Douala weather in January

In January, Douala sees average daytime highs of 31°C and overnight lows near 24°C, with 69 mm of rain across 20.8 wet days and about 11.8 hours of daylight. It is the 3rd-warmest and 12th-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 16% of the time in January, and the air most often feels miserable.

Daylight stretches from about 11 h 48 min at the start of January to 11 h 48 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, January is Douala's 2nd-clearest and 2nd-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Douala's year-round climate.

Daytime high
31°
3rd warmest
Overnight low
24°
8th coldest
Rainfall
69 mm
20.8 wet days
Daylight
11 h 48 min
6:37 AM – 6:24 PM
Cloud cover
68%
2nd clearest
Wind
6 km/h
2nd windiest
Solar energy
4.78 kWh/m²
Travel score
3.5
out of 10

Douala is city in Cameroon.

Density
6,372/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 31°C through the month.

A typical January day in Douala reaches about 31°C in the afternoon and slips back to 24°C overnight — a 7°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 29°C and 32°C. Set against its neighbours, January runs on par with December and on par with February.

20°25°30°35°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
13024
23024
33024
43024
53024
63024
73024
83124
93124
103124
113124
123124
133124
143124
153124
163124
173124
183124
193124
203124
213124
223124
233124
243124
253124
263124
273124
283124
293124
303124
313124

How January really feels in Douala

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.

Douala weather by month

How January compares with the rest of the year at a glance. January is the 3rd-warmest and 12th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan31° / 24°6920.811.83.5
Feb31° / 25°9621.911.93.0
Mar31° / 25°22128.6122.5
Apr31° / 24°28427.912.12.6
May30° / 24°29729.512.22.6
Jun29° / 24°3032912.23.0
Jul27° / 23°36529.412.23.5
Aug27° / 23°34629.212.13.5
Sep28° / 23°35129.5123.1
Oct29° / 24°36830.311.92.8
Nov30° / 24°25828.411.82.8
Dec30° / 24°9623.111.83.4

Cloud cover in January

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 16% of the time in January.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 23% of January, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 62%. Skies tend to cloud over as the month goes on.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
14753
24654
34654
44654
54654
64555
74555
84357
94258
104258
114159
124060
134060
143862
153763
163664
173664
183565
193565
203565
213466
223367
233367
243367
253367
263466
273466
283466
293466
303466
313565

Chance of precipitation in January

Any precipitation

Douala gets around 69 mm of rain over 20.8 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 67% and peaks near 72% on the wettest days. The odds climb toward the end of the month.

0%20%40%60%80%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
164
263
363
463
563
663
763
863
963
1063
1163
1263
1363
1464
1564
1665
1766
1867
1968
2068
2169
2270
2371
2471
2572
2672
2772
2872
2972
3072
3172

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 71% of days. Sticky, muggy-or-worse air turns up on roughly 100% of them.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Oppressive (%)Miserable (%)
12674
22773
32872
42971
52971
63070
73070
83169
93268
103268
113367
123367
133367
143367
153367
163367
173367
183268
193268
203169
213070
223070
232971
242872
252773
262674
272575
282476
292476
302377
312278

Wind in January

Winds average 6 km/h in January.

Across January, daily wind ranges from about 5 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
15calm
25calm
35calm
45calm
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 11 h 48 min at the start of January to 11 h 48 min by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days grow by about 0 minutes over January. Sunrise moves from 6:31 AM to 6:40 AM, and sunset from 6:17 PM to 6:29 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
111.86:316:17
211.86:326:18
311.86:326:18
411.86:336:19
511.86:336:19
611.86:336:20
711.86:346:20
811.86:346:21
911.86:346:21
1011.86:356:22
1111.86:356:22
1211.86:366:22
1311.86:366:23
1411.86:366:23
1511.86:366:24
1611.86:376:24
1711.86:376:25
1811.86:376:25
1911.86:386:25
2011.86:386:26
2111.86:386:26
2211.86:386:26
2311.86:396:27
2411.86:396:27
2511.86:396:27
2611.86:396:28
2711.86:396:28
2811.86:396:28
2911.86:406:29
3011.86:406:29
3111.86:406:29

Solar energy in January

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in January, about 4.78 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 3.3 kWh/m² to a high of 4.95 kWh/m² in February across the year — January's 4.78 kWh/m² sits near the top of that range.

