Lisala weather in January

In January, Lisala sees average daytime highs of 32°C and overnight lows near 22°C, with 45 mm of rain across 9.1 wet days and about 11.9 hours of daylight. It is the 2nd-warmest and 12th-wettest month of the year here.

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 32°C through the month. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 20% of the time in January, and the air most often feels oppressive.

Daylight stretches from about 11 h 54 min at the start of January to 11 h 54 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, January is Lisala's 1st-clearest and 3rd-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Lisala's year-round climate.

Daytime high
32°
2nd warmest
Overnight low
22°
5th coldest
Rainfall
45 mm
9.1 wet days
Daylight
11 h 54 min
5:47 AM – 5:40 PM
Cloud cover
65%
1st clearest
Wind
6 km/h
3rd windiest
Solar energy
5.61 kWh/m²
Travel score
4.1
out of 10

Lisala is capital of the Mongala province in the north of the Democratic Republic of Congo.

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 32°C through the month.

A typical January day in Lisala reaches about 32°C in the afternoon and slips back to 22°C overnight — a 10°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 29°C and 34°C. Set against its neighbours, January runs about 1°C warmer than December and on par with February.

20°25°30°35°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
13122
23122
33122
43122
53122
63122
73122
83122
93122
103222
113222
123222
133222
143222
153222
163222
173222
183222
193222
203222
213222
223222
233222
243222
253222
263222
273222
283222
293222
303222
313223

How January really feels in Lisala

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.

Lisala weather by month

How January compares with the rest of the year at a glance. January is the 2nd-warmest and 12th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan32° / 22°459.111.94.1
Feb32° / 23°7111.811.93.5
Mar32° / 23°13618.3123.3
Apr31° / 23°14220.7123.4
May30° / 23°11821.212.13.6
Jun29° / 23°10419.512.14.0
Jul29° / 22°11721.612.13.9
Aug29° / 22°15525.512.13.5
Sep29° / 22°16124.8123.4
Oct29° / 22°18526.1123.4
Nov29° / 22°14623.111.93.6
Dec30° / 22°601211.94.4

Cloud cover in January

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 20% of the time in January, the clearest month of the year.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 20% of January, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 60%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
14456
24357
34357
44357
54357
64357
74357
84456
94456
104456
114357
124258
134258
144258
154258
164060
174060
184060
194060
203862
213862
223763
233664
243664
253664
263763
273763
283664
293664
303763
313862

Chance of precipitation in January

Any precipitation

Lisala gets around 45 mm of rain over 9.1 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 29% and peaks near 35% on the wettest days. The odds climb toward the end of the month.

0%10%20%30%40%50%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
128
228
328
428
527
627
727
826
926
1026
1126
1226
1326
1426
1527
1627
1728
1829
1929
2030
2131
2232
2332
2433
2534
2634
2734
2834
2935
3035
3135

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 60% of days. Sticky, muggy-or-worse air turns up on roughly 85% of them.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)Muggy (%)Oppressive (%)Miserable (%)
112524680
213624660
313624660
423625640
524725620
624725620
724826600
824826600
924927580
1024927580
11241028560
12241028560
13241128550
14241128550
15241128550
16241128550
17241128550
18251127550
19251127550
20251126560
21251125570
22251025580
23251024581
2424924601
2524923611
2624823621
2724822631
2824822641
2924721651
3013721671
3113721671

Wind in January

Winds average 6 km/h in January.

Across January, daily wind ranges from about 6 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
16calm
26calm
36calm
46calm
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 54 min at the start of January to 11 h 54 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 5:41 AM to 5:50 AM, and sunset from 5:33 PM to 5:44 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
111.95:415:33
211.95:415:34
311.95:425:34
411.95:425:35
511.95:425:35
611.95:435:36
711.95:435:36
811.95:445:37
911.95:445:37
1011.95:445:37
1111.95:455:38
1211.95:455:38
1311.95:465:39
1411.95:465:39
1511.95:465:39
1611.95:475:40
1711.95:475:40
1811.95:475:41
1911.95:475:41
2011.95:485:41
2111.95:485:42
2211.95:485:42
2311.95:495:42
2411.95:495:43
2511.95:495:43
2611.95:495:43
2711.95:495:43
2811.95:505:44
2911.95:505:44
3011.95:505:44
3111.95:505:44

Solar energy in January

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in January, about 5.61 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 4.81 kWh/m² to a high of 5.69 kWh/m² in February across the year — January's 5.61 kWh/m² sits near the top of that range.

0246151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
15.4Bright
25.5Bright
35.5Bright
45.5Bright
55.5Bright
65.5Bright
75.5Bright
85.5Bright
95.5Bright
105.6Bright
115.6Bright
125.6Bright
135.6Bright
145.6Bright
155.6Bright
165.6Bright
175.6Bright
185.7Bright
195.7Bright
205.7Bright
215.7Bright
225.7Bright
235.7Bright
245.7Bright
255.7Bright
265.7Bright
275.7Bright
285.7Bright
295.7Bright
305.7Bright
315.7Bright
Planning a trip in January

Is January a good time to visit Lisala?

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

4.1
Sightseeing
2nd-best month of the year
6.5
Beach & pool
1st-best month of the year

January is a reasonable time to visit Lisala for sightseeing. The water and warmth also suit a beach or pool day.

What to pack for Lisala in January

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

In January, Lisala sees daytime highs around 32°C and nights near 22°C. Pack light clothes. Worth having: rain gear and sun protection. About 9 days see rain.

light clothesrain gearsun protection

UV index in Lisala in January

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in January peaks around 10 (very high — sun protection essential). The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.

Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Lisala peaks around March 22 at about 13 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near July 11 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 highExtremeVery highMar 22UV 13Jul 11UV 9
UV index (midday)Level
Jan10Extreme
Feb12Extreme
Mar13Extreme
Apr13Extreme
May12Extreme
Jun9Very high
Jul9Very high
Aug12Extreme
Sep12Extreme
Oct13Extreme
Nov9Very high
Dec9Very high

Air quality in Lisala 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 Lisala is worst in March — around 110 µg/m³ PM2.5 (unhealthy), about 11.1× the cleanest month (October, 10 µg/m³).

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

0306090120JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecUnhealthyModerateGoodModerateMar 12106 µg/m³Oct 1210 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan39Poor
Feb91Unhealthy
Mar110Unhealthy
Apr43Poor
May16Moderate
Jun18Moderate
Jul21Moderate
Aug17Moderate
Sep11Good
Oct10Good
Nov15Moderate
Dec26Moderate
Location & terrain

Where is Lisala?

Lisala sits at 2.2°N, 21.5°E, 418 m above sea level, in Democratic Republic of the Congo. The nearest listed city is Bumba, 106 km away.

BusingaBasankusuGemenaGbadoliteBasokoAketi

Topography around Lisala

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Lisala has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 132 m around an average of 384 m above sea level; within 16 km, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 154 m; within 80 km, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 216 m.

The land around Lisala is covered by water (32%), trees (27%) and artificial surfaces (23%) within 3 km, trees (69%) within 16 km, and trees (95%) within 80 km.

3 km
132 m
16 km
154 m
80 km
216 m
treesshrubsgrasslandartificial surfaceswater
January weather nearby: Bumba 106 km · Binga 116 km · Businga 149 km · Basankusu 217 km · Gemena 229 km · Gbadolite 243 km · Basoko 254 km · Aketi 260 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 Lisala (2.1513°, 21.5167°, elevation 418 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).