Cape Town weather in January
In January, Cape Town has an average high of 22 °C71 °F and an average low of 18 °C65 °F, with about 14 mm0.5 in of precipitation. It is the 2nd warmest month of the year and ranks 10th for precipitation.
How January compares with other months
Compared with December, January is 1 °C1.7 °F warmer on average. Compared with February, January is about the same temperature. Daylight lasts about 14.2 hours around the middle of the month. Average relative humidity is 78% and the average cloud amount 25%.
Is January a good time to visit Cape Town?
Yes — January is one of the most comfortable months to visit Cape Town by our comfort score, which favours average highs of 21–28 °C, lows above 5 °C, little rain and moderate humidity.
What to wear in January
For Cape Town in January, pack light layers — T-shirts plus a light sweater or jacket.
January in nearby places
| Place | High °C°F | Low °C°F | Precip. mmin |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cape Town | 2271 | 1865 | 140.5 |
| Somerset West | 2882 | 1763 | 200.8 |
| Paarl | 3188 | 1762 | 190.7 |
| Worcester | 3492 | 1661 | 251.0 |
| George | 2678 | 1763 | 341.4 |
| Gqeberha | 2476 | 1967 | 381.5 |
| Queenstown | 3086 | 1457 | 1154.5 |
| Kimberley | 3493 | 1865 | 742.9 |
| Mdantsane | 2781 | 1763 | 1465.8 |
Nearby places that are more than 1 °C1.8 °F warmer in January: Somerset West, Paarl, Worcester and George.
Other months in Cape Town
- January22 °C71 °F / 18 °C65 °F
- February22 °C72 °F / 19 °C65 °F
- March21 °C70 °F / 18 °C64 °F
- April19 °C67 °F / 16 °C61 °F
- May18 °C64 °F / 15 °C59 °F
- June16 °C61 °F / 14 °C57 °F
- July16 °C60 °F / 13 °C55 °F
- August16 °C60 °F / 13 °C55 °F
- September16 °C62 °F / 14 °C56 °F
- October18 °C64 °F / 15 °C58 °F
- November19 °C66 °F / 16 °C60 °F
- December21 °C69 °F / 17 °C63 °F
Frequently asked questions
How warm is Cape Town in January?
In January the average high in Cape Town is 22 °C (71 °F) and the average low is 18 °C (65 °F).
Does it rain a lot in Cape Town in January?
On average about 14 mm (0.5 in) of precipitation falls in January; it ranks 10th of the 12 months.
Is January the warmest month in Cape Town?
No. The warmest month in Cape Town is February, with an average high of 22 °C (72 °F). The coldest month is August, with an average low of 13 °C (55 °F).
How long is the day in Cape Town in January?
In the middle of January the day in Cape Town lasts about 14.2 hours from sunrise to sunset. The value is calculated from the position of the city and the sun.
How humid is Cape Town in January?
The average relative humidity in January is about 78%. This is a long-term average for the whole day.
How cloudy is Cape Town in January?
On average about 25% of the sky is covered by cloud in January. This is the mean cloud amount from satellite data, not the number of sunny days.
About this data
All figures are 25-year averages (January 2001 – December 2025) from the NASA POWER project. Temperature, humidity, wind and precipitation come from the MERRA-2 reanalysis (precipitation is the bias-corrected MERRA-2 product), cloud and solar values from CERES satellite data. They describe a grid cell of roughly 50–70 km, not a single weather station, so they can differ from airport records — most of all on coasts, in mountains and for rainfall. Average highs and lows are the monthly mean temperature plus/minus half of the average daily temperature range. Counts of rainy days are not part of this dataset.