Goma weather in January

In January, Goma sees average daytime highs of 21°C and overnight lows near 17°C, with 231 mm of rain across 26.2 wet days and about 12.1 hours of daylight. It is the 3rd-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 4% of the time in January, and the air most often feels comfortable.

Daylight stretches from about 12 h 06 min at the start of January to 12 h 06 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, January is Goma's 6th-clearest and 9th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Goma's year-round climate.

Daytime high: 21°; 3rd warmest
Overnight low: 17°; 6th coldest
Rainfall: 231 mm; 26.2 wet days
Daylight: 12 h 06 min; 6:10 AM – 6:15 PM
Cloud cover: 80%; 6th clearest
Wind: 5 km/h; 9th windiest
Solar energy: 4.81 kWh/m²
Travel score: 3.9; out of 10

Goma is city in Democratic Republic of the Congo.

Density: 5,752/km²; people per km²

Air quality: WHO Ambient Air Quality Database. Density & description: Wikidata (CC0), GeoNames.

← December Goma year-round climate February →Best places to visit in January

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

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 Goma reaches about 21°C in the afternoon and slips back to 17°C overnight — a 4°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 19°C and 22°C. Set against its neighbours, January runs on par with December and on par with February.

	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	17	18	19	20	21	22	23	24	25	26	27	28	29	30	31
Avg high (°C)	21	21	21	21	21	21	21	21	21	21	21	21	21	21	21	21	21	21	21	21	21	21	21	21	21	21	21	21	21	21	21
Avg low (°C)	17	17	17	17	17	17	17	17	17	17	17	17	17	17	17	17	17	17	17	17	17	17	17	17	17	17	17	17	17	17	17

	Avg high (°C)	Avg low (°C)
1	21	17
2	21	17
3	21	17
4	21	17
5	21	17
6	21	17
7	21	17
8	21	17
9	21	17
10	21	17
11	21	17
12	21	17
13	21	17
14	21	17
15	21	17
16	21	17
17	21	17
18	21	17
19	21	17
20	21	17
21	21	17
22	21	17
23	21	17
24	21	17
25	21	17
26	21	17
27	21	17
28	21	17
29	21	17
30	21	17
31	21	17

Goma weather by month

How January compares with the rest of the year at a glance. January is the 3rd-warmest and 6th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

Month	High / Low (°C)	Rainfall (mm)	Wet days	Daylight (hours)	Travel score
Jan	21° / 17°	231	26.2	12.1	3.9
Feb	21° / 17°	221	23.7	12.1	3.9
Mar	21° / 17°	335	29.4	12	3.5
Apr	21° / 17°	257	27	12	3.6
May	21° / 18°	155	21.8	11.9	4.6
Jun	20° / 17°	78	14.2	11.9	5.6
Jul	20° / 17°	31	7.9	11.9	6.6
Aug	20° / 17°	72	13.5	11.9	5.7
Sep	21° / 17°	173	22.9	12	4.3
Oct	20° / 17°	331	28.9	12	3.5
Nov	20° / 17°	372	29.3	12.1	3.3
Dec	20° / 17°	319	29.2	12.1	3.5

Cloud cover in January

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 4% of the time in January.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 12% of January, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 84%.

	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	17	18	19	20	21	22	23	24	25	26	27	28	29	30	31
Clearer (%)	14	14	15	15	15	15	14	14	14	15	14	14	14	14	15	15	15	15	15	15	15	16	16	17	17	18	18	18	18	18	18
Cloudier (%)	86	86	85	85	85	85	86	86	86	85	86	86	86	86	85	85	85	85	85	85	85	84	84	83	83	82	82	82	82	82	82

	Clearer (%)	Cloudier (%)
1	14	86
2	14	86
3	15	85
4	15	85
5	15	85
6	15	85
7	14	86
8	14	86
9	14	86
10	15	85
11	14	86
12	14	86
13	14	86
14	14	86
15	15	85
16	15	85
17	15	85
18	15	85
19	15	85
20	15	85
21	15	85
22	16	84
23	16	84
24	17	83
25	17	83
26	18	82
27	18	82
28	18	82
29	18	82
30	18	82
31	18	82

Chance of precipitation in January

Any precipitation

Goma gets around 231 mm of rain over 26.2 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 84% and peaks near 89% on the wettest days. The odds ease toward the end of the month.

