Upington weather in January

In January, Upington sees average daytime highs of 35°C and overnight lows near 22°C, with 35 mm of rain across 5.4 wet days and about 13.6 hours of daylight. It is the 1st-warmest and 2nd-wettest month of the year here.

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 35°C through the month. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 75% of the time in January, and the air most often feels dry.

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 Upington's 9th-clearest and 5th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Upington's year-round climate.

Daytime high
35°
1st warmest
Overnight low
22°
12th coldest
Rainfall
35 mm
5.4 wet days
Daylight
13 h 36 min
5:55 AM – 7:33 PM
Cloud cover
24%
9th clearest
Wind
14 km/h
5th windiest
Solar energy
8.24 kWh/m²
Travel score
2.9
out of 10

Upington is town in South Africa.

Density
123/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 35°C through the month.

A typical January day in Upington reaches about 35°C in the afternoon and slips back to 22°C overnight — a 13°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 30°C and 39°C. Set against its neighbours, January runs on par with December and on par with February.

15°20°25°30°35°40°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
13521
23521
33522
43522
53522
63522
73522
83522
93522
103522
113522
123522
133522
143522
153522
163522
173522
183522
193522
203522
213522
223522
233522
243522
253522
263522
273522
283522
293522
303522
313522

How January really feels in Upington

Once humidity and wind are folded in, January averages 31 days that feel above 32°C and 0 that feel at or below 0°C — the comfort signal a plain temperature reading hides.

Days feeling ≥ 32°C
31
heat index over the day's high
Days feeling ≤ C
0
wind chill below the day's low

The story in January is heat — humidity pushes the afternoon "feels like" well above the raw temperature.

Upington weather by month

How January compares with the rest of the year at a glance. January is the 1st-warmest and 2nd-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan35° / 22°355.413.62.9
Feb35° / 22°316.4133.2
Mar33° / 20°365.512.24.5
Apr28° / 15°253.611.37.4
May24° / 10°121.810.68.9
Jun21° / 50.810.28.6
Jul21° / 40.910.48.7
Aug23° / 30.6119.2
Sep27° / 11°50.911.88.6
Oct30° / 15°142.312.76.4
Nov32° / 18°132.413.44.9
Dec35° / 20°273.913.83.4

Cloud cover in January

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 75% of the time in January.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 15% of January, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 11%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
19010
29010
39010
49010
58911
68911
78911
88911
99010
109010
119010
129010
139010
149010
159010
168911
178911
188911
198911
208911
218911
228911
238911
248911
258911
268911
278911
288911
298911
308911
318911

Chance of precipitation in January

Any precipitation

Upington gets around 35 mm of rain over 5.4 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 17% and peaks near 20% on the wettest days. The odds climb toward the end of the month.

0%10%20%30%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
113
213
313
414
514
614
715
815
915
1016
1116
1216
1317
1417
1518
1618
1719
1819
1920
2020
2120
2220
2320
2420
2520
2620
2720
2820
2920
3020
3120

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 72% of days. Sticky, muggy-or-worse air turns up on roughly 6% of them.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)Muggy (%)
179876
279876
378886
478886
578886
677896
777896
8769105
9769105
107510105
117410115
127410115
137311115
147211125
157111126
167012126
177012126
186812137
196812137
206713137
216713137
226613147
236712147
246612148
256612148
266811147
276811147
286910147
296910147
30709147
31709147

Wind in January

Winds average 14 km/h in January.

