Nuku‘alofa weather in January

In January, Nuku‘alofa sees average daytime highs of 26°C and overnight lows near 25°C, with 195 mm of rain across 15.5 wet days and about 13.1 hours of daylight. It is the 3rd-warmest and 3rd-wettest month of the year here.

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 26°C through the month. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 30% of the time in January, and the air most often feels oppressive.

Daylight stretches from about 13 h 18 min at the start of January to 13 hours by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, January is Nuku‘alofa's 10th-clearest and 8th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Nuku‘alofa's year-round climate.

Daytime high
26°
3rd warmest
Overnight low
25°
10th coldest
Rainfall
195 mm
15.5 wet days
Daylight
13 h 12 min
6:15 AM – 7:25 PM
Cloud cover
64%
10th clearest
Wind
24 km/h
8th windiest
Solar energy
6.6 kWh/m²
Travel score
5.7
out of 10

Nuku‘alofa is capital city of Tonga.

Density
1,963/km²
people per km²
Founded
1795

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 26°C through the month.

A typical January day in Nuku‘alofa reaches about 26°C in the afternoon and slips back to 25°C overnight — a 1°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 25°C and 27°C. Set against its neighbours, January runs on par with December and on par with February.

20°23°25°28°30°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
12625
22625
32625
42625
52625
62625
72625
82625
92625
102625
112625
122625
132625
142625
152625
162625
172625
182625
192625
202625
212625
222625
232725
242725
252725
262725
272725
282725
292725
302725
312725

Nuku‘alofa weather by month

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

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan26° / 25°19515.513.15.7
Feb27° / 26°20316.512.75.3
Mar27° / 26°23018.312.15.3
Apr26° / 25°16713.411.56.0
May25° / 24°10310.1116.8
Jun24° / 23°1068.810.77.0
Jul23° / 22°968.410.87.0
Aug23° / 21°1098.611.36.9
Sep23° / 22°1069.511.96.9
Oct23° / 22°938.512.57.1
Nov25° / 23°999.2136.9
Dec26° / 25°10512.113.36.4

Cloud cover in January

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 30% 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 55%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
14555
24555
34555
44456
54357
64357
74258
84258
94258
104258
114357
124555
134555
144555
154654
164852
174852
184852
194852
204852
214753
224852
234852
244852
254852
264753
274753
284654
294654
304654
314654

Chance of precipitation in January

Any precipitation

Nuku‘alofa gets around 195 mm of rain over 15.5 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 50% and peaks near 59% on the wettest days. The odds climb toward the end of the month.

0%20%40%60%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
145
245
345
446
546
646
747
847
947
1048
1148
1248
1348
1448
1548
1648
1749
1849
1950
2050
2151
2252
2352
2453
2554
2655
2755
2856
2957
3058
3159

Humidity in January

DryComfortableHumidMuggyOppressiveMiserable

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

By dew point, January lands in the oppressive band about 61% of days. Sticky, muggy-or-worse air turns up on roughly 95% of them.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Humid (%)Muggy (%)Oppressive (%)Miserable (%)
1823618
2723619
37226110
47216111
57216012
67206013
77206013
86196114
96196015
106186115
116186115
126186016
136186016
146195916
156195916
166195916
175205916
185206015
195206015
204206115
214206115
224206115
233206215
243196315
253196315
262196415
272186416
282176516
292166517
301156717
311146718

Wind in January

Winds average 24 km/h in January.

Across January, daily wind ranges from about 23 km/h on the calmest days to 26 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

0102030151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
126breezy
226breezy
326breezy
426breezy
526breezy
625breezy
725breezy
825breezy
925breezy
1025breezy
1125breezy
1225breezy
1325breezy
1424breezy
1524breezy
1624breezy
1724breezy
1824breezy
1924breezy
2024breezy
2124breezy
2224breezy
2324breezy
2424breezy
2523breezy
2623breezy
2723breezy
2823breezy
2923breezy
3023breezy
3123breezy

Sunrise & sunset in January

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 13 h 18 min at the start of January to 13 hours by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days shrink by about 18 minutes over January. Sunrise moves from 6:06 AM to 6:25 AM, and sunset from 7:22 PM to 7:23 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
113.36:067:22
213.36:077:22
313.36:077:23
413.36:087:23
513.26:087:23
613.26:097:23
713.26:107:24
813.26:107:24
913.26:117:24
1013.26:127:24
1113.26:127:24
1213.26:137:24
1313.26:137:25
1413.26:147:25
1513.26:157:25
1613.26:157:25
1713.16:167:25
1813.16:177:25
1913.16:177:25
2013.16:187:25
2113.16:197:25
2213.16:197:25
2313.16:207:25
2413.16:217:24
2513.16:217:24
2613.06:227:24
2713.06:237:24
2813.06:237:24
2913.06:247:24
3013.06:247:23
3113.06:257:23

Solar energy in January

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in January, about 6.6 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 3.27 kWh/m² to a high of 6.69 kWh/m² in December across the year — January's 6.6 kWh/m² sits near the top of that range.