	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	17	18	19	20	21	22	23	24	25	26	27	28	29	30	31
Rain chance (%)	89	89	89	88	88	87	87	87	86	86	86	85	85	85	85	84	84	84	84	84	83	83	83	82	82	81	81	80	79	79	79

	Rain chance (%)
1	89
2	89
3	89
4	88
5	88
6	87
7	87
8	87
9	86
10	86
11	86
12	85
13	85
14	85
15	85
16	84
17	84
18	84
19	84
20	84
21	83
22	83
23	83
24	82
25	82
26	81
27	81
28	80
29	79
30	79
31	79

Humidity in January

DryComfortableHumidMuggyOppressiveMiserable

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

By dew point, January lands in the comfortable band about 87% of days. It rarely turns muggy — the humid and sticky bands barely register.

	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	17	18	19	20	21	22	23	24	25	26	27	28	29	30	31
Dry (%)	0	0	0	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	2	2	2	2	2	2	2	2	2	2	2	2	2	2	2	2	2	2	2	2
Comfortable (%)	90	90	90	89	89	89	89	89	89	89	89	87	87	87	87	87	86	86	86	86	86	85	85	85	85	85	85	85	84	84	83
Humid (%)	10	10	10	10	10	10	10	10	10	10	10	11	11	11	11	11	12	12	12	12	12	13	13	13	13	13	13	13	14	14	15

	Dry (%)	Comfortable (%)	Humid (%)
1	0	90	10
2	0	90	10
3	0	90	10
4	1	89	10
5	1	89	10
6	1	89	10
7	1	89	10
8	1	89	10
9	1	89	10
10	1	89	10
11	1	89	10
12	2	87	11
13	2	87	11
14	2	87	11
15	2	87	11
16	2	87	11
17	2	86	12
18	2	86	12
19	2	86	12
20	2	86	12
21	2	86	12
22	2	85	13
23	2	85	13
24	2	85	13
25	2	85	13
26	2	85	13
27	2	85	13
28	2	85	13
29	2	84	14
30	2	84	14
31	2	83	15

Wind in January

Winds average 5 km/h in January.

Across January, daily wind ranges from about 5 km/h on the calmest days to 5 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	17	18	19	20	21	22	23	24	25	26	27	28	29	30	31
Wind speed (km/h)	5	5	5	5	5	5	5	5	5	5	5	5	5	5	5	5	5	5	5	5	5	5	5	5	5	5	5	5	5	5	5
Feels	calm	calm	calm	calm	calm	calm	calm	calm	calm	calm	calm	calm	calm	calm	calm	calm	calm	calm	calm	calm	calm	calm	calm	calm	calm	calm	calm	calm	calm	calm	calm

	Wind speed (km/h)	Feels
1	5	calm
2	5	calm
3	5	calm
4	5	calm
5	5	calm
6	5	calm
7	5	calm
8	5	calm
9	5	calm
10	5	calm
11	5	calm
12	5	calm
13	5	calm
14	5	calm
15	5	calm
16	5	calm
17	5	calm
18	5	calm
19	5	calm
20	5	calm
21	5	calm
22	5	calm
23	5	calm
24	5	calm
25	5	calm
26	5	calm
27	5	calm
28	5	calm
29	5	calm
30	5	calm
31	5	calm

Sunrise & sunset in January

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 12 h 06 min at the start of January to 12 h 06 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 6:03 AM to 6:14 AM, and sunset from 6:09 PM to 6:19 PM.

	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	17	18	19	20	21	22	23	24	25	26	27	28	29	30	31
Daylight (h)	12.1	12.1	12.1	12.1	12.1	12.1	12.1	12.1	12.1	12.1	12.1	12.1	12.1	12.1	12.1	12.1	12.1	12.1	12.1	12.1	12.1	12.1	12.1	12.1	12.1	12.1	12.1	12.1	12.1	12.1	12.1
Sunrise (AM)	6:03	6:04	6:04	6:05	6:05	6:06	6:06	6:07	6:07	6:07	6:08	6:08	6:09	6:09	6:09	6:10	6:10	6:10	6:11	6:11	6:12	6:12	6:12	6:12	6:13	6:13	6:13	6:14	6:14	6:14	6:14
Sunset (PM)	6:09	6:10	6:10	6:10	6:11	6:11	6:12	6:12	6:12	6:13	6:13	6:14	6:14	6:14	6:15	6:15	6:15	6:16	6:16	6:16	6:16	6:17	6:17	6:17	6:17	6:18	6:18	6:18	6:18	6:18	6:19