Across January, daily wind ranges from about 13 km/h on the calmest days to 14 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

05101520151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
114light breeze
214light breeze
314light breeze
414light breeze
514light breeze
614light breeze
714light breeze
814light breeze
914light breeze
1014light breeze
1114light breeze
1214light breeze
1314light breeze
1414light breeze
1514light breeze
1614light breeze
1714light breeze
1813light breeze
1913light breeze
2013light breeze
2113light breeze
2213light breeze
2313light breeze
2413light breeze
2513light breeze
2613light breeze
2713light breeze
2813light breeze
2913light breeze
3013light breeze
3113light 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 5:45 AM to 6:08 AM, and sunset from 7:32 PM to 7:29 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
113.85:457:32
213.85:457:32
313.85:467:32
413.85:477:32
513.85:477:32
613.75:487:33
713.75:497:33
813.75:497:33
913.75:507:33
1013.75:517:33
1113.75:527:33
1213.75:527:33
1313.75:537:33
1413.75:547:33
1513.65:557:33
1613.65:557:33
1713.65:567:33
1813.65:577:33
1913.65:587:33
2013.65:597:33
2113.55:597:32
2213.56:007:32
2313.56:017:32
2413.56:027:32
2513.56:037:31
2613.56:037:31
2713.46:047:31
2813.46:057:30
2913.46:067:30
3013.46:077:30
3113.46:087:29

Solar energy in January

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in January, about 8.24 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 3.65 kWh/m² to a high of 8.6 kWh/m² in December across the year — January's 8.24 kWh/m² sits near the top of that range.

02468151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
18.5Intense
28.5Intense
38.5Intense
48.4Intense
58.4Intense
68.4Intense
78.4Intense
88.4Intense
98.4Intense
108.4Intense
118.3Intense
128.3Intense
138.3Intense
148.3Intense
158.3Intense
168.2Intense
178.2Intense
188.2Intense
198.2Intense
208.1Intense
218.1Intense
228.1Intense
238.1Intense
248.1Intense
258.1Intense
268.0Intense
278.0Intense
288.0Intense
298.0Intense
308.0Intense
318.0Intense
Planning a trip in January

Is January a good time to visit Upington?

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

2.9
Sightseeing
12th-best month of the year
6.4
Beach & pool
10th-best month of the year

January is a weaker month for outdoor sightseeing in Upington. The water and warmth also suit a beach or pool day.

What to pack for Upington in January

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

In January, Upington sees daytime highs around 35°C and nights near 22°C. Pack light clothes and sun protection. About 5 days see rain.

light clothessun protection

UV index in Upington in January

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in January peaks around 15 (very high — sun protection essential). The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.

Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Upington peaks around January 15 at about 14 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near June 19 at about 4 (moderate).

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

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecExtremeVery highHighModerateHighVery highExtremeJan 15UV 14Jun 19UV 4
UV index (midday)Level
Jan15Extreme
Feb13Extreme
Mar11Extreme
Apr8Very high
May6High
Jun4Moderate
Jul5Moderate
Aug6High
Sep9Very high
Oct11Extreme
Nov13Extreme
Dec14Extreme
Location & terrain

Where is Upington?

Upington sits at 28.4°S, 21.3°E, 808 m above sea level, in South Africa. The nearest listed city is Postmasburg, 177 km away.

PostmasburgTsabongKimberleyPampierstadWarrentonDe AarKeetmanshoopVryburg

Topography around Upington

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Upington has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 60 m around an average of 804 m above sea level; within 16 km, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 232 m; within 80 km, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 584 m.

The land around Upington is covered by artificial surfaces (27%), shrubs (26%) and grassland (20%) within 3 km, grassland (53%) and shrubs (29%) within 16 km, and grassland (49%) and shrubs (38%) within 80 km.

3 km
60 m
16 km
232 m
80 km
584 m
treesshrubsgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwater
January weather nearby: Postmasburg 177 km · Tsabong 292 km · Kimberley 344 km · Pampierstad 345 km · Warrenton 354 km · De Aar 362 km · Keetmanshoop 372 km · Vryburg 380 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 Upington (-28.4478°, 21.2561°, elevation 808 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. Topography is sampled from the Copernicus DEM GLO-90 elevation model (© ESA/Airbus) and ESA WorldCover 2021 land cover (CC BY 4.0).