January is one of the warmer months of the year in Wanaka, with average highs near 16.7°C and lows around 6.5°C (mean 11.6°C). It is about average for rainfall, averaging 145 mm of rainfall and 78% relative humidity across the period.
January is one of the warmer months of the year in Wanaka. Across 45 years of records, the warmest January in Wanaka was 2018 — when the month averaged 16.2°C — while the coldest was 1983 at 8.4°C. Typical January days reach 16.7°C with nights near 6.5°C. The long-term trend is warming, about 0.4°C per decade.
January is about average for rainfall in Wanaka, averaging 145 mm of rainfall. The wettest January on record was 1985 with 379 mm, while the driest was 2022 at 29 mm.
Relative humidity in Wanaka during January averages 78%. The most humid January was 1983 at 83%, and the least humid was 1999 at 69%.
January receives about 6.6 kWh/m²/day of solar energy in Wanaka. The sunniest Januarys were 2008 and 2022 at 7.5 kWh/m²/day, and the cloudiest were 2002, 2016 and 2017 at 5.8.
Average wind speed in Wanaka during January is 2.8 m/s. The windiest January was 2017 at 4 m/s, while the calmest was 2023 at 1.7 m/s.
Ranked against the other 11 months using 1981–2025 averages.
| Metric | 1980s | 1990s | 2000s | 2010s | 2020s | Change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Avg Temp | 11.1°C | 11.3°C | 11.4°C | 11.6°C | 12.9°C | +1.8°C |
| Avg High | 15.9°C | 16.4°C | 16.6°C | 16.9°C | 18.4°C | +2.5°C |
| Avg Low | 6.4°C | 6.2°C | 6.2°C | 6.4°C | 7.5°C | +1.1°C |
| Avg Rain | 224 mm | 120 mm | 119 mm | 159 mm | 85 mm | -139 mm |
January temperatures in Wanaka have risen by about 2.8°C between 1981–1985 and 2021–2025.
January has ranged from a record low of -1.7°C (1998) to a record high of 27.3°C (2018).
Rainfall in January is about average for rainfall, averaging 145 mm, with a wettest year of 379 mm.
Daytime highs and overnight lows have shifted differently — highs rose about 0.6°C per decade while lows rose 0.3°C per decade, widening the gap between day and night.
One of the best times to visit Wanaka
January is one of the best times to visit Wanaka. Expect days averaging 16.7°C and nights around 6.5°C (mean 11.6°C) — warmer than Wanaka's yearly average — with higher rainfall (145 mm), so conditions are generally comfortable for sightseeing and outdoor plans.
| Year | Avg High | Avg Temp | Avg Low | Hottest Day | Coldest Day | Rainfall | Humidity | Wind | Solar |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 18.6°C | 13.1°C | 7.7°C | 23.8°C | 2.1°C | 40 mm | 71% | 1.9 m/s | 7.2 |
| 2024 | 17.7°C | 12.5°C | 7.3°C | 22.7°C | 0.6°C | 162 mm | 75% | 2.8 m/s | 6.4 |
