Tarifa weather in January

In January, Tarifa sees average daytime highs of 15°C and overnight lows near 12°C, with 85 mm of rain across 8.9 wet days and about 9.8 hours of daylight. It is the 12th-warmest and 3rd-wettest month of the year here.

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 15°C through the month. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 41% of the time in January, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 9 h 36 min at the start of January to 10 h 12 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, January is Tarifa's 10th-clearest and 7th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Tarifa's year-round climate.

Daytime high
15°
12th warmest
Overnight low
12°
1st coldest
Rainfall
85 mm
8.9 wet days
Daylight
9 h 48 min
8:38 AM – 6:26 PM
Cloud cover
49%
10th clearest
Wind
18 km/h
7th windiest
Solar energy
2.71 kWh/m²
Travel score
4.9
out of 10

Tarifa is capital town of the municipality of Tarifa, Spain.

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 15°C through the month.

A typical January day in Tarifa reaches about 15°C in the afternoon and slips back to 12°C overnight — a 4°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 13°C and 17°C. Set against its neighbours, January runs about 1°C cooler than December and on par with February.

10°15°20°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
11612
21612
31612
41612
51612
61612
71612
81512
91512
101512
111512
121512
131512
141512
151512
161512
171511
181511
191511
201511
211511
221511
231511
241511
251511
261511
271511
281511
291511
301511
311511

Tarifa weather by month

How January compares with the rest of the year at a glance. January is the 12th-warmest and 3rd-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan15° / 12°858.99.84.9
Feb16° / 12°758.110.65.0
Mar17° / 13°728.611.75.7
Apr18° / 14°517.112.96.6
May21° / 16°264.713.97.6
Jun23° / 18°50.914.49.1
Jul26° / 20°10.114.29.2
Aug26° / 21°30.613.48.9
Sep24° / 20°323.712.28.4
Oct21° / 17°757.911.17.0
Nov18° / 15°918.710.16.2
Dec16° / 13°10310.49.65.2

Cloud cover in January

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 41% 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 40%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
15743
25743
35842
45842
55941
66040
76040
86040
96040
106139
116139
126040
136040
146139
156139
166139
176040
186040
196040
206139
216139
226139
236040
246040
256040
266139
276040
286040
296040
305941
316040

Chance of precipitation in January

Any precipitation

Tarifa gets around 85 mm of rain over 8.9 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 29% and peaks near 32% on the wettest days.

0%10%20%30%40%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
128
228
327
427
526
626
725
825
925
1025
1125
1226
1326
1427
1527
1628
1729
1829
1930
2030
2131
2231
2332
2432
2532
2632
2732
2832
2932
3032
3131

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 93% of days. It rarely turns muggy — the humid and sticky bands barely register.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)
187121
287121
388111
488111
589101
689101
79190
89280
99280
109370
119460
129460
139460
149550
159550
169550
179550
189550
199640
209640
219640
229640
239640
249640
259550
269550
279550
289550
299550
309550
319550

Wind in January

Winds average 18 km/h in January.

Across January, daily wind ranges from about 18 km/h on the calmest days to 19 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

0510152025151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
119light breeze
219light breeze
319light breeze
419light breeze
519light breeze
619light breeze
719light breeze
819light breeze
919light breeze
1018light breeze
1118light breeze
1218light breeze
1318light breeze
1418light breeze
1518light breeze
1618light breeze
1718light breeze
1818light breeze
1918light breeze
2018light breeze
2118light breeze
2218light breeze
2319light breeze
2419light breeze
2519light breeze
2619light breeze
2719light breeze
2819light breeze
2919light breeze
3019light breeze
3119light breeze

Sunrise & sunset in January

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 9 h 36 min at the start of January to 10 h 12 min by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days grow by about 36 minutes over January. Sunrise moves from 8:38 AM to 8:31 AM, and sunset from 6:13 PM to 6:41 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
19.68:386:13
29.68:386:14
39.68:386:15
49.68:386:16
59.68:386:16
69.68:386:17
79.78:396:18
89.78:396:19
99.78:396:20
109.78:386:20
119.78:386:21
129.78:386:22
139.78:386:23
149.88:386:24
159.88:386:25
169.88:386:26
179.88:376:27
189.88:376:28
199.98:376:29
209.98:366:30
219.98:366:31
229.98:366:32
2310.08:356:33
2410.08:356:34
2510.08:346:35
2610.08:346:36
2710.18:336:37
2810.18:336:38
2910.18:326:39
3010.18:316:40
3110.28:316:41

Solar energy in January

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in January, about 2.71 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 2.35 kWh/m² to a high of 7.75 kWh/m² in July across the year — January's 2.71 kWh/m² sits near the bottom.

