Kananga weather in January

In January, Kananga sees average daytime highs of 29°C and overnight lows near 21°C, with 131 mm of rain across 19.5 wet days and about 12.3 hours of daylight. It is the 9th-warmest and 7th-wettest month of the year here.

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 29°C through the month. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 2% of the time in January, and the air most often feels oppressive.

Daylight stretches from about 12 h 18 min at the start of January to 12 h 18 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, January is Kananga's 11th-clearest and 10th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Kananga's year-round climate.

Daytime high
29°
9th warmest
Overnight low
21°
8th coldest
Rainfall
131 mm
19.5 wet days
Daylight
12 h 18 min
6:30 AM – 6:49 PM
Cloud cover
83%
11th clearest
Wind
4 km/h
10th windiest
Solar energy
5.28 kWh/m²
Travel score
4.0
out of 10

Kananga is capital city of the Kasai-Central Province in DRC and capital of the former Kasaï-Occidental Province.

Density
1,679/km²
people per km²
Founded
1884

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 29°C through the month.

A typical January day in Kananga reaches about 29°C in the afternoon and slips back to 21°C overnight — a 9°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 27°C and 31°C. Set against its neighbours, January runs on par with December and on par with February.

15°20°25°30°35°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
12921
22921
32921
42921
52921
62921
72921
82921
92921
102921
112921
122921
132921
142921
152921
162921
172921
182921
192921
202921
212921
222921
232921
242921
252921
262921
273021
283021
293021
303021
313021

How January really feels in Kananga

Once humidity and wind are folded in, January averages 8 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
8
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.

Kananga weather by month

How January compares with the rest of the year at a glance. January is the 9th-warmest and 7th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan29° / 21°13119.512.34.0
Feb30° / 21°1271812.23.7
Mar30° / 21°17622.2123.5
Apr30° / 21°17822.111.93.5
May31° / 21°6411.811.74.5
Jun31° / 20°102.211.75.2
Jul32° / 20°61.311.75.0
Aug31° / 21°521011.84.6
Sep30° / 21°13619.8123.8
Oct29° / 21°18124.812.13.4
Nov29° / 20°18624.912.33.5
Dec29° / 21°15922.312.33.8

Cloud cover in January

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 2% of the time in January.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 9% of January, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 89%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
11486
21486
31486
41486
51486
61486
71486
81387
91387
101387
111387
121288
131288
141189
151189
161189
171090
181090
19991
20991
21991
22991
23991
24991
25991
26991
27991
28991
29991
301090
311090

Chance of precipitation in January

Any precipitation

Kananga gets around 131 mm of rain over 19.5 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 63% and peaks near 68% on the wettest days.

0%20%40%60%80%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
168
268
367
467
566
666
765
864
963
1063
1162
1261
1361
1460
1560
1660
1760
1861
1961
2061
2162
2262
2363
2463
2563
2664
2764
2864
2964
3065
3165

Humidity in January

DryComfortableHumidMuggyOppressiveMiserable

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

By dew point, January lands in the oppressive band about 58% of days. Sticky, muggy-or-worse air turns up on roughly 99% of them.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Humid (%)Muggy (%)Oppressive (%)
103862
203862
303862
403862
503961
613960
714059
814158
914257
1014257
1114356
1214455
1314554
1414554
1514554
1614554
1714554
1814554
1914554
2014554
2114455
2204357
2304357
2404258
2504159
2604060
2704060
2803961
2903862
3003862
3103763

Wind in January

Winds average 4 km/h in January.

