Weather in Palmerston North in January

Prime time. January is about as good as Palmerston North gets. Highs average 23.3 °C, lows 13.5 °C, and rain falls on 10 days — nothing in the month is working against you.

January is the highest-scoring month of the twelve. The nearest rival is February, and the month at the other end of the year is July.

Rain on 10 days, 1 of them heavy. Enough to need a plan B, not enough to need a plan around it. Nothing specialised needed — this is the month you pack for the trip rather than for the weather.

What the averages hide

The averages here are honest — no hidden extremes worth planning around. Across the twenty years measured, the hottest January day reached 33.8 °C and the coldest night fell to 6.6 °C, and the wettest single day dropped 56 mm — roughly 97% of the month's rain in one day.

January is moderately variable: 11 mm in the driest year against 123 mm in the wettest, around an average of 58 mm. Roughly two Januarys in three land near that average, and the third does something else entirely.

Wind is light at 14.7 km/h, so the temperature on the page is close to the temperature on your skin, and humidity runs at 75%, high enough to notice on the warm days without dominating them.

How January sits in the year

Temperatures hold steady either side: 20.9 °C in December, 23.3 here, 23.8 in February. Nothing about the timing within the month matters much.

Daylight in January

January is at or near the longest days of Palmerston North's year: 14.7 hours of daylight, losing 0.7 hours across the month. Evenings are the real gain — dinner outdoors still happens in full light.

An inland climate

Despite being inland, the year stays fairly even: 17.7 °C between the year's warmest afternoons and coldest nights.

How busy it gets

Peak season. Expect the highest prices of the year and to be booking well ahead.

Crowd levels are estimated from climate desirability and school-holiday calendars, not from visitor numbers.

January in Palmerston North versus nearby

If Palmerston North is one option among several, the nearby comparison is worth making. Wellington is close enough to be a coin toss — 4.1 °C cooler, 2 days less rain. Taupo is close enough to be a coin toss — within a degree on temperature, the same number of rain days.

So: January is the answer for Palmerston North. If it is booked out or priced out, February is the next best thing at 0 points behind, and July is the month to keep off the shortlist.

Every month in Palmerston North

See all twelve months in Palmerston North, or where else to go in January.