Cotonou weather in January

In January, Cotonou sees average daytime highs of 28°C and overnight lows near 26°C, with 21 mm of rain across 6.6 wet days and about 11.7 hours of daylight. It is the 7th-warmest and 12th-wettest month of the year here.

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 28°C through the month. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 50% of the time in January, and the air most often feels miserable.

Daylight stretches from about 11 h 36 min at the start of January to 11 h 42 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, January is Cotonou's 2nd-clearest and 8th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Cotonou's year-round climate.

Daytime high
28°
7th warmest
Overnight low
26°
6th coldest
Rainfall
21 mm
6.6 wet days
Daylight
11 h 42 min
7:10 AM – 6:50 PM
Cloud cover
45%
2nd clearest
Wind
17 km/h
8th windiest
Solar energy
5.42 kWh/m²
Travel score
7.1
out of 10

Cotonou is city in Benin, seat of the government.

Density
8,595/km²
people per km²

Air quality: WHO Ambient Air Quality Database. Density & description: Wikidata (CC0), GeoNames.

Temperature in January

Average highAverage lowShaded bands: 10–90% of days

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 28°C through the month.

A typical January day in Cotonou reaches about 28°C in the afternoon and slips back to 26°C overnight — a 1°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 27°C and 28°C. Set against its neighbours, January runs on par with December and on par with February.

20°23°25°28°30°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
12826
22826
32826
42826
52826
62826
72826
82826
92826
102826
112826
122826
132826
142826
152826
162826
172826
182826
192826
202826
212826
222826
232826
242826
252826
262826
272826
282826
292827
302827
312827

How January really feels in Cotonou

Once humidity and wind are folded in, January averages 6 days that feel above 32°C and 0 that feel at or below 0°C — the comfort signal a plain temperature reading hides.

Days feeling ≥ 32°C
6
heat index over the day's high
Days feeling ≤ C
0
wind chill below the day's low

The story in January is heat — humidity pushes the afternoon "feels like" well above the raw temperature.

Cotonou weather by month

How January compares with the rest of the year at a glance. January is the 7th-warmest and 12th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan28° / 26°216.611.77.1
Feb28° / 27°277.811.86.4
Mar29° / 27°4812.5125.3
Apr29° / 27°7315.712.14.8
May28° / 27°16423.412.34.0
Jun27° / 26°25926.112.43.9
Jul26° / 25°13218.912.35.2
Aug25° / 24°7313.312.26.1
Sep26° / 25°10518125.2
Oct27° / 26°11020.211.95.0
Nov28° / 27°4913.811.75.7
Dec28° / 27°277.611.66.9

Cloud cover in January

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 50% of the time in January.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 17% of January, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 33%. Skies tend to cloud over as the month goes on.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
17822
27624
37624
47525
57327
67327
77228
87129
97030
106931
116832
126733
136733
146634
156535
166436
176337
186337
196337
206238
216238
226238
236139
246238
256238
266337
276436
286436
296535
306634
316733

Chance of precipitation in January

Any precipitation

Cotonou gets around 21 mm of rain over 6.6 wet days in January, the driest month. The line is the day-by-day chance of measurable precipitation.

Day to day, the chance of measurable rain averages around 22% and peaks near 24% on the wettest days.

0%10%20%30%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
118
218
319
419
519
620
720
820
920
1020
1121
1221
1321
1421
1522
1622
1722
1822
1922
2023
2123
2223
2323
2424
2524
2624
2724
2824
2924
3024
3124

Humidity in January

DryComfortableHumidMuggyOppressiveMiserable

Most of January feels miserable — the stacked bands show each day's mix of comfort levels, read off the dew point.

By dew point, January lands in the miserable band about 70% of days. Sticky, muggy-or-worse air turns up on roughly 95% of them.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Comfortable (%)Humid (%)Muggy (%)Oppressive (%)Miserable (%)
11442269
21452268
32552266
42552266
52562265
62562265
72662264
82662264
92662264
102562265
111562265
121562365
131562365
141462366
151462366
161462267
171462267
181352170
191352170
201352071
211351972
221251874
231251775
241241776
251241677
261241578
271241479
281241479
291241380
301241380
310231382

Wind in January

Winds average 17 km/h in January.

