Parakou weather in January

In January, Parakou sees average daytime highs of 34°C and overnight lows near 20°C, with 2 mm of rain across 0.2 wet days and about 11.5 hours of daylight. It is the 6th-warmest and 11th-wettest month of the year here.

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 34°C through the month. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 61% of the time in January, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 11 h 30 min at the start of January to 11 h 36 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, January is Parakou's 2nd-clearest and 4th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Parakou's year-round climate.

Daytime high
34°
6th warmest
Overnight low
20°
2nd coldest
Rainfall
2 mm
0.2 wet days
Daylight
11 h 30 min
7:13 AM – 6:44 PM
Cloud cover
35%
2nd clearest
Wind
8 km/h
4th windiest
Solar energy
5.97 kWh/m²
Travel score
4.2
out of 10

Parakou is city in Benin.

Density
579/km²
people per km²
Founded
1500

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 34°C through the month.

A typical January day in Parakou reaches about 34°C in the afternoon and slips back to 20°C overnight — a 13°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 31°C and 35°C. Set against its neighbours, January runs on par with December and about 2°C cooler than February.

15°20°25°30°35°40°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
13319
23319
33319
43319
53319
63319
73319
83320
93320
103320
113320
123320
133320
143320
153320
163320
173320
183420
193420
203420
213420
223421
233421
243421
253421
263421
273421
283421
293421
303521
313521

How January really feels in Parakou

Once humidity and wind are folded in, January averages 31 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
31
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.

Parakou weather by month

How January compares with the rest of the year at a glance. January is the 6th-warmest and 11th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan34° / 20°20.211.54.2
Feb35° / 22°61.311.72.9
Mar36° / 24°254.511.92.2
Apr35° / 24°7012.312.22.4
May33° / 24°12719.112.42.8
Jun31° / 23°13619.512.53.5
Jul29° / 22°20725.412.53.4
Aug29° / 22°24926.712.33.4
Sep30° / 22°22224.312.13.2
Oct32° / 22°9815.311.83.6
Nov34° / 21°61.611.63.8
Dec34° / 20°20.311.54.2

Cloud cover in January

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 61% of the time in January.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 14% of January, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 25%. Skies tend to cloud over as the month goes on.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
18218
28218
38218
48020
58020
67921
77822
87822
97723
107723
117525
127525
137426
147327
157228
167228
177129
187129
197129
207030
217030
227030
237030
247129
257129
267129
277327
287327
297327
307426
317525

Chance of precipitation in January

Any precipitation

Parakou gets around 2 mm of rain over 0.2 wet days in January. The line is the day-by-day chance of measurable precipitation.

Day to day, the chance of measurable rain averages around 0% and peaks near 1% on the wettest days.

0%10%20%30%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
80
90
100
110
120
130
140
150
160
170
180
191
201
211
221
231
241
251
261
271
281
291
301
311

Humidity in January

DryComfortableHumidMuggyOppressiveMiserable

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

By dew point, January lands in the dry band about 72% of days. Sticky, muggy-or-worse air turns up on roughly 9% of them.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)Muggy (%)Oppressive (%)
1846640
2836740
3836740
4826750
5816850
6816850
7816850
8787960
9787960
10787960
11768970
12768970
137391080
147391080
157291090
1671101090
1771101090
18691011100
19691011100
20661112101
21661112101
22661112101
23641113111
24641113111
25641113111
26631113121
27631113121
28631113121
29621114121
30611114131
31611014132

Wind in January

Winds average 8 km/h in January.

