Weather in Cape Town in January 2025
- January is usually the driest month of the year in Cape Town
Average weather
Average temperature in Cape Town in January
Going from a maximum of +30°C during the day to a minimum of +15°C during the night, the temperature in January averages around +25°C.
The average maximum temperature goes down 7% by the end of the month, compared with the beginning of the month, from +29°C to +28°C.
Is Cape Town warm or cold in January?
Cape Town is typically warm in January.
Maximum temperatures go up compared to the previous month from +22°C to +23°C. The minimum temperature also goes up from +17°C to +18°C.
It’s generally warm, but pack a long-sleeve shirt for evenings.
January is one of the warmest months in Cape Town, here is the comparison with other months:
Water temperature in Cape Town in January
Water in Cape Town in January is Fresh. It varies from +17°C to +21°C, with an average of +19°C. This is almost similar to the air temperature, which averages +23°C.
The water temperature in January is one of the warmest of the entire year:
Can you swim in Cape Town in January?
Climate in Cape Town in January
| December | January | February | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Avg. temperature | ||||||
| +22°C | +23°C | +24°C | ||||
| Min. temperature | ||||||
| +11°C | +1°C | +11°C | ||||
| Max. temperature | ||||||
| +34°C | +36°C | +36°C | ||||
| Rainfall | ||||||
| 15 mm | 12 mm | 12 mm | ||||
| Wind | ||||||
| 6 m/s | 6 m/s | 6 m/s | ||||
| Avg. water temperature | ||||||
| +18°C | +19°C | +19°C | ||||
| Humidity | ||||||
| 71% | 71% | 73% | ||||
| Air pressure | ||||||
| 1013 HPa | 1012 HPa | 1012 HPa | ||||
| Sunny days | ||||||
| 16 | 18 | 16 | ||||
| Cloudy days | ||||||
| 8 | 8 | 7 | ||||
| Rainy days | ||||||
| 6 | 5 | 4 | ||||
| Snowy days | ||||||
| 0 | 0 | 0 | ||||
January weather is still as great as in December. It’s getting warmer as January arrives. The average maximum temperature goes up from +22°C to +23°C during the day. As January arrives, the amount of rainfall goes down. On average, the rainfall volume decreases from 15 mm to 12 mm. Humidity levels don’t change as the month goes on, averaging around 71%. The average wind speed doesn’t change much during January, staying around 6 m/s. The good news is there are likely to be more sunny days in January, from 16 to 18.
February brings much the same weather, it remains great.
Wind
The average wind speed is 6 m/s getting up to 10 m/s which is a medium breeze. You can feel it, especially getting out of the water.
The average wind speed in Cape Town is gradually decreasing during January, going from 7 m/s to 6 m/s over the course of the month.
Rain
How was the weather last January in Cape Town?
Climate Change over Years
The climate in Cape Town in January has not changed much over the last 43 years.
The average temperature was the lowest in 1996 (+18°C) and the highest in 2022 (+22°C). The driest year was 2017 with only 308 mm of rainfall, and the wettest year was 2023 with 1389 mm.
FAQ
Is January a good time to visit Cape Town?
Can you sunbathe in Cape Town in January?
Can you swim in Cape Town in January?
Is Cape Town rainy in January?
Is it sunny in Cape Town in January?
Other cities in South Africa
Monthly weather in Cape Town
Source of the data
For this page, we’ve looked at the typical weather in Cape Town, based on historical hourly weather data from January 1, 1979, to December 31, 2023.
For past dates, we show actual recorded data at the location at that time. Forecasts are based on recorded weather during that day of the year, averaged over the total years for which we have records (unless stated otherwise). The daily temperature is the highest recorded temperature in the shadow during that day.