Across January, daily wind ranges from about 15 km/h on the calmest days to 18 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

05101520151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
115light breeze
215light breeze
315light breeze
415light breeze
515light breeze
616light breeze
716light breeze
816light breeze
916light breeze
1016light breeze
1116light breeze
1216light breeze
1316light breeze
1416light breeze
1516light breeze
1617light breeze
1717light breeze
1817light breeze
1917light breeze
2017light breeze
2117light breeze
2217light breeze
2317light breeze
2417light breeze
2518light breeze
2618light breeze
2718light breeze
2818light breeze
2918light breeze
3018light breeze
3118light breeze

Sunrise & sunset in January

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 11 h 36 min at the start of January to 11 h 42 min by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days grow by about 6 minutes over January. Sunrise moves from 7:04 AM to 7:12 AM, and sunset from 6:43 PM to 6:55 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
111.67:046:43
211.67:056:43
311.67:056:44
411.67:066:44
511.67:066:45
611.67:066:45
711.67:076:45
811.67:076:46
911.67:076:46
1011.77:086:47
1111.77:086:47
1211.77:086:48
1311.77:096:48
1411.77:096:49
1511.77:096:49
1611.77:106:50
1711.77:106:50
1811.77:106:51
1911.77:106:51
2011.77:116:51
2111.77:116:52
2211.77:116:52
2311.77:116:53
2411.77:116:53
2511.77:116:53
2611.77:126:54
2711.77:126:54
2811.77:126:54
2911.77:126:55
3011.77:126:55
3111.77:126:55

Solar energy in January

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in January, about 5.42 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 4.22 kWh/m² to a high of 5.6 kWh/m² in March across the year — January's 5.42 kWh/m² falls in the middle.

0246151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
15.4Bright
25.4Bright
35.4Bright
45.4Bright
55.4Bright
65.4Bright
75.4Bright
85.4Bright
95.4Bright
105.4Bright
115.4Bright
125.4Bright
135.4Bright
145.4Bright
155.4Bright
165.4Bright
175.4Bright
185.4Bright
195.4Bright
205.4Bright
215.4Bright
225.4Bright
235.4Bright
245.4Bright
255.5Bright
265.5Bright
275.5Bright
285.5Bright
295.5Bright
305.5Bright
315.5Bright
Planning a trip in January

Hazard calendar for Cotonou

In seasonPeak

In January, Cotonou sits inside its dust season. The full year is below, with each hazard's peak months called out.

Cotonou's rainy season runs May–July, when most of the year's rain falls.

Cotonou sees seasonal dust haze (January–April), heaviest in February.

Rainy season
Dust
Jan
Feb
Mar
Apr
May
Jun
Jul
Aug
Sep
Oct
Nov
Dec

Is January a good time to visit Cotonou?

Our two travel scores rate January for general sightseeing and for beach or pool weather — 0 (poor) to 10 (ideal).

7.1
Sightseeing
1st-best month of the year
7.5
Beach & pool
2nd-best month of the year

January is one of the better times to visit Cotonou for general sightseeing. The water and warmth also suit a beach or pool day.

What to pack for Cotonou in January

From January's temperature range, rain chance, sun and wind — what's worth putting in the bag.

In January, Cotonou sees daytime highs around 28°C and nights near 26°C. Pack light clothes. Worth having: sun protection. About 7 days see rain.

light clothessun protection

Sea temperature near Cotonou in January

The nearest coast averages about 28°C in January — the other half of the beach question. The full-year curve and swim-comfort zones are below.

The sea offshore is warmest in May at about 29°C and coldest in August near 25°C.

The water stays above 20°C all year — warm enough for a swim any month.

24°26°28°30°JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecrefreshingwarmtropicalcomfortable to swim
Sea temperature (°C)Comfort
Jan28Warm
Feb28Tropical
Mar29Tropical
Apr29Tropical
May29Tropical
Jun28Warm
Jul26Warm
Aug25Warm
Sep26Warm
Oct27Warm
Nov29Tropical
Dec28Tropical

UV index in Cotonou in January

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in January peaks around 9 (very high — sun protection essential). The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.

Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Cotonou peaks around April 10 at about 13 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near December 17 at about 8 (very high).

The index reaches 3 or more — the level where the WHO recommends sun protection — every month of the year.

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecVery highExtremeExtremeVery highApr 10UV 13Dec 17UV 8
UV index (midday)Level
Jan9Very high
Feb10Very high
Mar13Extreme
Apr13Extreme
May11Extreme
Jun11Extreme
Jul10Extreme
Aug10Very high
Sep12Extreme
Oct12Extreme
Nov9Very high
Dec8Very high

Air quality in Cotonou in January

GoodModeratePoorUnhealthyVery unhealthy

Average fine-particle pollution (PM2.5) through the year — so you can see where January falls, not just the annual average.

Air quality in Cotonou is worst in January — around 78 µg/m³ PM2.5 (unhealthy), about 7.7× the cleanest month (September, 10 µg/m³).

Modeled monthly averages (CAMS reanalysis, 2015–2024).

020406080JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecUnhealthyModerateGoodModerateJan 1676 µg/m³Sep 1810 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan78Unhealthy
Feb61Unhealthy
Mar28Moderate
Apr24Moderate
May15Moderate
Jun15Moderate
Jul16Moderate
Aug13Moderate
Sep10Good
Oct12Good
Nov19Moderate
Dec61Unhealthy
Location & terrain

Where is Cotonou?

Cotonou sits at 6.4°N, 2.4°E, 7 m above sea level, in Benin. The nearest listed city is Godomè, 8.0 km away.

Topography around Cotonou

How much the land rises and falls, and what covers it, within 3, 16 and 80 km of Cotonou.

Within 3 km, the terrain around Cotonou has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 13 m around an average of 5 m above sea level; within 16 km, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 33 m; within 80 km, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 171 m.

The land around Cotonou is covered by artificial surfaces (76%) within 3 km, water (66%) and artificial surfaces (20%) within 16 km, and trees (37%) and water (36%) within 80 km.

3 km
13 m
16 km
33 m
80 km
171 m
treesshrubsgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwaterwetland
January weather nearby: Godomè 8.0 km · Ganvié 11 km · Abomey-Calavi 12 km · Ekpé 13 km · Semi 22 km · Porto-Novo 25 km · Missérété 29 km · Zinvié 29 km

Benin travel facts

Travel advisory
Level 2
Exercise Increased Caution
Power plugs
Type C / E
220 V · 50 Hz
Prices
≈ 34% of US
price level, 2025
GDP per capita
$1,658
2025
Happiness
4.4 / 10
World Happiness, 2025
Safe drinking water
18%
of population, 2024
Homicide rate
1.1
per 100k, 2017
Road deaths
26.8
per 100k/yr, 2019
Income group
Lower middle
World Bank
English
Very low
EF EPI 406
Religion
Muslim 28%Roman Catholic 26%Protestant 14%Vodoun 12%

Sources: World Bank, US State Department, World Happiness Report, WHO/UNICEF, EF EPI, CIA World Factbook.

Data sources

Temperature, precipitation, cloud, humidity, wind and solar figures are a 1991–2020 climatology for Cotonou (6.3654°, 2.4183°, elevation 7 m), computed from hourly ERA5 reanalysis — contains modified Copernicus Climate Change Service information. Sun figures are astronomical calculations, not observations. City data © GeoNames, CC BY 4.0. Map outlines from Natural Earth (public domain); interactive map © Google. Sea temperatures are the NOAA OISST v2.1 1991–2020 monthly climatology (public domain), sampled at the nearest ocean point. UV index is derived from CAMS (Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service) clear-sky UV data — contains modified Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service information. Monthly air-quality (PM2.5) seasonality is from the CAMS EAC4 reanalysis (Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service), scaled to the WHO annual mean where available. Topography is sampled from the Copernicus DEM GLO-90 elevation model (© ESA/Airbus) and ESA WorldCover 2021 land cover (CC BY 4.0).