Wollongong weather in January
January in Wollongong: warm, rainy, with clean air — one of the best months to visit.
Updated September 2026 · climate normals from ERA5 reanalysis
#1 of 12 months in Wollongong · #350 of 1413 destinations to visit in January · comfort 85/100 (tier A)
- Days
- 25°C
- Nights
- 20°C
- Wet days
- 11
- Sun
- 10.8 h
- Humidity
- 78%
- Daylight
- 14 h
Traveller notes on Wollongong in January
Forum posters note Wollongong genuinely gets a lot of rain year-round - more than twice London's annual rainfall by one poster's count, with roughly 137 days of some rain a typical year - so a summer visit is never a sure bet for wall-to-wall sun. One visitor's five-day December trip (similar seasonal pattern to January) landed three good tourist days and two stormy ones spent mostly near the hotel, which posters treat as a fairly representative mix for this time of year. Despite the rain risk, posters describe January days as warm and pleasant when the weather does cooperate, with the coastal escarpment scenery and beaches making it worth building in flexibility rather than a rigid day-by-day plan.
Other months in Wollongong
Forum posters describe Wollongong's July as squarely winter, cool with genuinely variable weather, and recommend wind-proof clothing given how biting the coastal wind can turn, especially once the dry southwesterlies pick up later in winter into August-September. Posters note Wollongong sees heavy-rain days regularly but overall fewer stretches of mixed, changeable weather than Melbourne, with roughly 137 rainy days a year on average. Posters describing the following spring, September through November, note those months bring markedly clearer, crisper conditions - useful context for anyone deciding between a winter or spring visit. Posters generally rate July as cool, wind-affected and genuinely wintry for Wollongong, workable with proper layers and wind protection.
Add your own note from Wollongong's card on the map.
Wollongong climate normals — January
Monthly averages from ERA5 reanalysis. AQI is the mean US Air Quality Index for the month.
Crowds in Wollongong in January
How busy the place itself is — school and mass holidays, the months an editor tagged, and how sought-after the weather makes them. Never part of the comfort score.
Peak crowdsIllawarra Folk Festival, Grand Pacific Drive weekends, Summer holidays in Australia(estimated)
Peak crowdsBusyShoulder seasonQuiet
Best months for Wollongong's weather
Ranked by this destination's own climate comfort score across the year — a different thing from how busy it gets (see Crowds above).
Fair weatherWollongong's weather doesn't swing hard through the year — comfort stays fairly steady in every month.
What's on in Wollongong in January
Recurring seasonal events, natural spectacles, closures and holidays — curated and sourced.
- Festival
Illawarra Folk Festival
10–25 Jan · usuallyMusic festivalCrowdedBook earlyFour days of folk, sessions and camping on the showground at Bulli, north of the city and under the escarpment. It is the biggest thing on the Illawarra calendar and it runs in the middle of summer. Source ↗
- Season
Grand Pacific Drive weekends
1 Oct – 30 AprDay-tripper crushCrowdedOn any warm weekend the coast road down from Sydney, the Sea Cliff Bridge and the lookouts on Bald Hill are nose to tail from mid-morning. Go on a weekday or before nine and it is a different road.
- Season
Summer holiday peak
18 Dec – 31 JanSchool holidaysCrowdedThe Illawarra beaches take the overflow from Sydney for six weeks, and the northern ones — Austinmer, Thirroul, Coalcliff — fill first because they are closest to the train line.
Nearby, and something's on
Within 300 km of Wollongong — a day trip or a short hop — with something on this month. Never part of the comfort score.
Where is Wollongong?
Wollongong in January — FAQ
- Is January a good time to visit Wollongong?
- January in Wollongong: warm, rainy, with clean air — one of the best months to visit. It ranks #1 of 12 months for Wollongong on SeasonMap's comfort score (85/100).
- What is the weather like in Wollongong in January?
- In January, Wollongong averages a daily high of 25.3°C and a low of 19.5°C, with about 104.5 mm of rain over roughly 11 rainy days.
- What is the air quality in Wollongong in January?
- Wollongong has a mean US Air Quality Index of about 37 in January.
Within 300 km: Sydney's Sydney Festival on 8–25 Jan, and Katoomba's Canyoning season on 1 Nov – 31 Mar.