White River weather in January

In January, White River sees average daytime highs of 27°C and overnight lows near 18°C, with 186 mm of rain across 18.5 wet days and about 13.4 hours of daylight. It is the 1st-warmest and 1st-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 28% of the time in January, and the air most often feels muggy.

Daylight stretches from about 13 h 36 min at the start of January to 13 h 12 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, January is White River's 10th-clearest and 7th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see White River's year-round climate.

Daytime high
27°
1st warmest
Overnight low
18°
12th coldest
Rainfall
186 mm
18.5 wet days
Daylight
13 h 24 min
5:23 AM – 6:48 PM
Cloud cover
61%
10th clearest
Wind
6 km/h
7th windiest
Solar energy
5.83 kWh/m²
Travel score
5.2
out of 10

White River is place in Mpumalanga, South Africa.

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 White River reaches about 27°C in the afternoon and slips back to 18°C overnight — a 9°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 on par with December and on par with February.

15°20°25°30°35°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
12718
22718
32718
42718
52718
62718
72718
82718
92718
102718
112718
122718
132718
142718
152718
162718
172718
182718
192718
202718
212718
222718
232718
242718
252718
262718
272718
282718
292718
302718
312718

White River 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
Jan27° / 18°18618.513.45.2
Feb27° / 18°16015.812.95.5
Mar26° / 17°12615.212.26.0
Apr25° / 14°699.911.47.2
May23° / 11°244.810.88.5
Jun22° / 13310.58.5
Jul21° / 183.810.68.3
Aug23° / 10°245.111.18.3
Sep25° / 12°457.311.87.7
Oct25° / 14°8614.312.66.3
Nov26° / 16°14717.113.25.4
Dec27° / 18°18219.713.55.1

Cloud cover in January

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 28% of the time in January.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 18% of January, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 55%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
14654
24753
34753
44753
54753
64852
74852
84852
94852
104753
114753
124654
134456
144456
154456
164357
174357
184357
194258
204159
214258
224258
234357
244357
254357
264456
274555
284654
294753
304852
314852

Chance of precipitation in January

Any precipitation

White River gets around 186 mm of rain over 18.5 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 60% and peaks near 61% on the wettest days.

0%20%40%60%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
159
259
359
459
559
659
759
859
959
1060
1160
1260
1360
1460
1561
1661
1761
1861
1961
2061
2161
2261
2360
2460
2560
2660
2760
2860
2960
3060
3160

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 46% of them.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)Muggy (%)Oppressive (%)
111142451
211142451
311143441
411143441
511143441
611143441
711143441
811143441
911143441
1011143441
1111143441
1211143441
1321043441
1421043441
1521043441
1621043441
1721043451
1821043451
192943451
202943461
212943461
222943461
232943461
242943461
252843461
261843461
271843471
281844471
291744471
301744471
311744471

Wind in January

Winds average 6 km/h in January.

Across January, daily wind ranges from about 6 km/h on the calmest days to 6 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

0246810151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
16calm
26calm
36calm
46calm
56calm
66calm
76calm
86calm
96calm
106calm
116calm
126calm
136calm
146calm
156calm
166calm
176calm
186calm
196calm
206calm
216calm
226calm
236calm
246calm
256calm
266calm
276calm
286calm
296calm
306calm
316calm

Sunrise & sunset in January

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 13 h 36 min at the start of January to 13 h 12 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 5:13 AM to 5:34 AM, and sunset from 6:46 PM to 6:45 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
113.65:136:46
213.55:136:46
313.55:146:46
413.55:146:46
513.55:156:47
613.55:166:47
713.55:166:47
813.55:176:47
913.55:186:47
1013.55:186:48
1113.55:196:48
1213.55:206:48
1313.55:216:48
1413.45:216:48
1513.45:226:48
1613.45:236:48
1713.45:236:48
1813.45:246:48
1913.45:256:48
2013.45:266:48
2113.45:266:47
2213.35:276:47
2313.35:286:47
2413.35:296:47
2513.35:296:47
2613.35:306:46
2713.35:316:46
2813.25:316:46
2913.25:326:46
3013.25:336:45
3113.25:346:45

Solar energy in January

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in January, about 5.83 kWh/m² — the sunniest month for solar.

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 3.73 kWh/m² to a high of 5.83 kWh/m² in January across the year — January's 5.83 kWh/m² sits near the top of that range.

0246151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
16.0Bright
26.0Bright
36.0Bright
46.0Bright
56.0Bright
66.0Bright
75.9Bright
85.9Bright
95.9Bright
105.9Bright
115.8Bright
125.8Bright
135.8Bright
145.8Bright
155.8Bright
165.8Bright
175.8Bright
185.7Bright
195.7Bright
205.7Bright
215.7Bright
225.8Bright
235.8Bright
245.8Bright
255.8Bright
265.8Bright
275.8Bright
285.8Bright
295.8Bright
305.8Bright
315.8Bright
Planning a trip in January

Hazard calendar for White River

In seasonPeak

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

White River's monsoon runs October–March, when most of the year's rain falls.

Monsoon
Jan
Feb
Mar
Apr
May
Jun
Jul
Aug
Sep
Oct
Nov
Dec

Is January a good time to visit White River?

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

5.2
Sightseeing
11th-best month of the year
5.4
Beach & pool
9th-best month of the year

January is a reasonable time to visit White River for sightseeing.

What to pack for White River in January

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

In January, White River sees daytime highs around 27°C and nights near 18°C. Pack light clothes and rain gear. Worth having: sun protection. About 19 days see rain.

light clothesrain gearsun protection

UV index in White River 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 White River peaks around January 24 at about 13 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near June 22 at about 5 (moderate).

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

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecExtremeVery highHighModerateHighVery highExtremeJan 24UV 13Jun 22UV 5
UV index (midday)Level
Jan13Extreme
Feb13Extreme
Mar12Extreme
Apr8Very high
May6High
Jun5Moderate
Jul5Moderate
Aug7High
Sep8Very high
Oct10Very high
Nov12Extreme
Dec13Extreme

Air quality in White River 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 White River is worst in July — around 52 µg/m³ PM2.5 (poor), about 3.9× the cleanest month (December, 13 µg/m³).

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

0204060JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecModeratePoorModerateJul 1850 µg/m³Dec 2014 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan20Moderate
Feb18Moderate
Mar24Moderate
Apr26Moderate
May34Moderate
Jun37Poor
Jul52Poor
Aug43Poor
Sep34Moderate
Oct23Moderate
Nov30Moderate
Dec13Moderate
Location & terrain

Where is White River?

White River sits at 25.3°S, 31.0°E, 944 m above sea level, in South Africa. The nearest listed city is Mbombela, 16 km away.

Topography around White River

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around White River has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 157 m around an average of 917 m above sea level; within 16 km, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 764 m; within 80 km, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 2,070 m.

The land around White River is covered by grassland (39%) and trees (34%) within 3 km, trees (46%) and grassland (29%) within 16 km, and grassland (42%) and trees (36%) within 80 km.

3 km
157 m
16 km
764 m
80 km
2,070 m
treesshrubsgrasslandcroplandartificial surfaceswater
January weather nearby: Mbombela 16 km · Tekwane 21 km · Sabie 35 km · Matsulu 41 km · Hlanganani 44 km · Mkhuhlu 45 km · Calcutta 45 km · Barberton 51 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 White River (-25.3318°, 31.0117°, elevation 944 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).