Mindelo weather in January

In January, Mindelo sees average daytime highs of 21°C and overnight lows near 20°C, with 5 mm of rain across 1.1 wet days and about 11.1 hours of daylight. It is the 9th-warmest and 6th-wettest month of the year here.

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 21°C through the month. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 50% of the time in January, and the air most often feels humid.

Daylight stretches from about 11 hours at the start of January to 11 h 12 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, January is Mindelo's 6th-clearest and 2nd-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Mindelo's year-round climate.

Daytime high
21°
9th warmest
Overnight low
20°
4th coldest
Rainfall
5 mm
1.1 wet days
Daylight
11 h 06 min
7:16 AM – 6:22 PM
Cloud cover
44%
6th clearest
Wind
30 km/h
2nd windiest
Solar energy
4.85 kWh/m²
Travel score
8.0
out of 10

Mindelo is second largest city of Cape Verde.

Density
1,030/km²
people per km²
Founded
1793

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 21°C through the month.

A typical January day in Mindelo reaches about 21°C in the afternoon and slips back to 20°C overnight — a 1°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 20°C and 22°C. Set against its neighbours, January runs about 1°C cooler than December and on par with February.

15°18°20°23°25°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
12121
22120
32120
42120
52120
62120
72120
82120
92120
102120
112120
122120
132120
142120
152120
162120
172120
182120
192120
202120
212120
222020
232020
242020
252020
262020
272020
282020
292020
302020
312020

Mindelo weather by month

How January compares with the rest of the year at a glance. January is the 9th-warmest and 6th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan21° / 20°51.111.18.0
Feb20° / 19°30.911.48.0
Mar20° / 19°10.311.98.2
Apr21° / 20°10.212.48.2
May21° / 21°10.112.88.5
Jun22° / 21°00.2138.6
Jul23° / 22°40.912.98.5
Aug24° / 24°193.612.68.2
Sep25° / 24°384.912.17.9
Oct25° / 24°201.811.68.4
Nov24° / 23°71.111.28.4
Dec22° / 21°61.4118.2

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 15% of January, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 35%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
16238
26238
36337
46436
56436
66436
76535
86535
96535
106535
116535
126535
136436
146436
156436
166436
176436
186436
196436
206436
216436
226535
236535
246535
256634
266634
276733
286733
296733
306832
316832

Chance of precipitation in January

Any precipitation

Mindelo gets around 5 mm of rain over 1.1 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 4% and peaks near 5% on the wettest days.

0%10%20%30%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
14
24
34
44
54
64
74
84
94
104
115
125
135
145
155
165
174
184
194
204
214
224
234
244
254
264
274
284
294
304
314

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 54% of days. Sticky, muggy-or-worse air turns up on roughly 8% of them.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)Muggy (%)
10196318
20206317
30226216
40236314
50256213
60266212
70276211
80296110
91305910
10132589
11134569
12135568
13137548
14139537
15140527
16141526
17242506
18243496
19244496
20244485
21245485
22245485
23245485
24245485
25245485
26245485
27244495
28244495
29243505
30242515
31242515

Wind in January

Winds average 30 km/h in January.

Across January, daily wind ranges from about 30 km/h on the calmest days to 31 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

0102030151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
130windy
230windy
330windy
430windy
530windy
630windy
731windy
831windy
931windy
1031windy
1131windy
1231windy
1331windy
1431windy
1531windy
1631windy
1731windy
1831windy
1931windy
2030windy
2130windy
2230windy
2330windy
2430windy
2530windy
2630windy
2730windy
2830windy
2930windy
3030windy
3130windy

Sunrise & sunset in January

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 11 hours at the start of January to 11 h 12 min by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days grow by about 12 minutes over January. Sunrise moves from 7:13 AM to 7:16 AM, and sunset from 6:13 PM to 6:30 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
111.07:136:13
211.07:136:14
311.07:146:14
411.07:146:15
511.07:146:16
611.07:146:16
711.07:156:17
811.07:156:17
911.07:156:18
1011.17:156:18
1111.17:166:19
1211.17:166:20
1311.17:166:20
1411.17:166:21
1511.17:166:21
1611.17:166:22
1711.17:176:23
1811.17:176:23
1911.17:176:24
2011.17:176:24
2111.17:176:25
2211.17:176:25
2311.27:176:26
2411.27:176:27
2511.27:176:27
2611.27:176:28
2711.27:176:28
2811.27:166:29
2911.27:166:29
3011.27:166:30
3111.27:166:30

Solar energy in January

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in January, about 4.85 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 4.59 kWh/m² to a high of 7.07 kWh/m² in May across the year — January's 4.85 kWh/m² sits near the bottom.

