Kikwit weather in January

In January, Kikwit sees average daytime highs of 30°C and overnight lows near 22°C, with 116 mm of rain across 19.3 wet days and about 12.3 hours of daylight. It is the 9th-warmest and 6th-wettest month of the year here.

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 30°C through the month. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 4% 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 12 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, January is Kikwit's 9th-clearest and 9th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Kikwit's year-round climate.

Daytime high
30°
9th warmest
Overnight low
22°
6th coldest
Rainfall
116 mm
19.3 wet days
Daylight
12 h 18 min
5:46 AM – 6:02 PM
Cloud cover
81%
9th clearest
Wind
4 km/h
9th windiest
Solar energy
5.34 kWh/m²
Travel score
3.6
out of 10

Kikwit is city in Congo-Kinshasa.

Density
5,537/km²
people per km²
Founded
1970

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 30°C through the month.

A typical January day in Kikwit reaches about 30°C in the afternoon and slips back to 22°C overnight — a 9°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 28°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)
13022
23022
33022
43022
53022
63022
73022
83022
93022
103022
113022
123022
133022
143022
153022
163022
173022
183022
193022
203022
213022
223022
233122
243122
253122
263122
273122
283122
293122
303122
313122

How January really feels in Kikwit

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.

Kikwit 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
Jan30° / 22°11619.312.33.6
Feb31° / 22°11116.612.23.5
Mar31° / 22°13320.5123.3
Apr31° / 22°16623.511.93.1
May31° / 22°8315.611.84.0
Jun31° / 21°133.511.75.0
Jul32° / 21°72.311.74.8
Aug32° / 22°411011.84.1
Sep31° / 22°10618.9123.5
Oct30° / 21°16725.512.13.2
Nov30° / 21°17924.912.23.2
Dec30° / 21°14823.412.33.4

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 13% of January, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 83%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
11882
21882
31981
41981
51981
61981
71882
81981
91981
101981
111981
121981
131882
141783
151684
161684
171684
181585
191585
201585
211486
221486
231486
241486
251486
261486
271585
281585
291684
301783
311783

Chance of precipitation in January

Any precipitation

Kikwit gets around 116 mm of rain over 19.3 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 69% on the wettest days. The odds ease toward the end of the month.

0%20%40%60%80%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
169
268
368
467
567
667
766
866
966
1066
1165
1265
1364
1464
1564
1663
1763
1862
1962
2061
2160
2260
2359
2459
2559
2658
2758
2858
2958
3058
3158

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 90% of days. Sticky, muggy-or-worse air turns up on roughly 100% of them.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Humid (%)Muggy (%)Oppressive (%)
10694
20694
30793
40793
50892
60892
70892
81990
91990
1011089
1111089
1211188
1311188
1411188
1511188
1611188
1711188
1811188
1901288
2001288
2101288
2201189
2301189
2401189
2501189
2601090
2701090
280991
290991
300892
310892

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 4 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
174calm
184calm
194calm
204calm
214calm
224calm
234calm
244calm
254calm
264calm
274calm
284calm
294calm
304calm
314calm

Sunrise & sunset in January

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 12 h 18 min at the start of January to 12 h 12 min by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days shrink by about 6 minutes over January. Sunrise moves from 5:39 AM to 5:51 AM, and sunset from 5:57 PM to 6:05 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
112.35:395:57
212.35:405:57
312.35:405:57
412.35:415:58
512.35:415:58
612.35:425:59
712.35:425:59
812.35:435:59
912.35:436:00
1012.35:446:00
1112.35:446:00
1212.35:446:01
1312.35:456:01
1412.35:456:01
1512.35:466:02
1612.35:466:02
1712.35:476:02
1812.35:476:02
1912.35:476:03
2012.35:486:03
2112.35:486:03
2212.25:496:03
2312.25:496:04
2412.25:496:04
2512.25:506:04
2612.25:506:04
2712.25:506:04
2812.25:516:04
2912.25:516:04
3012.25:516:05
3112.25:516:05

Solar energy in January

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in January, about 5.34 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 4.9 kWh/m² to a high of 5.56 kWh/m² in February across the year — January's 5.34 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
115.3Bright
125.3Bright
135.3Bright
145.3Bright
155.3Bright
165.3Bright
175.3Bright
185.3Bright
195.4Bright
205.4Bright
215.4Bright
225.4Bright
235.4Bright
245.4Bright
255.5Bright
265.5Bright
275.5Bright
285.5Bright
295.5Bright
305.5Bright
315.5Bright
Planning a trip in January

Is January a good time to visit Kikwit?

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

3.6
Sightseeing
5th-best month of the year
5.1
Beach & pool
7th-best month of the year

January is a weaker month for outdoor sightseeing in Kikwit.

What to pack for Kikwit in January

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

In January, Kikwit sees daytime highs around 30°C and nights near 22°C. Pack light clothes and rain gear. Worth having: sun protection. About 19 days see rain.

light clothesrain gearsun protection

UV index in Kikwit 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 Kikwit peaks around March 14 at about 14 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near August 14 at about 4 (moderate).

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

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecExtremeVery highHighModerateExtremeMar 14UV 14Aug 14UV 4
UV index (midday)Level
Jan13Extreme
Feb14Extreme
Mar14Extreme
Apr13Extreme
May9Very high
Jun8Very high
Jul7High
Aug4Moderate
Sep10Very high
Oct13Extreme
Nov13Extreme
Dec10Very high

Air quality in Kikwit 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 Kikwit is worst in August — around 166 µg/m³ PM2.5 (very unhealthy), about 12.2× the cleanest month (November, 14 µg/m³).

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

0306090120150180JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecModerateUnhealthyUnhealthyModerateAug 13157 µg/m³Nov 1714 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan22Moderate
Feb26Moderate
Mar25Moderate
Apr21Moderate
May61Unhealthy
Jun136Unhealthy
Jul117Unhealthy
Aug166Very unhealthy
Sep36Poor
Oct17Moderate
Nov14Moderate
Dec16Moderate
Location & terrain

Where is Kikwit?

Kikwit sits at 5.0°S, 18.8°E, 466 m above sea level, in Democratic Republic of the Congo. The nearest listed city is Bulungu, 60 km away.

MangaiDibaya-LubweDunguIleboBandundu Province

Topography around Kikwit

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Kikwit has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 163 m around an average of 426 m above sea level; within 16 km, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 307 m; within 80 km, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 500 m.

The land around Kikwit is covered by trees (38%) and artificial surfaces (37%) within 3 km, shrubs (38%), grassland (34%) and trees (24%) within 16 km, and grassland (47%), trees (29%) and shrubs (24%) within 80 km.

3 km
163 m
16 km
307 m
80 km
500 m
treesshrubsgrasslandartificial surfaceswater
January weather nearby: Bulungu 60 km · Idiofa 86 km · Masi-Manimba 107 km · Mangai 138 km · Dibaya-Lubwe 152 km · Dungu 158 km · Ilebo 211 km · Bandundu Province 249 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 Kikwit (-5.041°, 18.8162°, elevation 466 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).