024151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
14.7Bright
24.7Bright
34.7Bright
44.7Bright
54.7Bright
64.7Bright
74.7Bright
84.7Bright
94.8Bright
104.8Bright
114.8Bright
124.8Bright
134.8Bright
144.8Bright
154.8Bright
164.8Bright
174.8Bright
184.8Bright
194.8Bright
204.8Bright
214.8Bright
224.8Bright
234.8Bright
244.8Bright
254.8Bright
264.8Bright
274.8Bright
284.8Bright
294.9Bright
304.9Bright
314.9Bright
Planning a trip in January

Hazard calendar for Douala

In seasonPeak

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

Douala sees seasonal dust haze (February–March), heaviest in February.

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

Is January a good time to visit Douala?

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

3.5
Sightseeing
1st-best month of the year
5.0
Beach & pool
1st-best month of the year

January is a weaker month for outdoor sightseeing in Douala.

What to pack for Douala in January

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

In January, Douala sees daytime highs around 31°C and nights near 24°C. Pack light clothes and rain gear. Worth having: sun protection. About 21 days see rain.

light clothesrain gearsun protection

Sea temperature near Douala in January

The nearest coast averages about 29°C in January — the other half of the beach question. The full-year curve and swim-comfort zones are below.

The sea at the nearest coast (about 41 km away) is warmest in May at about 29°C and coldest in August near 26°C.

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

24°26°28°30°JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecwarmtropicalcomfortable to swim
Sea temperature (°C)Comfort
Jan29Tropical
Feb29Tropical
Mar29Tropical
Apr29Tropical
May29Tropical
Jun28Tropical
Jul27Warm
Aug26Warm
Sep27Warm
Oct28Warm
Nov28Tropical
Dec29Tropical

UV index in Douala 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 Douala peaks around April 10 at about 13 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near December 21 at about 9 (very high).

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

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecVery highExtremeVery highApr 10UV 13Dec 21UV 9
UV index (midday)Level
Jan9Very high
Feb10Extreme
Mar13Extreme
Apr13Extreme
May12Extreme
Jun10Extreme
Jul10Extreme
Aug10Extreme
Sep12Extreme
Oct12Extreme
Nov10Extreme
Dec9Very high

Air quality in Douala 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 Douala is worst in February — around 73 µg/m³ PM2.5 (unhealthy), about 4.7× the cleanest month (September, 15 µg/m³).

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

020406080JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecUnhealthyPoorModeratePoorFeb 1071 µg/m³Sep 1416 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan66Unhealthy
Feb73Unhealthy
Mar42Poor
Apr32Moderate
May23Moderate
Jun22Moderate
Jul21Moderate
Aug18Moderate
Sep15Moderate
Oct19Moderate
Nov26Moderate
Dec53Poor
Location & terrain

Where is Douala?

Douala sits at 4.0°N, 9.7°E, 19 m above sea level, in Cameroon. The nearest listed city is Souza Gare, 23 km away.

Topography around Douala

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Douala has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 41 m around an average of 12 m above sea level; within 16 km, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 79 m; within 80 km, extreme variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 4,012 m.

The land around Douala is covered by artificial surfaces (79%) within 3 km, trees (30%), artificial surfaces (25%) and mangroves (21%) within 16 km, and trees (69%) and water (22%) within 80 km.

3 km
41 m
16 km
79 m
80 km
4,012 m
treesgrasslandartificial surfaceswatermangroves
January weather nearby: Souza Gare 23 km · Tiko 38 km · Muyuka 42 km · Mutengene 44 km · Dizangué 44 km · Buea 53 km · Mbanga 53 km · Edéa 55 km

Cameroon 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
$1,972
2025
Happiness
5.1 / 10
World Happiness, 2025
Homicide rate
6.8
per 100k, 2022
Road deaths
30.2
per 100k/yr, 2019
Income group
Lower middle
World Bank
English
Very low
EF EPI 445
Religion
Roman Catholic 33%Muslim 31%Protestant 27%animist 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 Douala (4.0483°, 9.7043°, elevation 19 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).