	Daylight (h)	Sunrise (AM)	Sunset (PM)
1	12.1	6:03	6:09
2	12.1	6:04	6:10
3	12.1	6:04	6:10
4	12.1	6:05	6:10
5	12.1	6:05	6:11
6	12.1	6:06	6:11
7	12.1	6:06	6:12
8	12.1	6:07	6:12
9	12.1	6:07	6:12
10	12.1	6:07	6:13
11	12.1	6:08	6:13
12	12.1	6:08	6:14
13	12.1	6:09	6:14
14	12.1	6:09	6:14
15	12.1	6:09	6:15
16	12.1	6:10	6:15
17	12.1	6:10	6:15
18	12.1	6:10	6:16
19	12.1	6:11	6:16
20	12.1	6:11	6:16
21	12.1	6:12	6:16
22	12.1	6:12	6:17
23	12.1	6:12	6:17
24	12.1	6:12	6:17
25	12.1	6:13	6:17
26	12.1	6:13	6:18
27	12.1	6:13	6:18
28	12.1	6:14	6:18
29	12.1	6:14	6:18
30	12.1	6:14	6:18
31	12.1	6:14	6:19

Solar energy in January

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in January, about 4.81 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 4.5 kWh/m² to a high of 5.08 kWh/m² in August across the year — January's 4.81 kWh/m² falls in the middle.

	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	17	18	19	20	21	22	23	24	25	26	27	28	29	30	31
Solar energy (kWh/m²)	4.7	4.7	4.7	4.7	4.7	4.7	4.7	4.7	4.7	4.7	4.7	4.7	4.7	4.8	4.8	4.8	4.8	4.8	4.9	4.9	4.9	4.9	4.9	4.9	5.0	5.0	5.0	5.0	5.0	5.0	5.0
Level	Bright	Bright	Bright	Bright	Bright	Bright	Bright	Bright	Bright	Bright	Bright	Bright	Bright	Bright	Bright	Bright	Bright	Bright	Bright	Bright	Bright	Bright	Bright	Bright	Bright	Bright	Bright	Bright	Bright	Bright	Bright

	Solar energy (kWh/m²)	Level
1	4.7	Bright
2	4.7	Bright
3	4.7	Bright
4	4.7	Bright
5	4.7	Bright
6	4.7	Bright
7	4.7	Bright
8	4.7	Bright
9	4.7	Bright
10	4.7	Bright
11	4.7	Bright
12	4.7	Bright
13	4.7	Bright
14	4.8	Bright
15	4.8	Bright
16	4.8	Bright
17	4.8	Bright
18	4.8	Bright
19	4.9	Bright
20	4.9	Bright
21	4.9	Bright
22	4.9	Bright
23	4.9	Bright
24	4.9	Bright
25	5.0	Bright
26	5.0	Bright
27	5.0	Bright
28	5.0	Bright
29	5.0	Bright
30	5.0	Bright
31	5.0	Bright

Planning a trip in January

Is January a good time to visit Goma?

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

3.9

Sightseeing

6th-best month of the year

2.3

Beach & pool

7th-best month of the year

January is a weaker month for outdoor sightseeing in Goma.

What to pack for Goma in January

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

In January, Goma sees daytime highs around 21°C and nights near 17°C. Pack rain gear. Worth having: sun protection. About 26 days see rain.

rain gearsun protection

UV index in Goma in January

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in January peaks around 11 (very high — sun protection essential). The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.

Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Goma peaks around March 21 at about 16 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near June 21 at about 10 (extreme).

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

	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec
UV index (midday)	11	14	16	16	12	10	10	10	14	13	12	10
Level	Extreme	Extreme	Extreme	Extreme	Extreme	Extreme	Extreme	Extreme	Extreme	Extreme	Extreme	Extreme

	UV index (midday)	Level
Jan	11	Extreme
Feb	14	Extreme
Mar	16	Extreme
Apr	16	Extreme
May	12	Extreme
Jun	10	Extreme
Jul	10	Extreme
Aug	10	Extreme
Sep	14	Extreme
Oct	13	Extreme
Nov	12	Extreme
Dec	10	Extreme

Air quality in Goma 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 Goma is worst in July — around 106 µg/m³ PM2.5 (unhealthy), and holds fairly steady the rest of the year.

