Ulundi weather in January

In January, Ulundi sees average daytime highs of 30°C and overnight lows near 20°C, with 86 mm of rain across 13.5 wet days and about 13.6 hours of daylight. It is the 1st-warmest and 1st-wettest month of the year here.

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 30°C through the month. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 24% 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 Ulundi's 10th-clearest and 5th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Ulundi's year-round climate.

Daytime high
30°
1st warmest
Overnight low
20°
11th coldest
Rainfall
86 mm
13.5 wet days
Daylight
13 h 36 min
5:15 AM – 6:52 PM
Cloud cover
64%
10th clearest
Wind
10 km/h
5th windiest
Solar energy
5.71 kWh/m²
Travel score
4.6
out of 10

Ulundi is town in the Zululand District Municipality, and at one time the capital of Zululand in South Africa.

Density
3,096/km²
people per km²
Founded
1873

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 30°C through the month.

A typical January day in Ulundi reaches about 30°C in the afternoon and slips back to 20°C overnight — a 10°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 24°C and 35°C. Set against its neighbours, January runs about 1°C warmer than December and on par with February.

15°20°25°30°35°40°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
13020
23020
33020
43020
53020
63020
73020
83020
93020
103020
113020
123020
133020
143020
153020
163020
173020
183020
193020
203020
213020
223020
233020
243020
253020
263020
273020
283020
293020
303020
313020

Ulundi 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
Jan30° / 20°8613.513.64.6
Feb30° / 20°7510.9134.8
Mar29° / 19°7210.512.25.5
Apr27° / 16°426.811.37.2
May26° / 13°193.310.68.4
Jun24° / 10°122.210.29.0
Jul24° / 10°172.510.48.9
Aug25° / 12°194.1118.4
Sep26° / 14°356.311.87.4
Oct26° / 16°6710.912.76.5
Nov27° / 17°861313.45.8
Dec29° / 19°8613.913.85.0

Cloud cover in January

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 24% 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 59%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
14060
24060
34159
44159
54258
64258
74258
84357
94357
104258
114258
124159
134159
144159
154060
164060
173961
184060
194060
204060
214060
223961
233961
243961
253961
264060
274060
284159
294159
304159
314357

Chance of precipitation in January

Any precipitation

Ulundi gets around 86 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 44% on the wettest days.

0%10%20%30%40%50%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
142
242
342
442
542
642
743
843
943
1043
1143
1243
1343
1443
1543
1643
1743
1843
1944
2044
2144
2244
2344
2444
2544
2644
2744
2844
2944
3044
3144

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 45% of days. Sticky, muggy-or-worse air turns up on roughly 50% of them.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)Muggy (%)Oppressive (%)
121239426
221238426
321238426
421337436
521337436
621336436
721336445
821336445
921335445
1021336445
1121336445
1221336445
1321336445
1421237445
1521237445
1621237445
1721238445
1821138455
1911138454
2011138454
2111039454
2211039464
2311039464
2411039464
251939474
261939474
271839484
281839484
291839494
301738495
310738495

Wind in January

Winds average 10 km/h in January.

Across January, daily wind ranges from about 10 km/h on the calmest days to 10 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

051015151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
110calm
210calm
310calm
410calm
510calm
610calm
710calm
810calm
910calm
1010calm
1110calm
1210calm
1310calm
1410calm
1510calm
1610calm
1710calm
1810calm
1910calm
2010calm
2110calm
2210calm
2310calm
2410calm
2510calm
2610calm
2710calm
2810calm
2910calm
3010calm
3110calm

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 5:04 AM to 5:27 AM, and sunset from 6:51 PM to 6:48 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
113.85:046:51
213.85:056:51
313.85:066:51
413.85:066:51
513.75:076:52
613.75:086:52
713.75:086:52
813.75:096:52
913.75:106:52
1013.75:116:52
1113.75:116:52
1213.75:126:52
1313.75:136:52
1413.65:146:52
1513.65:146:52
1613.65:156:52
1713.65:166:52
1813.65:176:52
1913.65:176:52
2013.65:186:52
2113.55:196:51
2213.55:206:51
2313.55:216:51
2413.55:216:51
2513.55:226:50
2613.55:236:50
2713.45:246:50
2813.45:256:49
2913.45:256:49
3013.45:266:49
3113.45:276:48

Solar energy in January

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in January, about 5.71 kWh/m² — the sunniest month for solar.

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 3.34 kWh/m² to a high of 5.71 kWh/m² in January across the year — January's 5.71 kWh/m² sits near the top of that range.

0246151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
15.8Bright
25.8Bright
35.8Bright
45.8Bright
55.8Bright
65.8Bright
75.8Bright
85.8Bright
95.8Bright
105.8Bright
115.8Bright
125.8Bright
135.7Bright
145.7Bright
155.7Bright
165.7Bright
175.7Bright
185.7Bright
195.7Bright
205.6Bright
215.6Bright
225.6Bright
235.6Bright
245.6Bright
255.6Bright
265.6Bright
275.6Bright
285.6Bright
295.6Bright
305.7Bright
315.7Bright
Planning a trip in January

Is January a good time to visit Ulundi?

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

4.6
Sightseeing
12th-best month of the year
6.3
Beach & pool
9th-best month of the year

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

What to pack for Ulundi in January

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

In January, Ulundi sees daytime highs around 30°C and nights near 20°C. Pack light clothes. Worth having: rain gear and sun protection. About 14 days see rain.

light clothesrain gearsun protection

UV index in Ulundi 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 Ulundi peaks around February 9 at about 12 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near June 23 at about 4 (moderate).

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

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecExtremeHighModerateHighVery highExtremeFeb 9UV 12Jun 23UV 4
UV index (midday)Level
Jan12Extreme
Feb13Extreme
Mar11Extreme
Apr6High
May5High
Jun4Moderate
Jul4Moderate
Aug6High
Sep7High
Oct10Extreme
Nov10Very high
Dec12Extreme

Air quality in Ulundi 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 Ulundi is worst in July — around 40 µg/m³ PM2.5 (poor), about 4.3× the cleanest month (January, 9 µg/m³).

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

0204060JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecGoodModeratePoorModerateJul 1639 µg/m³Jan 1610 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan9Good
Feb12Good
Mar15Moderate
Apr22Moderate
May33Moderate
Jun35Moderate
Jul40Poor
Aug33Moderate
Sep29Moderate
Oct18Moderate
Nov17Moderate
Dec11Good
Location & terrain

Where is Ulundi?

Ulundi sits at 28.3°S, 31.4°E, 484 m above sea level, in South Africa. The nearest listed city is Eshowe, 62 km away.

Topography around Ulundi

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Ulundi has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 170 m around an average of 477 m above sea level; within 16 km, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 874 m; within 80 km, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,775 m.

The land around Ulundi is covered by trees (33%) and shrubs (29%) within 3 km, shrubs (38%), trees (30%) and grassland (28%) within 16 km, and grassland (51%) and trees (31%) within 80 km.

3 km
170 m
16 km
874 m
80 km
1,775 m
treesshrubsgrasslandcroplandartificial surfaceswater
January weather nearby: Eshowe 62 km · Empangeni 67 km · Mtubatuba 76 km · eSikhaleni 76 km · Richards Bay 79 km · Mondlo 79 km · Vryheid 88 km · Mandeni 90 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 Ulundi (-28.3352°, 31.4162°, elevation 484 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).