Kolwezi weather in January

In January, Kolwezi sees average daytime highs of 25°C and overnight lows near 18°C, with 222 mm of rain across 27.4 wet days and about 12.6 hours of daylight. It is the 12th-warmest and 1st-wettest month of the year here.

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 25°C through the month. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 1% of the time in January, and the air most often feels humid.

Daylight stretches from about 12 h 36 min at the start of January to 12 h 30 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, January is Kolwezi's 12th-clearest and 8th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Kolwezi's year-round climate.

Daytime high
25°
12th warmest
Overnight low
18°
8th coldest
Rainfall
222 mm
27.4 wet days
Daylight
12 h 36 min
6:10 AM – 6:44 PM
Cloud cover
88%
12th clearest
Wind
7 km/h
8th windiest
Solar energy
4.77 kWh/m²
Travel score
3.9
out of 10

Kolwezi is city of Democratic Republic of the Congo.

Density
3,710/km²
people per km²
Founded
1937

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 25°C through the month.

A typical January day in Kolwezi reaches about 25°C in the afternoon and slips back to 18°C overnight — a 7°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 22°C and 27°C. Set against its neighbours, January runs on par with December and on par with February.

15°20°25°30°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
12518
22518
32518
42518
52518
62518
72518
82518
92518
102518
112518
122518
132518
142518
152518
162518
172518
182518
192518
202518
212518
222518
232518
242518
252518
262518
272518
282518
292518
302518
312518

Kolwezi weather by month

How January compares with the rest of the year at a glance. January is the 12th-warmest and 1st-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan25° / 18°22227.412.63.9
Feb25° / 18°18423.312.44.1
Mar26° / 18°16424.512.14.4
Apr26° / 17°449.611.86.6
May27° / 17°30.811.58.3
Jun26° / 15°0011.48.9
Jul26° / 14°0011.49.0
Aug29° / 17°00.111.67.5
Sep30° / 19°10211.95.9
Oct29° / 19°6112.112.25.0
Nov27° / 18°15824.212.54.2
Dec25° / 18°19527.312.63.9

Cloud cover in January

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 1% of the time in January, the cloudiest month of the year.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 4% of January, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 96%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
1595
2595
3595
4595
5496
6496
7496
8496
9496
10496
11496
12595
13595
14595
15595
16595
17595
18595
19595
20496
21496
22496
23496
24496
25397
26397
27397
28397
29397
30397
31397

Chance of precipitation in January

Any precipitation

Kolwezi gets around 222 mm of rain over 27.4 wet days in January, the wettest month. The line is the day-by-day chance of measurable precipitation.

Day to day, the chance of measurable rain averages around 88% and peaks near 89% on the wettest days.

0%20%40%60%80%100%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
188
288
388
488
588
688
788
888
988
1088
1188
1288
1388
1488
1588
1688
1789
1889
1989
2089
2189
2289
2389
2489
2589
2689
2789
2889
2988
3088
3188

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 86% of days. Sticky, muggy-or-worse air turns up on roughly 13% of them.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Comfortable (%)Humid (%)Muggy (%)
10919
209010
309010
409010
508911
608911
708911
808911
908812
1008812
1108812
1208812
1308713
1408713
1508713
1608713
1708614
1808614
1908614
2008515
2108515
2208515
2308416
2408416
2508416
2608416
2718316
2818316
2918217
3018217
3118217

Wind in January

Winds average 7 km/h in January.

Across January, daily wind ranges from about 7 km/h on the calmest days to 7 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

0246810151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
17calm
27calm
37calm
47calm
57calm
67calm
77calm
87calm
97calm
107calm
117calm
127calm
137calm
147calm
157calm
167calm
177calm
187calm
197calm
207calm
217calm
227calm
237calm
247calm
257calm
267calm
277calm
287calm
297calm
307calm
317calm

