Sydney in January
In January, Sydney has 76.1 mm (3.00 in) of rain, a daily high of 27.1 °C (80.8 °F) and a daily low of 19.9 °C (67.8 °F), as 1991-2020 model estimates; figures in brackets are converted. The daily high is a model estimate, adjusted against station records.
Last updated : first sourced version.
Best time to visit Sydney: January meets our rule. Expect 6.6 rain days (model estimate) and days that shorten by 36 min.
What January is like in Sydney
- Emerald Class ferries race bow-to-bow across the harbour on 26 January. Crowds line Circular Quay and the shore to cheer them on. Source: Australia Day (NSW): Ferrython, checked .
- Music from the Sydney Symphony fills Parramatta Park under the stars in January. The finale ends with fireworks at The Crescent. Source: Sydney Festival: Plan your perfect night at Sydney Symphony Under the Stars, checked .
- Swimmers cool off in the calm water of Marrinawi Cove in January. Free live acoustic sets play there at weekends. Source: City of Sydney: free things to do in Sydney this January, checked .
Key figures
Weather in January, 1991-2020 model estimates
- Daily high
- 27.1 °C (80.8 °F)
- Daily low
- 19.9 °C (67.8 °F)
- Rain
- 76.1 mm (3.00 in) in the month
- Sunshine
- no data
Model estimate 1991-2020, not a weather station: ERA5-Land model estimates (Copernicus), computed by City by Month for the grid cell nearest the city. Daily high and Days with rain: model estimate, adjusted against station records. Licence: CC BY 4.0. Checked . How we make and test model estimates
Model estimate for the ERA5-Land grid cell at 33.9° S, 151.2° E, 4 km from the city centre point.
How we define and convert these figures
Notes. Sunshine: Not in our ERA5-Land estimates.
Daylight on 15 January 2026
- Sunrise
- 05:59 local time
- Sunset
- 20:09 local time
- Day length
- 14 h 09 min
Day length 1-31 January: 14 h 22 min to 13 h 46 min, -36 min.
Source: NOAA Solar Calculator equations, checked .
Month by month
Each month: daily high in °C, then rain in mm, 1991-2020 model estimates.
ERA5-Land model estimates 1991-2020, as above, checked .
This month against the year
| Measure | January | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| Daily high | 27.1 °C | warmest |
| Daily low | 19.9 °C | equal warmest |
| Rain | 76.1 mm | 4th wettest |
| Sunshine | no data | no data |
| Day length | 14 h 09 min | 2nd longest |
Equal values share a rank. How we rank months
Sydney in January, on average: 6.6 rain days (1 mm or more). Model estimate, adjusted against station records.
ERA5-Land model estimates 1991-2020, as above, checked .
Day length: NOAA solar equations, checked .
Public holidays this month
| Date | Holiday | Scope |
|---|---|---|
| Thursday | New Year's Day | national |
| Monday | Australia Day | national |
| Date | Holiday | Scope |
|---|---|---|
| Friday | New Year's Day | national |
| Tuesday | Australia Day | national |
Checked against the official list, .
Regional holidays are for AU-NSW. How we check holidays
Source: holidays Python library, checked . Library: holidays 0.105.
Same month in 8 model-estimate cities
Sydney is warmer than 5 of our 8 model-estimate cities in January by mean daily high. How we rank cities
Closest high and low in January: Mumbai (2.1 °C apart), Melbourne (2.8), Bangkok (3.5).
| City | Gap from Sydney, °C | High, °C | Low, °C | Rain, mm | Sunshine, hours |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sydney (this page) | — | 27.1 | 19.9 | 76.1 | no data |
| Mumbai (closest) | 2.1 | 30.4 | 19.0 | no data | no data |
| Melbourne (closest) | 2.8 | 26.6 | 14.8 | 52.5 | no data |
| Bangkok (closest) | 3.5 | 31.9 | 22.1 | no data | no data |
| Delhi | 9.1 | 21.0 | 7.8 | no data | no data |
| Lisbon | 11.3 | 14.9 | 9.5 | 66.5 | no data |
| Porto | 13.3 | 14.1 | 6.4 | 133.3 | no data |
| Istanbul | 16.9 | 9.3 | 3.9 | 86.3 | no data |
Sources (1991-2020): ERA5-Land model estimates, checked . Each city's page names its grid cell. All sources in full on Methodology.
Sources
- Attribution: Copernicus Climate Change Service (2025): ERA5 Land hourly time-series data from 1950 to present. Copernicus Climate Change Service (C3S) Climate Data Store (CDS). DOI: 10.24381/ee82e357. Accessed on the check date shown. Generated using or contains modified Copernicus Climate Change Service information 2025. Neither the European Commission nor ECMWF is responsible for any use that may be made of the Copernicus information or data it contains. Licence: CC BY 4.0. Checked .
- NOAA Solar Calculator equations, computed locally, NOAA Global Monitoring Laboratory (method); City by Month (computation). Attribution: Computed with the NOAA Solar Calculator method (no NOAA endorsement implied). Licence: Method, not data. Checked .
- holidays Python library, run locally. Attribution: holidays library, Vacanza team. Licence: MIT. Checked .
Cite this page: City by Month. "Sydney in January: weather, daylight, holidays". https://citybymonth.com/cities/australia/sydney/january/. Last updated 8 November 2026.