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

	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec
PM2.5 (µg/m³)	92	96	82	77	80	100	106	100	89	82	83	88
Level	Unhealthy	Unhealthy	Unhealthy	Unhealthy	Unhealthy	Unhealthy	Unhealthy	Unhealthy	Unhealthy	Unhealthy	Unhealthy	Unhealthy

	PM2.5 (µg/m³)	Level
Jan	92	Unhealthy
Feb	96	Unhealthy
Mar	82	Unhealthy
Apr	77	Unhealthy
May	80	Unhealthy
Jun	100	Unhealthy
Jul	106	Unhealthy
Aug	100	Unhealthy
Sep	89	Unhealthy
Oct	82	Unhealthy
Nov	83	Unhealthy
Dec	88	Unhealthy

Location & terrain

Where is Goma?

Goma sits at 1.7°S, 29.2°E, 1,518 m above sea level, in Democratic Republic of the Congo. The nearest listed city is Gisenyi, 4.0 km away.

Topography around Goma

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Goma has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 129 m around an average of 1,515 m above sea level; within 16 km, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,793 m; within 80 km, extreme variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 3,521 m.

The land around Goma is covered by artificial surfaces (72%) and water (20%) within 3 km, water (37%) within 16 km, and trees (41%) and grassland (25%) within 80 km.

3 km

129 m

artificial surfaces 72%

16 km

1,793 m

water 37%

80 km

3,521 m

trees 41%

treesshrubsgrasslandcroplandartificial surfaceswater

← December Goma year-round climate February →Best places to visit in January

January weather nearby: Gisenyi 4.0 km · Sake 23 km · Kora 25 km · Mukamira 31 km · Busogo 37 km · Mukingo 39 km · Kibuye 45 km · Ngororero 49 km

Democratic Republic of the Congo travel facts

Travel advisory: Level 4; Do Not Travel
Power plugs: Type C / E; 220 V · 50 Hz
Prices: ≈ 42% of US; price level, 2025
GDP per capita: $807; 2025
Happiness: 3.8 / 10; World Happiness, 2025
Safe drinking water: 12%; of population, 2024
Road deaths: 34.9; per 100k/yr, 2019
Income group: Low; World Bank
English: Very low; EF EPI 400

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 Goma (-1.6741°, 29.2284°, elevation 1,518 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).

	Avg high (°C)	Avg low (°C)
1	21	17
2	21	17
3	21	17
4	21	17
5	21	17
6	21	17
7	21	17
8	21	17
9	21	17
10	21	17
11	21	17
12	21	17
13	21	17
14	21	17
15	21	17
16	21	17
17	21	17
18	21	17
19	21	17
20	21	17
21	21	17
22	21	17
23	21	17
24	21	17
25	21	17
26	21	17
27	21	17
28	21	17
29	21	17
30	21	17
31	21	17

	Clearer (%)	Cloudier (%)
1	14	86
2	14	86
3	15	85
4	15	85
5	15	85
6	15	85
7	14	86
8	14	86
9	14	86
10	15	85
11	14	86
12	14	86
13	14	86
14	14	86
15	15	85
16	15	85
17	15	85
18	15	85
19	15	85
20	15	85
21	15	85
22	16	84
23	16	84
24	17	83
25	17	83
26	18	82
27	18	82
28	18	82
29	18	82
30	18	82
31	18	82

	Rain chance (%)
1	89
2	89
3	89
4	88
5	88
6	87
7	87
8	87
9	86
10	86
11	86
12	85
13	85
14	85
15	85
16	84
17	84
18	84
19	84
20	84
21	83
22	83
23	83
24	82
25	82
26	81
27	81
28	80
29	79
30	79
31	79

	Dry (%)	Comfortable (%)	Humid (%)
1	0	90	10
2	0	90	10
3	0	90	10
4	1	89	10
5	1	89	10
6	1	89	10
7	1	89	10
8	1	89	10
9	1	89	10
10	1	89	10
11	1	89	10
12	2	87	11
13	2	87	11
14	2	87	11
15	2	87	11
16	2	87	11
17	2	86	12
18	2	86	12
19	2	86	12
20	2	86	12
21	2	86	12
22	2	85	13
23	2	85	13
24	2	85	13
25	2	85	13
26	2	85	13
27	2	85	13
28	2	85	13
29	2	84	14
30	2	84	14
31	2	83	15