Across January, daily wind ranges from about 4 km/h on the calmest days to 5 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

0246810151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
14calm
24calm
34calm
44calm
54calm
64calm
74calm
84calm
94calm
104calm
114calm
124calm
134calm
144calm
154calm
164calm
175calm
185calm
195calm
205calm
215calm
225calm
235calm
245calm
255calm
265calm
275calm
285calm
295calm
305calm
315calm

Sunrise & sunset in January

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 12 h 18 min at the start of January to 12 h 18 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 6:23 AM to 6:36 AM, and sunset from 6:44 PM to 6:51 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
112.36:236:44
212.36:246:44
312.36:246:44
412.36:256:45
512.36:256:45
612.36:266:46
712.36:266:46
812.36:276:46
912.36:276:47
1012.36:286:47
1112.36:286:47
1212.36:296:48
1312.36:296:48
1412.36:306:48
1512.36:306:49
1612.36:306:49
1712.36:316:49
1812.36:316:49
1912.36:326:50
2012.36:326:50
2112.36:326:50
2212.36:336:50
2312.36:336:50
2412.36:346:51
2512.36:346:51
2612.36:346:51
2712.36:356:51
2812.36:356:51
2912.36:356:51
3012.36:366:51
3112.36:366:51

Solar energy in January

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in January, about 5.28 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 5.06 kWh/m² to a high of 5.55 kWh/m² in February across the year — January's 5.28 kWh/m² falls in the middle.

0246151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
15.2Bright
25.2Bright
35.2Bright
45.2Bright
55.2Bright
65.2Bright
75.2Bright
85.2Bright
95.2Bright
105.2Bright
115.2Bright
125.2Bright
135.2Bright
145.3Bright
155.3Bright
165.3Bright
175.3Bright
185.3Bright
195.3Bright
205.3Bright
215.3Bright
225.3Bright
235.3Bright
245.4Bright
255.4Bright
265.4Bright
275.4Bright
285.4Bright
295.4Bright
305.4Bright
315.5Bright
Planning a trip in January

Is January a good time to visit Kananga?

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

4.0
Sightseeing
5th-best month of the year
5.2
Beach & pool
6th-best month of the year

January is a reasonable time to visit Kananga for sightseeing.

What to pack for Kananga in January

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

In January, Kananga sees daytime highs around 29°C and nights near 21°C. Pack light clothes and rain gear. Worth having: sun protection. About 20 days see rain.

light clothesrain gearsun protection

UV index in Kananga in January

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in January peaks around 13 (very high — sun protection essential). The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.

Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Kananga peaks around March 18 at about 15 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near August 12 at about 5 (high).

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

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecExtremeVery highHighExtremeMar 18UV 15Aug 12UV 5
UV index (midday)Level
Jan13Extreme
Feb13Extreme
Mar15Extreme
Apr14Extreme
May10Very high
Jun8Very high
Jul6High
Aug5Moderate
Sep12Extreme
Oct13Extreme
Nov11Extreme
Dec11Extreme

Air quality in Kananga 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 Kananga is worst in August — around 134 µg/m³ PM2.5 (unhealthy), about 7.2× the cleanest month (November, 19 µg/m³).

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

0306090120150JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecModeratePoorUnhealthyModerateAug 13128 µg/m³Nov 2019 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan27Moderate
Feb36Poor
Mar22Moderate
Apr22Moderate
May38Poor
Jun59Unhealthy
Jul102Unhealthy
Aug134Unhealthy
Sep45Poor
Oct23Moderate
Nov19Moderate
Dec20Moderate
Location & terrain

Where is Kananga?

Kananga sits at 5.9°S, 22.4°E, 643 m above sea level, in Democratic Republic of the Congo. The nearest listed city is Demba, 47 km away.

LueboMbuji-MayiMwekaLusamboMwene-Ditu

Topography around Kananga

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Kananga has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 92 m around an average of 612 m above sea level; within 16 km, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 200 m; within 80 km, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 467 m.

The land around Kananga is covered by artificial surfaces (50%) and trees (32%) within 3 km, trees (34%), shrubs (30%) and grassland (30%) within 16 km, and trees (64%) within 80 km.

3 km
92 m
16 km
200 m
80 km
467 m
treesshrubsgrasslandcroplandartificial surfaceswater
January weather nearby: Demba 47 km · Kabeya-Kamwanga 93 km · Miabi 114 km · Luebo 126 km · Mbuji-Mayi 132 km · Mweka 150 km · Lusambo 153 km · Mwene-Ditu 169 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 Kananga (-5.8962°, 22.4166°, elevation 643 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).