Gaborone weather in January

In January, Gaborone sees average daytime highs of 31°C and overnight lows near 21°C, with 89 mm of rain across 12.3 wet days and about 13.4 hours of daylight. It is the 3rd-warmest and 1st-wettest month of the year here.

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 31°C through the month. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 44% of the time in January, and the air most often feels humid.

Daylight stretches from about 13 h 30 min at the start of January to 13 h 12 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, January is Gaborone's 11th-clearest and 6th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Gaborone's year-round climate.

Daytime high
31°
3rd warmest
Overnight low
21°
12th coldest
Rainfall
89 mm
12.3 wet days
Daylight
13 h 24 min
5:44 AM – 7:07 PM
Cloud cover
49%
11th clearest
Wind
10 km/h
6th windiest
Solar energy
6.74 kWh/m²
Travel score
4.5
out of 10

Gaborone is capital city of Botswana.

Density
1,458/km²
people per km²
Founded
1965

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 31°C through the month.

A typical January day in Gaborone reaches about 31°C in the afternoon and slips back to 21°C overnight — a 10°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 26°C and 35°C. Set against its neighbours, January runs on par with December and on par with February.

15°20°25°30°35°40°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
13120
23120
33120
43120
53120
63120
73121
83121
93121
103121
113121
123121
133121
143121
153121
163121
173121
183121
193121
203121
213121
223121
233121
243121
253121
263121
273121
283121
293121
303121
313121

Gaborone weather by month

How January compares with the rest of the year at a glance. January is the 3rd-warmest and 1st-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan31° / 21°8912.313.44.5
Feb30° / 20°829.812.94.9
Mar29° / 18°598.412.25.9
Apr27° / 15°304.511.47.8
May24° / 10°141.710.89.1
Jun22° / 91.210.58.9
Jul22° / 20.510.69.0
Aug25° / 30.711.19.3
Sep29° / 14°101.511.87.3
Oct31° / 18°335.712.65.4
Nov31° / 19°6810.113.24.6
Dec31° / 20°8512.113.54.4

Cloud cover in January

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 44% of the time in January.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 21% of January, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 35%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
16238
26337
36337
46436
56436
66535
76535
86634
96634
106634
116634
126634
136634
146535
156535
166535
176436
186436
196436
206436
216436
226436
236436
246535
256535
266634
276634
286733
296733
306832
316931

Chance of precipitation in January

Any precipitation

Gaborone gets around 89 mm of rain over 12.3 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 rain averages around 40% and peaks near 41% on the wettest days.

0%10%20%30%40%50%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
140
239
339
439
539
639
738
838
939
1039
1139
1239
1340
1440
1540
1641
1741
1841
1941
2041
2141
2241
2341
2441
2541
2640
2740
2840
2939
3039
3138

Humidity in January

DryComfortableHumidMuggyOppressiveMiserable

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

By dew point, January lands in the humid band about 38% of days. Sticky, muggy-or-worse air turns up on roughly 23% of them.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)Muggy (%)
115274018
215274018
315274018
415273918
515273919
615273819
715283819
814283720
914293720
1013293721
1113293621
1213293622
1312293622
1411293723
1511293724
1610283724
1710283725
1810283725
199273726
209273726
219273727
229273827
239263727
249263727
2510263727
2610253727
2710253727
2810253727
2910253827
3010253827
3111253827

Wind in January

Winds average 10 km/h in January.

Across January, daily wind ranges from about 9 km/h on the calmest days to 10 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

051015151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
110calm
210calm
310calm
410calm
510calm
610calm
710calm
810calm
910calm
1010calm
1110calm
1210calm
1310calm
1410calm
1510calm
1610calm
1710calm
1810calm
1910calm
2010calm
2110calm
2210calm
2310calm
2410calm
2510calm
2610calm
279calm
289calm
299calm
309calm
319calm