Across January, daily wind ranges from about 8 km/h on the calmest days to 8 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

0246810151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
18calm
28calm
38calm
48calm
58calm
68calm
78calm
88calm
98calm
108calm
118calm
128calm
138calm
148calm
158calm
168calm
178calm
188calm
198calm
208calm
218calm
228calm
238calm
248calm
258calm
268calm
278calm
288calm
298calm
308calm
318calm

Sunrise & sunset in January

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 11 h 30 min at the start of January to 11 h 36 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 7:09 AM to 7:15 AM, and sunset from 6:37 PM to 6:50 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
111.57:096:37
211.57:096:37
311.57:096:38
411.57:106:38
511.57:106:39
611.57:116:39
711.57:116:40
811.57:116:40
911.57:126:41
1011.57:126:41
1111.57:126:42
1211.57:126:42
1311.57:136:43
1411.57:136:43
1511.57:136:44
1611.57:136:44
1711.57:146:45
1811.57:146:45
1911.57:146:45
2011.57:146:46
2111.57:146:46
2211.57:156:47
2311.57:156:47
2411.57:156:48
2511.67:156:48
2611.67:156:49
2711.67:156:49
2811.67:156:49
2911.67:156:50
3011.67:156:50
3111.67:156:50

Solar energy in January

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in January, about 5.97 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 4 kWh/m² to a high of 6.27 kWh/m² in February across the year — January's 5.97 kWh/m² falls in the middle.

0246151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
15.9Bright
25.9Bright
35.9Bright
45.9Bright
55.9Bright
65.9Bright
75.9Bright
85.9Bright
95.9Bright
105.9Bright
115.9Bright
125.9Bright
135.9Bright
145.9Bright
156.0Bright
166.0Bright
176.0Bright
186.0Bright
196.0Bright
206.0Bright
216.0Intense
226.0Intense
236.0Intense
246.0Intense
256.0Intense
266.1Intense
276.1Intense
286.1Intense
296.1Intense
306.1Intense
316.1Intense
Planning a trip in January

Hazard calendar for Parakou

In seasonPeak

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

Parakou's monsoon runs May–September, when most of the year's rain falls.

Parakou sees seasonal dust haze (January–May), heaviest in February.

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

Is January a good time to visit Parakou?

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

4.2
Sightseeing
1st-best month of the year
7.8
Beach & pool
2nd-best month of the year

January is a reasonable time to visit Parakou for sightseeing. The water and warmth also suit a beach or pool day.

What to pack for Parakou in January

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

In January, Parakou sees daytime highs around 34°C and nights near 20°C. Pack light clothes. Worth having: sun protection.

light clothessun protection

UV index in Parakou 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 Parakou peaks around March 22 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 highExtremeVery highMar 22UV 13Dec 17UV 8
UV index (midday)Level
Jan9Very high
Feb10Very high
Mar13Extreme
Apr13Extreme
May11Extreme
Jun11Extreme
Jul11Extreme
Aug12Extreme
Sep12Extreme
Oct11Extreme
Nov9Very high
Dec8Very high

Air quality in Parakou 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 Parakou is worst in February — around 85 µg/m³ PM2.5 (unhealthy), about 5.0× the cleanest month (August, 17 µg/m³).

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

0306090JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecUnhealthyPoorModeratePoorUnhealthyFeb 1183 µg/m³Aug 1017 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan75Unhealthy
Feb85Unhealthy
Mar49Poor
Apr41Poor
May25Moderate
Jun20Moderate
Jul17Moderate
Aug17Moderate
Sep20Moderate
Oct34Moderate
Nov40Poor
Dec63Unhealthy
Location & terrain

Where is Parakou?

Parakou sits at 9.3°N, 2.6°E, 369 m above sea level, in Benin. The nearest listed city is Tchaourou, 50 km away.

TchaourouNdaliOkutaPèrèrèNikkiOuesséBembèrèkèTobré

Topography around Parakou

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Parakou has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 80 m around an average of 364 m above sea level; within 16 km, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 108 m; within 80 km, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 406 m.

The land around Parakou is covered by artificial surfaces (71%) within 3 km, cropland (31%), shrubs (30%) and trees (26%) within 16 km, and shrubs (42%), trees (28%) and cropland (25%) within 80 km.

3 km
80 m
16 km
108 m
80 km
406 m
treesshrubsgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrain
January weather nearby: Tchaourou 50 km · Ndali 59 km · Okuta 64 km · Pèrèrè 64 km · Nikki 92 km · Ouessé 97 km · Bembèrèkè 99 km · Tobré 110 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 Parakou (9.3372°, 2.6303°, elevation 369 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. 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).