Potosí weather in January

In January, Potosí sees average daytime highs of 15°C and overnight lows near 6°C, with 171 mm of precipitation across 25.8 wet days and about 13.1 hours of daylight. It is the 11th-warmest and 1st-wettest month of the year here.

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 15°C through the month. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 6% of the time in January, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 13 h 12 min at the start of January to 12 h 54 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, January is Potosí's 12th-clearest and 9th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Potosí's year-round climate.

Daytime high
15°
11th warmest
Overnight low
11th coldest
Precipitation
171 mm
25.8 wet days
Daylight
13 h 06 min
6:00 AM – 7:04 PM
Cloud cover
81%
12th clearest
Wind
6 km/h
9th windiest
Solar energy
6.49 kWh/m²
Travel score
2.7
out of 10

Potosí is city in Bolivia.

Density
1,195/km²
people per km²
Founded
1545

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 15°C through the month.

A typical January day in Potosí reaches about 15°C in the afternoon and slips back to 6°C overnight — a 9°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 12°C and 18°C. Set against its neighbours, January runs about 1°C cooler than December and on par with February.

10°15°20°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
1156
2156
3156
4156
5156
6156
7156
8156
9156
10156
11156
12156
13156
14156
15156
16156
17156
18156
19156
20156
21156
22156
23156
24156
25156
26156
27156
28156
29156
30156
31156

How January really feels in Potosí

Once humidity and wind are folded in, January averages 0 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
0
heat index over the day's high
Days feeling ≤ C
0
wind chill below the day's low

January sits comfortably in between — no days that feel dangerously hot or drop to a hard freeze once humidity and wind are folded in.

Potosí weather by month

How January compares with the rest of the year at a glance. January is the 11th-warmest and 1st-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysSnow daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan15° / 17125.80.213.12.7
Feb15° / 14723.40.112.72.7
Mar15° / 10821.40.212.13.3
Apr16° / 359.6011.65.1
May16° / -0°61.80.111.16.4
Jun15° / -2°20.50.110.86.3
Jul15° / -3°410.310.96.1
Aug16° / -1°102.60.611.36.5
Sep17° / 266.50.211.96.2
Oct18° / 5111.80.212.55.6
Nov17° / 7715.60.212.94.7
Dec16° / 13322.50.113.23.5

Cloud cover in January

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 6% of the time in January, the cloudiest month of the year.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 8% of January, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 86%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
11288
21288
31288
41288
51288
61288
71288
81288
91288
101288
111288
121288
131288
141387
151387
161387
171387
181486
191486
201486
211585
221585
231684
241684
251684
261783
271783
281783
291783
301882
311882

Chance of precipitation in January

Any precipitation

Potosí gets around 171 mm of rain and snow over 25.8 wet days in January, the wettest month. The line is the day-by-day chance of measurable precipitation.

Day to day, the chance of measurable precipitation averages around 83% and peaks near 84% on the wettest days, and about 0 day brings snow.

0%20%40%60%80%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
184
284
384
484
584
684
784
883
983
1083
1183
1283
1383
1483
1583
1683
1783
1883
1983
2083
2183
2283
2383
2483
2583
2683
2783
2883
2983
3083
3182

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 100% of days. It rarely turns muggy — the humid and sticky bands barely register.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)
1100
2100
3100
4100
5100
6100
7100
8100
9100
10100
11100
12100
13100
14100
15100
16100
17100
18100
19100
20100
21100
22100
23100
24100
25100
26100
27100
28100
29100
30100
31100

Wind in January

Winds average 6 km/h in January.

Across January, daily wind ranges from about 6 km/h on the calmest days to 6 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

0246810151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
16calm
26calm
36calm
46calm
56calm
66calm
76calm
86calm
96calm
106calm
116calm
126calm
136calm
146calm
156calm
166calm
176calm
186calm
196calm
206calm
216calm
226calm
236calm
246calm
256calm
266calm
276calm
286calm
296calm
306calm
316calm