| 2023 | 20.1°C | 14.7°C | 9.3°C | 24.6°C | 3.5°C | 40 mm | 73% | 1.7 m/s | 7 |
| 2022 | 19.8°C | 13.9°C | 8.1°C | 24.2°C | 2.1°C | 29 mm | 71% | 1.9 m/s | 7.5 |
| 2021 | 16.1°C | 10.9°C | 5.6°C | 21.9°C | 0.7°C | 183 mm | 80% | 2.9 m/s | 6.3 |
| 2020 | 18.2°C | 12.6°C | 7.0°C | 23.9°C | 0.8°C | 58 mm | 73% | 2.5 m/s | 6.9 |
| 2019 | 18.8°C | 13.0°C | 7.2°C | 23.9°C | 1.7°C | 119 mm | 75% | 3.4 m/s | 6.3 |
| 2018 🔥 | 21.4°C | 16.2°C | 10.9°C | 27.3°C | 4.5°C | 79 mm | 74% | 2.5 m/s | 6.2 |
| 2017 | 13.6°C | 8.9°C | 4.2°C | 18.9°C | -0.3°C | 263 mm | 81% | 4 m/s | 5.8 |
| 2016 | 16.9°C | 12.0°C | 7.1°C | 22.1°C | 0.2°C | 193 mm | 77% | 2.6 m/s | 5.8 |
| 2015 | 18.6°C | 13.1°C | 7.7°C | 22.9°C | 1.3°C | 87 mm | 74% | 2.4 m/s | 7.1 |
| 2014 | 14.7°C | 9.4°C | 4.2°C | 19.4°C | -0.3°C | 187 mm | 78% | 3.3 m/s | 6.5 |
| 2013 | 16.9°C | 11.1°C | 5.4°C | 24.2°C | 0.7°C | 127 mm | 76% | 3.1 m/s | 6.8 |
| 2012 | 15.6°C | 10.1°C | 4.7°C | 21.6°C | -0.8°C | 126 mm | 76% | 3 m/s | 6.8 |
| 2011 | 16.3°C | 11.4°C | 6.6°C | 20.9°C | 0.3°C | 223 mm | 80% | 2.9 m/s | 6.2 |
| 2010 | 16.0°C | 10.9°C | 5.9°C | 20.9°C | 0.7°C | 186 mm | 81% | 2.7 m/s | 6 |
| 2009 | 16.2°C | 11.3°C | 6.4°C | 23.2°C | 0.8°C | 134 mm | 81% | 3.2 m/s | 6.2 |
| 2008 | 18.8°C | 12.7°C | 6.7°C | 22.3°C | 2.4°C | 127 mm | 74% | 2.5 m/s | 7.5 |
| 2007 | 16.6°C | 11.6°C | 6.7°C | 21.1°C | 1.2°C | 145 mm | 80% | 2.7 m/s | 6.4 |
| 2006 | 16.1°C | 10.4°C | 4.8°C | 26.2°C | -1.0°C | 147 mm | 76% | 3.4 m/s | 7.2 |
| 2005 | 16.4°C | 11.7°C | 7.1°C | 22.5°C | -0.6°C | 96 mm | 80% | 2.8 m/s | 6.7 |
| 2004 | 17.1°C | 12.0°C | 6.9°C | 21.1°C | 1.6°C | 177 mm | 79% | 2.9 m/s | 6.3 |
| 2003 | 16.0°C | 10.8°C | 5.7°C | 22.5°C | 1.3°C | 100 mm | 77% | 2.8 m/s | 6.4 |
| 2002 | 16.6°C | 11.9°C | 7.1°C | 23.0°C | 3.8°C | 62 mm | 79% | 2.4 m/s | 5.8 |
| 2001 | 15.6°C | 9.9°C | 4.1°C | 21.0°C | 0.1°C | 55 mm | 73% | 2.7 m/s | 6.7 |
| 2000 | 16.3°C | 11.4°C | 6.5°C | 22.0°C | 0.9°C | 150 mm | 78% | 2.2 m/s | 6.4 |
| 1999 | 20.5°C | 14.5°C | 8.5°C | 26.6°C | 2.5°C | 34 mm | 69% | 2.4 m/s | 7.4 |
| 1998 | 16.6°C | 11.4°C | 6.3°C | 22.6°C | -1.7°C | 116 mm | 77% | 3.2 m/s | 7 |
| 1997 | 16.2°C | 10.8°C | 5.3°C | 22.8°C | -0.7°C | 44 mm | 75% | 2.2 m/s | 6.8 |
| 1996 | 17.3°C | 12.9°C | 8.5°C | 21.3°C | 3.8°C | 119 mm | 81% | 2 m/s | 6.5 |
| 1995 | 16.5°C | 11.4°C | 6.3°C | 22.3°C | 0.9°C | 218 mm | 81% | 2.7 m/s | 6.9 |
| 1994 | 15.7°C | 11.0°C | 6.4°C | 21.7°C | 0.8°C | 93 mm | 80% | 3.4 m/s | 6.1 |
| 1993 | 13.9°C | 8.8°C | 3.7°C | 17.8°C | -0.3°C | 143 mm | 80% | 3.5 m/s | 6.5 |
| 1992 | 15.6°C | 10.6°C | 5.6°C | 20.1°C | 1.0°C | 185 mm | 81% | 2.7 m/s | 6.6 |
