Pack rain gear. Worth having: light clothes and sun protection. About 16 days see rain.

rain gearlight clothessun protection

Sea temperature near Tongaat in January

The nearest coast averages about 25°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 February at about 25°C and coldest in August near 21°C.

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

20°22°24°26°JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDeccoolrefreshingwarmcomfortable to swim
Sea temperature (°C)Comfort
Jan25Warm
Feb25Warm
Mar25Warm
Apr24Warm
May23Refreshing
Jun22Refreshing
Jul21Refreshing
Aug21Refreshing
Sep21Refreshing
Oct22Refreshing
Nov23Refreshing
Dec24Refreshing

UV index in Tongaat 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 Tongaat peaks around January 15 at about 12 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near June 22 at about 4 (moderate).

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

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecExtremeHighModerateHighVery highExtremeJan 15UV 12Jun 22UV 4
UV index (midday)Level
Jan12Extreme
Feb12Extreme
Mar10Extreme
Apr6High
May5Moderate
Jun4Moderate
Jul4Moderate
Aug5High
Sep6High
Oct10Extreme
Nov10Very high
Dec12Extreme

Air quality in Tongaat 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 Tongaat is worst in July — around 100 µg/m³ PM2.5 (unhealthy), about 4.5× the cleanest month (January, 22 µg/m³).

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

0306090120JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecModeratePoorUnhealthyPoorModerateJul 1399 µg/m³Jan 1222 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan22Moderate
Feb28Moderate
Mar42Poor
Apr60Unhealthy
May91Unhealthy
Jun92Unhealthy
Jul100Unhealthy
Aug77Unhealthy
Sep62Unhealthy
Oct39Poor
Nov35Moderate
Dec23Moderate
Location & terrain

Where is Tongaat?

Tongaat sits at 29.6°S, 31.1°E, 6 m above sea level, in South Africa. The nearest listed city is Ballitoville, 10 km away.

Topography around Tongaat

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Tongaat has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 173 m around an average of 72 m above sea level; within 16 km, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 573 m; within 80 km, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,525 m.

The land around Tongaat is covered by trees (35%), cropland (27%) and grassland (21%) within 3 km, trees (30%), water (27%) and grassland (21%) within 16 km, and trees (36%), water (29%) and grassland (20%) within 80 km.

3 km
173 m
16 km
573 m
80 km
1,525 m
treesshrubsgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwater
January weather nearby: Ballitoville 10 km · Shakaskraal 17 km · Ntuzuma 24 km · KwaDukuza 32 km · Durban 33 km · Pinetown 35 km · Mpumalanga 53 km · Folweni 56 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 Tongaat (-29.5737°, 31.1155°, elevation 6 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).