01234151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
12.4Moderate
22.5Moderate
32.5Moderate
42.5Moderate
52.5Moderate
62.5Moderate
72.5Moderate
82.6Moderate
92.6Moderate
102.6Moderate
112.6Moderate
122.6Moderate
132.6Moderate
142.7Moderate
152.7Moderate
162.7Moderate
172.7Moderate
182.7Moderate
192.8Moderate
202.8Moderate
212.8Moderate
222.8Moderate
232.9Moderate
242.9Moderate
252.9Moderate
262.9Moderate
273.0Moderate
283.0Moderate
293.0Moderate
303.1Moderate
313.1Moderate
Planning a trip in January

Hazard calendar for Tarifa

In seasonPeak

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

Tarifa's rainy season runs October–April, 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 Tarifa?

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

4.9
Sightseeing
12th-best month of the year
0.2
Beach & pool
12th-best month of the year

January is a reasonable time to visit Tarifa for sightseeing.

What to pack for Tarifa in January

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

In January, Tarifa sees daytime highs around 15°C and nights near 12°C. Worth packing: a warm layer and rain gear. About 9 days see rain.

a warm layerrain gear

Sea temperature near Tarifa in January

The nearest coast averages about 17°C in January — the other half of the beach question. The full-year curve and swim-comfort zones are below.

The sea at the nearest coast (about 16 km away) is warmest in August at about 22°C and coldest in March near 16°C.

It's comfortable for a long swim from Jun 24 to Oct 18 — about 3.8 months when the water holds above 20°C.

14°16°18°20°22°24°JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecbracingcoolrefreshingcomfortable to swim
Sea temperature (°C)Comfort
Jan17Cool
Feb16Cool
Mar16Cool
Apr17Cool
May18Cool
Jun20Cool
Jul21Refreshing
Aug22Refreshing
Sep21Refreshing
Oct20Refreshing
Nov19Cool
Dec18Cool

UV index in Tarifa in January

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in January peaks around 2. The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.

Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Tarifa peaks around July 17 at about 10 (very high) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near December 21 at about 2 (moderate).

The index reaches 3 or more — the level where the WHO recommends sun protection — in 9 months of the year.

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecModerateVery highHighModerateJul 17UV 10Dec 21UV 2
UV index (midday)Level
Jan2Moderate
Feb3Moderate
Mar7High
Apr9Very high
May8Very high
Jun8Very high
Jul10Extreme
Aug8Very high
Sep7High
Oct6High
Nov3Moderate
Dec2Moderate

Air quality in Tarifa 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 Tarifa is worst in March — around 17 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 1.7× the cleanest month (June, 10 µg/m³).

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

01020JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecModerateGoodModerateGoodMar 1616 µg/m³Jun 1410 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan12Good
Feb14Moderate
Mar17Moderate
Apr14Moderate
May12Good
Jun10Good
Jul13Moderate
Aug13Moderate
Sep13Moderate
Oct13Moderate
Nov12Good
Dec11Good
Location & terrain

Where is Tarifa?

Tarifa sits at 36.0°N, 5.6°W, 22 m above sea level, in Spain. The nearest listed city is Algeciras, 19 km away.

Topography around Tarifa

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Tarifa has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 159 m around an average of 16 m above sea level; within 16 km, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 826 m; within 80 km, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,904 m.

The land around Tarifa is covered by water (59%) and grassland (29%) within 3 km, water (64%) and trees (20%) within 16 km, and water (47%) and trees (20%) within 80 km.

3 km
159 m
16 km
826 m
80 km
1,904 m
treesshrubsgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwater
January weather nearby: Algeciras 19 km · Los Barrios 22 km · Gibraltar 27 km · La Línea de la Concepción 29 km · Fnidek 29 km · Ceuta 29 km · San Roque 30 km · Tangier 32 km

Spain travel facts

Travel advisory
Level 2
Exercise Increased Caution
Power plugs
Type C / F
230 V · 50 Hz
Prices
≈ 65% of US
price level, 2025
GDP per capita
$38,627
2025
Happiness
6.5 / 10
World Happiness, 2025
Safe drinking water
99%
of population, 2024
Homicide rate
0.7
per 100k, 2023
Road deaths
3.9
per 100k/yr, 2019
Income group
High
World Bank
English
Moderate
EF EPI 540
Religion
Roman Catholic 58%atheist 16%agnostic 11%non-believer 11%

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 Tarifa (36.0139°, -5.607°, elevation 22 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. 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).