Vaalwater weather in January

In January, Vaalwater sees average daytime highs of 28°C and overnight lows near 18°C, with 101 mm of rain across 12.9 wet days and about 13.3 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 33% of the time in January, and the air most often feels humid.

Daylight stretches from about 13 h 30 min at the start of January to 13 h 06 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, January is Vaalwater's 11th-clearest and 6th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Vaalwater's year-round climate.

Daytime high
28°
1st warmest
Overnight low
18°
12th coldest
Rainfall
101 mm
12.9 wet days
Daylight
13 h 24 min
5:36 AM – 6:57 PM
Cloud cover
55%
11th clearest
Wind
8 km/h
6th windiest
Solar energy
6.46 kWh/m²
Travel score
5.6
out of 10

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 Vaalwater reaches about 28°C in the afternoon and slips back to 18°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 32°C. Set against its neighbours, January runs on par with December and on par with February.

15°20°25°30°35°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
12818
22818
32818
42818
52818
62818
72818
82818
92818
102818
112818
122818
132818
142818
152818
162818
172818
182818
192818
202818
212818
222818
232818
242818
252818
262818
272818
282818
292818
302818
312818

Vaalwater 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° / 18°10112.913.35.6
Feb28° / 18°779.612.86.0
Mar27° / 16°589.212.26.8
Apr25° / 13°334.711.48.0
May23° / 112.110.88.9
Jun21° / 5110.58.7
Jul21° / 30.610.68.7
Aug23° / 20.511.29.3
Sep27° / 12°101.811.88.5
Oct28° / 15°376.312.66.9
Nov28° / 17°7310.913.26.0
Dec28° / 18°961413.55.6

Cloud cover in January

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 33% of the time in January.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 26% of January, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 42%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
15842
25842
35842
45842
55842
65842
75842
85941
95941
105941
115941
125941
135842
145842
155743
165743
175743
185743
195743
205743
215743
225842
235842
245842
255842
266040
276040
286040
296139
306139
316139

Chance of precipitation in January

Any precipitation

Vaalwater gets around 101 mm of rain over 12.9 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 41% and peaks near 43% on the wettest days.

0%10%20%30%40%50%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
141
241
341
441
541
641
741
841
941
1041
1141
1242
1342
1442
1542
1642
1742
1842
1942
2042
2143
2243
2343
2443
2542
2642
2742
2841
2940
3039
3139

Humidity in January

DryComfortableHumidMuggyOppressiveMiserable

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

By dew point, January lands in the humid band about 46% of days. Sticky, muggy-or-worse air turns up on roughly 7% of them.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)Muggy (%)
11433466
21533457
31534457
41534447
51534447
61535447
71535437
81535437
91536437
101436437
111436437
121336447
131336447
141236457
151236467
161135467
171135477
181135487
191035487
201035487
211035487
221034497
231034488
241034488
251034488
261034488
271035478
281035478
29936468
30936468
31937458

Wind in January

Winds average 8 km/h in January.

Across January, daily wind ranges from about 8 km/h on the calmest days to 8 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

051015151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
18calm
28calm
38calm
48calm
58calm
68calm
78calm
88calm
98calm
108calm
118calm
128calm
138calm
148calm
158calm
168calm
178calm
188calm
198calm
208calm
218calm
228calm
238calm
248calm
258calm
268calm
278calm
288calm
298calm
308calm
318calm

Sunrise & sunset in January

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 13 h 30 min at the start of January to 13 h 06 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 5:26 AM to 5:47 AM, and sunset from 6:55 PM to 6:55 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
113.55:266:55
213.55:276:55
313.55:286:56
413.55:286:56
513.55:296:56
613.45:296:56
713.45:306:57
813.45:316:57
913.45:316:57
1013.45:326:57
1113.45:336:57
1213.45:336:57
1313.45:346:57
1413.45:356:57
1513.45:366:57
1613.45:366:57
1713.35:376:57
1813.35:386:57
1913.35:386:57
2013.35:396:57
2113.35:406:57
2213.35:416:57
2313.35:416:57
2413.25:426:57
2513.25:436:56
2613.25:436:56
2713.25:446:56
2813.25:456:56
2913.25:466:55
3013.15:466:55
3113.15:476:55

Solar energy in January

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in January, about 6.46 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 4.06 kWh/m² to a high of 6.73 kWh/m² in October across the year — January's 6.46 kWh/m² falls in the middle.

0246151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
16.7Intense
26.6Intense
36.6Intense
46.6Intense
56.6Intense
66.6Intense
76.6Intense
86.6Intense
96.5Intense
106.5Intense
116.5Intense
126.5Intense
136.5Intense
146.5Intense
156.5Intense
166.4Intense
176.4Intense
186.4Intense
196.4Intense
206.4Intense
216.4Intense
226.4Intense
236.3Intense
246.3Intense
256.3Intense
266.3Intense
276.3Intense
286.3Intense
296.3Intense
306.4Intense
316.4Intense
Planning a trip in January

Hazard calendar for Vaalwater

In seasonPeak

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

Vaalwater's rainy season runs November–March, 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 Vaalwater?

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
6.5
Beach & pool
9th-best month of the year

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

What to pack for Vaalwater in January

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

In January, Vaalwater sees daytime highs around 28°C and nights near 18°C. Pack light clothes and sun protection. Worth having: rain gear. About 13 days see rain.

light clothessun protectionrain gear

UV index in Vaalwater 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 Vaalwater peaks around January 12 at about 15 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near June 16 at about 5 (high).

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

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecExtremeVery highHighVery highExtremeJan 12UV 15Jun 16UV 5
UV index (midday)Level
Jan15Extreme
Feb13Extreme
Mar13Extreme
Apr9Very high
May6High
Jun5High
Jul6High
Aug8Very high
Sep10Very high
Oct10Extreme
Nov13Extreme
Dec14Extreme

Air quality in Vaalwater 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 Vaalwater is worst in September — around 17 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 2.8× the cleanest month (December, 6 µg/m³).

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

01020JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecGoodModerateGoodJul 1416 µg/m³Dec 196 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan7Good
Feb9Good
Mar10Good
Apr12Moderate
May16Moderate
Jun15Moderate
Jul16Moderate
Aug14Moderate
Sep17Moderate
Oct12Moderate
Nov8Good
Dec6Good
Location & terrain

Where is Vaalwater?

Vaalwater sits at 24.3°S, 28.1°E, 1,188 m above sea level, in South Africa. The nearest listed city is Modimolle, 53 km away.

Topography around Vaalwater

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Vaalwater has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 104 m around an average of 1,170 m above sea level; within 16 km, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 598 m; within 80 km, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,265 m.

The land around Vaalwater is covered by shrubs (40%) and grassland (32%) within 3 km, shrubs (61%) and grassland (27%) within 16 km, and shrubs (64%) and grassland (21%) within 80 km.

3 km
104 m
16 km
598 m
80 km
1,265 m
treesshrubsgrasslandcroplandartificial surfaces
January weather nearby: Modimolle 53 km · Mookgophong 66 km · Bela Bela 68 km · Thabazimbi 78 km · Lephalale 79 km · Marapong 87 km · Mokopane 91 km · Amandelbult 101 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 Vaalwater (-24.2957°, 28.1141°, elevation 1,188 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).