0246151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
14.7Bright
24.7Bright
34.7Bright
44.7Bright
54.7Bright
64.7Bright
74.7Bright
84.8Bright
94.8Bright
104.8Bright
114.8Bright
124.8Bright
134.8Bright
144.8Bright
154.8Bright
164.8Bright
174.8Bright
184.8Bright
194.9Bright
204.9Bright
214.9Bright
224.9Bright
234.9Bright
244.9Bright
255.0Bright
265.0Bright
275.0Bright
285.0Bright
295.0Bright
305.1Bright
315.1Bright
Planning a trip in January

Hazard calendar for Mindelo

In seasonPeak

None of Mindelo's seasonal hazards are active in January. The full-year calendar below shows when the rainy season, cyclone risk and dust haze do peak.

Mindelo sits in the Atlantic hurricane belt; the season peaks August–October.

Mindelo sees seasonal dust haze (May–October), heaviest in June.

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

Is January a good time to visit Mindelo?

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

8.0
Sightseeing
10th-best month of the year
4.7
Beach & pool
10th-best month of the year

January is one of the better times to visit Mindelo for general sightseeing.

What to pack for Mindelo in January

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

In January, Mindelo sees daytime highs around 21°C and nights near 20°C. Pack a windbreaker. Worth having: sun protection.

a windbreakersun protection

Sea temperature near Mindelo in January

The nearest coast averages about 23°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 September at about 27°C and coldest in February near 22°C.

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

20°22°24°26°28°JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecrefreshingwarmcomfortable to swim
Sea temperature (°C)Comfort
Jan23Refreshing
Feb22Refreshing
Mar22Refreshing
Apr23Refreshing
May23Refreshing
Jun24Refreshing
Jul25Warm
Aug26Warm
Sep27Warm
Oct27Warm
Nov26Warm
Dec24Warm

UV index in Mindelo in January

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in January peaks around 7 — enough to warrant sun protection. The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.

Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Mindelo peaks around May 18 at about 12 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near December 19 at about 6 (high).

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

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecVery highExtremeExtremeVery highExtremeVery highHighMay 18UV 12Dec 19UV 6
UV index (midday)Level
Jan7Very high
Feb10Extreme
Mar12Extreme
Apr10Very high
May12Extreme
Jun11Extreme
Jul9Very high
Aug9Very high
Sep11Extreme
Oct10Very high
Nov8Very high
Dec6High

Air quality in Mindelo 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 Mindelo is worst in December — around 56 µg/m³ PM2.5 (unhealthy), about 4.9× the cleanest month (May, 11 µg/m³).

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

0204060JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecPoorModerateModeratePoorDec 2356 µg/m³May 1112 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan53Poor
Feb39Poor
Mar23Moderate
Apr13Moderate
May11Good
Jun23Moderate
Jul26Moderate
Aug26Moderate
Sep23Moderate
Oct25Moderate
Nov25Moderate
Dec56Unhealthy
Location & terrain

Where is Mindelo?

Mindelo sits at 16.9°N, 25.0°W, 44 m above sea level, in Cabo Verde. The nearest listed city is Espargos, 217 km away.

EspargosAssomadaPraia

Topography around Mindelo

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Mindelo has significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 273 m around an average of 55 m above sea level; within 16 km, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 704 m; within 80 km, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,966 m.

The land around Mindelo is covered by bare terrain (47%), water (26%) and artificial surfaces (21%) within 3 km, water (73%) and bare terrain (23%) within 16 km, and water (90%) within 80 km.

3 km
273 m
16 km
704 m
80 km
1,966 m
shrubsgrasslandartificial surfacesbare terrainwater
January weather nearby: Espargos 217 km · Assomada 243 km · Praia 268 km · Dakar 842 km · Le Plateau 844 km · Guédiawaye 844 km · Pikine 846 km · N’diareme limamoulaye 846 km

Cabo Verde travel facts

Travel advisory
Level 1
Exercise Normal Precautions
Power plugs
Type C / F
220 V · 50 Hz
Prices
≈ 48% of US
price level, 2025
GDP per capita
$5,796
2025
Homicide rate
7
per 100k, 2020
Road deaths
26.8
per 100k/yr, 2019
Income group
Upper middle
World Bank
Religion
Roman Catholic 73%none 16%Protestant 4%Christian Rationalism 2%

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 Mindelo (16.8901°, -24.9804°, elevation 44 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. Tropical-cyclone seasons are the published climatological basin seasons (NOAA National Hurricane Center / regional warning centres). 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).