0246151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
16.9Intense
26.9Intense
36.9Intense
46.8Intense
56.8Intense
66.8Intense
76.7Intense
86.7Intense
96.7Intense
106.6Intense
116.6Intense
126.6Intense
136.5Intense
146.5Intense
156.5Intense
166.5Intense
176.5Intense
186.5Intense
196.5Intense
206.4Intense
216.4Intense
226.4Intense
236.4Intense
246.4Intense
256.3Intense
266.3Intense
276.3Intense
286.3Intense
296.3Intense
306.3Intense
316.2Intense
Planning a trip in January

Is January a good time to visit Nuku‘alofa?

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

5.7
Sightseeing
10th-best month of the year
5.6
Beach & pool
7th-best month of the year

January is a reasonable time to visit Nuku‘alofa for sightseeing.

What to pack for Nuku‘alofa in January

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

In January, Nuku‘alofa sees daytime highs around 26°C and nights near 25°C. Pack rain gear and sun protection. Worth having: light clothes and a windbreaker. About 16 days see rain.

rain gearsun protectionlight clothesa windbreaker

Sea temperature near Nuku‘alofa in January

The nearest coast averages about 27°C in January — the other half of the beach question. The full-year curve and swim-comfort zones are below.

The sea offshore is warmest in March at about 28°C and coldest in August near 24°C.

The water stays above 20°C all year — warm enough for a swim any month.

22°24°26°28°30°JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecrefreshingwarmtropicalcomfortable to swim
Sea temperature (°C)Comfort
Jan27Warm
Feb28Warm
Mar28Warm
Apr27Warm
May26Warm
Jun25Warm
Jul24Warm
Aug24Refreshing
Sep24Refreshing
Oct24Warm
Nov25Warm
Dec26Warm

UV index in Nuku‘alofa 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 Nuku‘alofa peaks around February 12 at about 16 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near June 23 at about 7 (high).

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

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecExtremeVery highHighVery highExtremeFeb 12UV 16Jun 23UV 7
UV index (midday)Level
Jan15Extreme
Feb16Extreme
Mar14Extreme
Apr10Very high
May7Very high
Jun7High
Jul7High
Aug8Very high
Sep11Extreme
Oct14Extreme
Nov13Extreme
Dec13Extreme
Location & terrain

Where is Nuku‘alofa?

Nuku‘alofa sits at 21.1°S, 175.2°W, 1 m above sea level, in Tonga. The nearest listed city is Alofi, 598 km away.

Topography around Nuku‘alofa

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Nuku‘alofa has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 21 m around an average of 3 m above sea level; within 16 km, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 73 m; within 80 km, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 299 m.

The land around Nuku‘alofa is covered by water (52%) and artificial surfaces (20%) within 3 km, water (68%) within 16 km, and water (97%) within 80 km.

3 km
21 m
16 km
73 m
80 km
299 m
treesgrasslandartificial surfaceswatermangroves
January weather nearby: Alofi 598 km · Levuka 668 km · Nasinu 741 km · Suva 746 km · Lami 749 km · Labasa 775 km · Sigatoka 833 km · Nadi 858 km

Tonga travel facts

Travel advisory
Level 1
Exercise Normal Precautions
Power plugs
Type I
230 V · 50 Hz
Prices
≈ 75% of US
price level, 2025
GDP per capita
$6,547
2025
Safe drinking water
30%
of population, 2024
Homicide rate
0.9
per 100k, 2019
Road deaths
33
per 100k/yr, 2019
Income group
Upper middle
World Bank
Religion
Protestant 64%Church of Jesus Christ 20%Roman Catholic 14%other 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 Nuku‘alofa (-21.1368°, -175.2011°, elevation 1 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. Topography is sampled from the Copernicus DEM GLO-90 elevation model (© ESA/Airbus) and ESA WorldCover 2021 land cover (CC BY 4.0).