Sunrise & sunset in January

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 13 h 30 min at the start of January to 13 h 12 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 5:34 AM to 5:55 AM, and sunset from 7:05 PM to 7:04 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
113.55:347:05
213.55:357:05
313.55:367:05
413.55:367:05
513.55:377:06
613.55:387:06
713.55:387:06
813.55:397:06
913.45:407:06
1013.45:407:07
1113.45:417:07
1213.45:427:07
1313.45:427:07
1413.45:437:07
1513.45:447:07
1613.45:447:07
1713.45:457:07
1813.35:467:07
1913.35:477:07
2013.35:477:07
2113.35:487:07
2213.35:497:06
2313.35:497:06
2413.35:507:06
2513.25:517:06
2613.25:527:06
2713.25:527:05
2813.25:537:05
2913.25:547:05
3013.25:547:05
3113.25:557:04

Solar energy in January

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in January, about 6.74 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 3.98 kWh/m² to a high of 6.87 kWh/m² in November across the year — January's 6.74 kWh/m² falls in the middle.

0246151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
16.9Intense
26.9Intense
36.9Intense
46.9Intense
56.9Intense
66.9Intense
76.9Intense
86.9Intense
96.8Intense
106.8Intense
116.8Intense
126.8Intense
136.8Intense
146.7Intense
156.7Intense
166.7Intense
176.7Intense
186.7Intense
196.6Intense
206.6Intense
216.6Intense
226.6Intense
236.6Intense
246.6Intense
256.6Intense
266.6Intense
276.6Intense
286.6Intense
296.6Intense
306.6Intense
316.7Intense
Planning a trip in January

Is January a good time to visit Gaborone?

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

4.5
Sightseeing
11th-best month of the year
6.5
Beach & pool
10th-best month of the year

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

What to pack for Gaborone in January

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

In January, Gaborone sees daytime highs around 31°C and nights near 21°C. Pack light clothes and sun protection. Worth having: rain gear. About 12 days see rain.

light clothessun protectionrain gear

UV index in Gaborone in January

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in January peaks around 14 (very high — sun protection essential). The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.

Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Gaborone peaks around January 13 at about 14 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near June 16 at about 5 (high).

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

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecExtremeVery highHighVery highExtremeJan 13UV 14Jun 16UV 5
UV index (midday)Level
Jan14Extreme
Feb13Extreme
Mar12Extreme
Apr9Very high
May6High
Jun5High
Jul6High
Aug8Very high
Sep9Very high
Oct11Extreme
Nov12Extreme
Dec14Extreme

Air quality in Gaborone 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 Gaborone is worst in June — around 17 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 3.3× the cleanest month (December, 5 µg/m³).

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

01020JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecGoodModerateGoodJun 1917 µg/m³Dec 135 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan7Good
Feb9Good
Mar10Good
Apr13Moderate
May16Moderate
Jun17Moderate
Jul17Moderate
Aug15Moderate
Sep16Moderate
Oct12Good
Nov6Good
Dec5Good
Location & terrain

Where is Gaborone?

Gaborone sits at 24.7°S, 25.9°E, 1,011 m above sea level, in Botswana. The nearest listed city is Mogoditshane, 5.0 km away.

Topography around Gaborone

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Gaborone has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 49 m around an average of 1,001 m above sea level; within 16 km, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 409 m; within 80 km, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 626 m.

The land around Gaborone is covered by artificial surfaces (72%) within 3 km, shrubs (47%) within 16 km, and shrubs (72%) within 80 km.

3 km
49 m
16 km
409 m
80 km
626 m
treesshrubsgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwater
January weather nearby: Mogoditshane 5.0 km · Tlokweng 7.0 km · Mmopone 10 km · Gabane 13 km · Ramotswa 24 km · Mochudi 36 km · Thamaga 37 km · Molepolole 50 km

Botswana travel facts

Travel advisory
Level 2
Exercise Increased Caution
Power plugs
Type D / G / M
230 V · 50 Hz
Prices
≈ 38% of US
price level, 2025
GDP per capita
$7,778
2025
Happiness
3.5 / 10
World Happiness, 2025
Safe drinking water
63%
of population, 2024
Homicide rate
11.4
per 100k, 2021
Road deaths
26.4
per 100k/yr, 2019
Income group
Upper middle
World Bank
Religion
Christian 79%none 15%Badimo 4%other 1%

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 Gaborone (-24.6545°, 25.9086°, elevation 1,011 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).