| 1991 | 15.9°C | 11.2°C | 6.5°C | 21.1°C | 0.4°C | 161 mm | 81% | 3.1 m/s | 6.1 |
| 1990 | 16.0°C | 10.6°C | 5.2°C | 21.1°C | 1.2°C | 85 mm | 77% | 3.1 m/s | 6.8 |
| 1989 | 18.1°C | 13.5°C | 9.0°C | 23.0°C | 3.6°C | 75 mm | 77% | 2.1 m/s | 6.7 |
| 1988 | 16.7°C | 11.2°C | 5.6°C | 21.6°C | 0.0°C | 257 mm | 79% | 3 m/s | 6.8 |
| 1987 | 16.7°C | 11.9°C | 7.0°C | 22.5°C | -0.6°C | 254 mm | 79% | 2.9 m/s | 6.3 |
| 1986 | 16.8°C | 12.5°C | 8.3°C | 22.9°C | 0.3°C | 267 mm | 81% | 2.6 m/s | 6.4 |
| 1985 🌧️ | 15.6°C | 11.3°C | 7.0°C | 21.0°C | 3.9°C | 379 mm | 83% | 3.2 m/s | 6.9 |
| 1984 | 14.3°C | 9.2°C | 4.2°C | 20.2°C | 0.9°C | 180 mm | 79% | 2.9 m/s | 6.8 |
| 1983 ❄️ | 12.6°C | 8.4°C | 4.2°C | 19.4°C | -0.2°C | 340 mm | 83% | 3.7 m/s | — |
| 1982 | 14.9°C | 10.0°C | 5.1°C | 21.4°C | 1.2°C | 186 mm | 79% | 3.4 m/s | — |
| 1981 | 17.8°C | 12.3°C | 6.8°C | 22.8°C | -0.6°C | 80 mm | 75% | 2.9 m/s | — |
Actual recorded January data for each year, 1981–2025 — sourced from NASA POWER.
The average high in January is around 16.7°C with lows near 6.5°C (mean 11.6°C), based on 45 years of NASA POWER data.
January averages 145 mm of rainfall in Wanaka, about average for rainfall. The wettest on record was 379 mm in 1985.
The hottest January reached 27.3°C in 2018. The coldest dipped to -1.7°C in 1998.
Comparing the earliest years on record (1981–1985) with the most recent (2021–2025), average January temperatures have risen by about 2.8°C. Daytime highs moved from 15°C to 18.5°C and overnight lows from 5.5°C to 7.6°C over the same span.
January is one of the warmer months of the year in Wanaka and about average for rainfall, so plan for around 16.7°C daytime highs and 6.5°C at night.
Not quite — January is the 11th coolest month in Wanaka, averaging 11.6°C.
For January in Wanaka, pack warm layers and a jacket for chilly mornings, with typical highs of 16.7°C and lows of 6.5°C. Bring an umbrella or light rain jacket too.
Relative humidity in January averages 78% — quite humid.
Average wind speed in January is 2.8 m/s. The windiest January on record averaged 4 m/s (2017).
The wettest January on record was 1985 with 379 mm. On average, January sees 145 mm.
All figures are derived from NASA POWER (Prediction Of Worldwide Energy Resources), based on MERRA-2 satellite reanalysis, covering 1981–2025.
Explore how the weather in Wanaka behaves each January, based on 45 years of NASA POWER climate data from 1981 to 2025. This page breaks down average temperatures, rainfall, humidity, wind and solar radiation for January specifically, along with year-by-year records and how the month has changed over the decades.