Sunrise & sunset in January

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 13 h 12 min at the start of January to 12 h 54 min by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days shrink by about 18 minutes over January. Sunrise moves from 5:51 AM to 6:10 AM, and sunset from 7:01 PM to 7:03 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
113.25:517:01
213.25:527:01
313.25:527:02
413.15:537:02
513.15:547:02
613.15:547:03
713.15:557:03
813.15:557:03
913.15:567:03
1013.15:577:03
1113.15:577:04
1213.15:587:04
1313.15:597:04
1413.15:597:04
1513.16:007:04
1613.16:007:04
1713.16:017:04
1813.06:027:04
1913.06:027:04
2013.06:037:04
2113.06:047:04
2213.06:047:04
2313.06:057:04
2413.06:057:04
2513.06:067:04
2613.06:077:04
2712.96:077:04
2812.96:087:04
2912.96:087:03
3012.96:097:03
3112.96:107:03

Solar energy in January

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in January, about 6.49 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 5.29 kWh/m² to a high of 7.44 kWh/m² in November across the year — January's 6.49 kWh/m² falls in the middle.

0246151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
16.6Intense
26.6Intense
36.6Intense
46.5Intense
56.5Intense
66.5Intense
76.5Intense
86.5Intense
96.5Intense
106.5Intense
116.5Intense
126.5Intense
136.5Intense
146.5Intense
156.5Intense
166.5Intense
176.5Intense
186.5Intense
196.5Intense
206.5Intense
216.5Intense
226.5Intense
236.5Intense
246.5Intense
256.5Intense
266.5Intense
276.5Intense
286.5Intense
296.5Intense
306.5Intense
316.5Intense
Planning a trip in January

Hazard calendar for Potosí

In seasonPeak

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

Potosí's rainy season runs November–March, when most of the year's rain falls.

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

Is January a good time to visit Potosí?

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

2.7
Sightseeing
11th-best month of the year
0.0
Beach & pool
11th-best month of the year

January is a weaker month for outdoor sightseeing in Potosí.

What to pack for Potosí in January

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

In January, Potosí sees daytime highs around 15°C and nights near 6°C. Pack rain gear and sun protection. Worth having: a warm layer. About 26 days see rain.

rain gearsun protectiona warm layer

UV index in Potosí in January

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in January peaks around 19 (very high — sun protection essential). The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.

Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Potosí peaks around January 21 at about 18 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near June 22 at about 8 (very high).

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

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecExtremeVery highExtremeJan 21UV 18Jun 22UV 8
UV index (midday)Level
Jan19Extreme
Feb18Extreme
Mar16Extreme
Apr13Extreme
May10Extreme
Jun8Very high
Jul9Very high
Aug12Extreme
Sep15Extreme
Oct16Extreme
Nov17Extreme
Dec18Extreme
Location & terrain

Where is Potosí?

Potosí sits at 19.6°S, 65.8°W, 3,967 m above sea level, in Bolivia. The nearest listed city is Sucre, 80 km away.

UyuniLlallaguaHuanuniMizqueTupizaPunataOruro

Topography around Potosí

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Potosí has large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 695 m around an average of 4,008 m above sea level; within 16 km, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,712 m; within 80 km, extreme variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 3,305 m.

The land around Potosí is covered by artificial surfaces (51%) and bare terrain (29%) within 3 km, grassland (72%) and bare terrain (24%) within 16 km, and grassland (71%) and bare terrain (23%) within 80 km.

3 km
695 m
16 km
1,712 m
80 km
3,305 m
shrubsgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwater
January weather nearby: Sucre 80 km · Uyuni 148 km · Llallagua 155 km · Huanuni 184 km · Mizque 188 km · Tupiza 207 km · Punata 227 km · Oruro 228 km

Bolivia travel facts

Travel advisory
Level 2
Exercise Increased Caution
Power plugs
Type A / B / C
230 V · 50 Hz
Prices
≈ 40% of US
price level, 2025
GDP per capita
$5,148
2025
Happiness
5.8 / 10
World Happiness, 2025
Homicide rate
4.4
per 100k, 2023
Road deaths
21.1
per 100k/yr, 2019
Income group
Lower middle
World Bank
English
Moderate
EF EPI 521
Religion
Roman Catholic 65%Protestant 20%none 6%other 5%

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 Potosí (-19.5836°, -65.7531°, elevation 3,967 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. Topography is sampled from the Copernicus DEM GLO-90 elevation model (© ESA/Airbus) and ESA WorldCover 2021 land cover (CC BY 4.0).