	Avg high (°C)	Avg low (°C)
1	21	17
2	21	17
3	21	17
4	21	17
5	21	17
6	21	17
7	21	17
8	21	17
9	21	17
10	21	17
11	21	17
12	21	17
13	21	17
14	21	17
15	21	17
16	21	17
17	21	17
18	21	17
19	21	17
20	21	17
21	21	17
22	21	17
23	21	17
24	21	17
25	21	17
26	21	17
27	21	17
28	21	17
29	21	17
30	21	17
31	21	17

	Clearer (%)	Cloudier (%)
1	14	86
2	14	86
3	15	85
4	15	85
5	15	85
6	15	85
7	14	86
8	14	86
9	14	86
10	15	85
11	14	86
12	14	86
13	14	86
14	14	86
15	15	85
16	15	85
17	15	85
18	15	85
19	15	85
20	15	85
21	15	85
22	16	84
23	16	84
24	17	83
25	17	83
26	18	82
27	18	82
28	18	82
29	18	82
30	18	82
31	18	82

	Rain chance (%)
1	89
2	89
3	89
4	88
5	88
6	87
7	87
8	87
9	86
10	86
11	86
12	85
13	85
14	85
15	85
16	84
17	84
18	84
19	84
20	84
21	83
22	83
23	83
24	82
25	82
26	81
27	81
28	80
29	79
30	79
31	79

	Dry (%)	Comfortable (%)	Humid (%)
1	0	90	10
2	0	90	10
3	0	90	10
4	1	89	10
5	1	89	10
6	1	89	10
7	1	89	10
8	1	89	10
9	1	89	10
10	1	89	10
11	1	89	10
12	2	87	11
13	2	87	11
14	2	87	11
15	2	87	11
16	2	87	11
17	2	86	12
18	2	86	12
19	2	86	12
20	2	86	12
21	2	86	12
22	2	85	13
23	2	85	13
24	2	85	13
25	2	85	13
26	2	85	13
27	2	85	13
28	2	85	13
29	2	84	14
30	2	84	14
31	2	83	15

	Avg high (°C)	Avg low (°C)
1	21	17
2	21	17
3	21	17
4	21	17
5	21	17
6	21	17
7	21	17
8	21	17
9	21	17
10	21	17
11	21	17
12	21	17
13	21	17
14	21	17
15	21	17
16	21	17
17	21	17
18	21	17
19	21	17
20	21	17
21	21	17
22	21	17
23	21	17
24	21	17
25	21	17
26	21	17
27	21	17
28	21	17
29	21	17
30	21	17
31	21	17

	Clearer (%)	Cloudier (%)
1	14	86
2	14	86
3	15	85
4	15	85
5	15	85
6	15	85
7	14	86
8	14	86
9	14	86
10	15	85
11	14	86
12	14	86
13	14	86
14	14	86
15	15	85
16	15	85
17	15	85
18	15	85
19	15	85
20	15	85
21	15	85
22	16	84
23	16	84
24	17	83
25	17	83
26	18	82
27	18	82
28	18	82
29	18	82
30	18	82
31	18	82

	Rain chance (%)
1	89
2	89
3	89
4	88
5	88
6	87
7	87
8	87
9	86
10	86
11	86
12	85
13	85
14	85
15	85
16	84
17	84
18	84
19	84
20	84
21	83
22	83
23	83
24	82
25	82
26	81
27	81
28	80
29	79
30	79
31	79

	Dry (%)	Comfortable (%)	Humid (%)
1	0	90	10
2	0	90	10
3	0	90	10
4	1	89	10
5	1	89	10
6	1	89	10
7	1	89	10
8	1	89	10
9	1	89	10
10	1	89	10
11	1	89	10
12	2	87	11
13	2	87	11
14	2	87	11
15	2	87	11
16	2	87	11
17	2	86	12
18	2	86	12
19	2	86	12
20	2	86	12
21	2	86	12
22	2	85	13
23	2	85	13
24	2	85	13
25	2	85	13
26	2	85	13
27	2	85	13
28	2	85	13
29	2	84	14
30	2	84	14
31	2	83	15