January sits at the height of the Australian summer. The southern states run hot and dry, with bushfire risk at its seasonal peak across Victoria, South Australia and Tasmania, while the tropical north sits inside its wet season, part of the cyclone season that runs from November through to April. Daylight saving stays in effect across New South Wales, Victoria, South Australia, Tasmania and the ACT for the whole of January 2026.
The working-day count for January 2026 subtracts weekends and the two fixed public holidays, New Year's Day and Australia Day, from the 31 days on the calendar. Where either date shifts to a Monday under a state's substitute-holiday rule, the working-day total for that state drops by one compared with a state that does not apply the same rule. Bushfire risk in the south and cyclone risk in the north both remain at their seasonal peak throughout the month.
The transition from January into February brings school terms back into session nationwide and ends the run of long summer holidays that January 2026 carried in full. The Australian Open and the Big Bash cricket season both wrap up in the same window, closing out the summer sporting calendar until the football codes open the following month. January sits seven months into the financial year that began the previous July as well.
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