Sunrise & sunset in January

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 12 h 36 min at the start of January to 12 h 30 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 6:03 AM to 6:17 AM, and sunset from 6:40 PM to 6:46 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
112.66:036:40
212.66:036:40
312.66:046:41
412.66:046:41
512.66:056:41
612.66:056:42
712.66:066:42
812.66:066:42
912.66:076:43
1012.66:076:43
1112.66:086:43
1212.66:086:43
1312.66:096:44
1412.66:096:44
1512.66:106:44
1612.66:106:44
1712.66:116:45
1812.66:116:45
1912.56:126:45
2012.56:126:45
2112.56:136:45
2212.56:136:45
2312.56:146:45
2412.56:146:45
2512.56:156:46
2612.56:156:46
2712.56:166:46
2812.56:166:46
2912.56:166:46
3012.56:176:46
3112.56:176:46

Solar energy in January

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in January, about 4.77 kWh/m² — the year's lowest.

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 4.77 kWh/m² to a high of 6.49 kWh/m² in September across the year — January's 4.77 kWh/m² sits near the bottom.

024151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
14.8Bright
24.7Bright
34.7Bright
44.7Bright
54.7Bright
64.7Bright
74.7Bright
84.7Bright
94.7Bright
104.7Bright
114.7Bright
124.7Bright
134.7Bright
144.7Bright
154.7Bright
164.7Bright
174.8Bright
184.8Bright
194.8Bright
204.8Bright
214.8Bright
224.8Bright
234.8Bright
244.8Bright
254.8Bright
264.8Bright
274.8Bright
284.9Bright
294.9Bright
304.9Bright
314.9Bright
Planning a trip in January

Hazard calendar for Kolwezi

In seasonPeak

In January, Kolwezi sits inside its monsoon season. The full year is below, with each hazard's peak months called out.

Kolwezi's monsoon runs November–March, when most of the year's rain falls.

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

Is January a good time to visit Kolwezi?

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

3.9
Sightseeing
11th-best month of the year
3.5
Beach & pool
12th-best month of the year

January is a weaker month for outdoor sightseeing in Kolwezi.

What to pack for Kolwezi in January

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

In January, Kolwezi sees daytime highs around 25°C and nights near 18°C. Pack rain gear. Worth having: light clothes and sun protection. About 27 days see rain.

rain gearlight clothessun protection

UV index in Kolwezi in January

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in January peaks around 15 (very high — sun protection essential). The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.

Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Kolwezi peaks around February 15 at about 15 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near June 22 at about 9 (very high).

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

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecExtremeVery highExtremeFeb 15UV 15Jun 22UV 9
UV index (midday)Level
Jan15Extreme
Feb16Extreme
Mar15Extreme
Apr14Extreme
May10Extreme
Jun9Very high
Jul10Very high
Aug10Very high
Sep12Extreme
Oct14Extreme
Nov13Extreme
Dec14Extreme

Air quality in Kolwezi 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 Kolwezi is worst in August — around 92 µg/m³ PM2.5 (unhealthy), about 11.4× the cleanest month (April, 8 µg/m³).

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

0306090120JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecGoodModerateUnhealthyModerateGoodAug 1689 µg/m³Apr 108 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan11Good
Feb12Good
Mar9Good
Apr8Good
May20Moderate
Jun55Unhealthy
Jul70Unhealthy
Aug92Unhealthy
Sep66Unhealthy
Oct27Moderate
Nov13Moderate
Dec9Good
Location & terrain

Where is Kolwezi?

Kolwezi sits at 10.7°S, 25.5°E, 1,485 m above sea level, in Democratic Republic of the Congo. The nearest listed city is Fungurume, 94 km away.

KamboveLikasiChisasaMwinilungaBukamaManyama

Topography around Kolwezi

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Kolwezi has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 190 m around an average of 1,465 m above sea level; within 16 km, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 304 m; within 80 km, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 964 m.

The land around Kolwezi is covered by artificial surfaces (53%) within 3 km, grassland (38%) and cropland (23%) within 16 km, and trees (68%) within 80 km.

3 km
190 m
16 km
304 m
80 km
964 m
treesshrubsgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwater
January weather nearby: Fungurume 94 km · Malemba 107 km · Kambove 125 km · Likasi 142 km · Chisasa 155 km · Mwinilunga 160 km · Bukama 173 km · Manyama 183 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 Kolwezi (-10.7148°, 25.4667°, elevation 1,485 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).