Lubumbashi weather in January

In January, Lubumbashi sees average daytime highs of 26°C and overnight lows near 18°C, with 258 mm of rain across 28.4 wet days and about 12.6 hours of daylight. It is the 10th-warmest and 1st-wettest month of the year here.

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 26°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 42 min at the start of January to 12 h 30 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, January is Lubumbashi's 12th-clearest and 10th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Lubumbashi's year-round climate.

Daytime high
26°
10th warmest
Overnight low
18°
10th coldest
Rainfall
258 mm
28.4 wet days
Daylight
12 h 36 min
6:01 AM – 6:38 PM
Cloud cover
88%
12th clearest
Wind
6 km/h
10th windiest
Solar energy
5.1 kWh/m²
Travel score
3.7
out of 10

Lubumbashi is second largest city in Democratic Republic of the Congo.

Founded
1910

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 26°C through the month.

A typical January day in Lubumbashi reaches about 26°C in the afternoon and slips back to 18°C overnight — a 8°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 24°C and 28°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)
12618
22618
32618
42618
52618
62618
72618
82618
92618
102618
112618
122618
132618
142618
152618
162618
172618
182618
192618
202618
212618
222618
232618
242618
252618
262618
272618
282618
292618
302618
312618

Lubumbashi weather by month

How January compares with the rest of the year at a glance. January is the 10th-warmest and 1st-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan26° / 18°25828.412.63.7
Feb26° / 18°21324.412.43.9
Mar26° / 17°17123.212.14.6
Apr27° / 16°367.111.77.0
May27° / 15°20.611.58.4
Jun26° / 12°0011.39.1
Jul25° / 12°0011.49.2
Aug28° / 14°0011.68.1
Sep31° / 17°30.711.96.0
Oct32° / 19°255.212.34.8
Nov29° / 18°13019.412.54.2
Dec26° / 18°22627.612.73.8

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 5% of January, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 94%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
1793
2793
3793
4793
5694
6694
7694
8694
9694
10694
11694
12694
13694
14694
15694
16694
17694
18694
19694
20694
21694
22694
23694
24595
25595
26595
27595
28595
29595
30595
31595

Chance of precipitation in January

Any precipitation

Lubumbashi gets around 258 mm of rain over 28.4 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 92% and peaks near 92% on the wettest days.

0%20%40%60%80%100%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
192
292
392
492
592
692
792
892
992
1092
1192
1292
1392
1492
1592
1692
1792
1892
1992
2092
2192
2292
2392
2491
2591
2691
2791
2890
2990
3089
3189

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 55% of days. Sticky, muggy-or-worse air turns up on roughly 45% of them.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Comfortable (%)Humid (%)Muggy (%)
115346
215346
305446
405545
505545
605545
705545
805644
905644
1005644
1105743
1205743
1305743
1405743
1505743
1605743
1705743
1805743
1905644
2005644
2105644
2205545
2305545
2405446
2505347
2605347
2705248
2805248
2905149
3005149
3105149

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 12 h 42 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 12 minutes over January. Sunrise moves from 5:53 AM to 6:08 AM, and sunset from 6:33 PM to 6:39 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
112.75:536:33
212.75:546:34
312.75:546:34
412.75:556:35
512.75:556:35
612.75:566:35
712.75:566:36
812.75:576:36
912.65:576:36
1012.65:586:36
1112.65:586:37
1212.65:596:37
1312.65:596:37
1412.66:006:37
1512.66:006:38
1612.66:016:38
1712.66:016:38
1812.66:026:38
1912.66:026:38
2012.66:036:38
2112.66:036:39
2212.66:046:39
2312.66:046:39
2412.66:056:39
2512.66:056:39
2612.66:066:39
2712.56:066:39
2812.56:076:39
2912.56:076:39
3012.56:086:39
3112.56:086:39

Solar energy in January

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in January, about 5.1 kWh/m² — the year's lowest.

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 5.1 kWh/m² to a high of 6.94 kWh/m² in September across the year — January's 5.1 kWh/m² sits near the bottom.

0246151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
15.1Bright
25.1Bright
35.1Bright
45.1Bright
55.1Bright
65.1Bright
75.1Bright
85.1Bright
95.1Bright
105.1Bright
115.1Bright
125.1Bright
135.1Bright
145.1Bright
155.1Bright
165.1Bright
175.1Bright
185.1Bright
195.1Bright
205.1Bright
215.1Bright
225.1Bright
235.1Bright
245.1Bright
255.1Bright
265.1Bright
275.1Bright
285.1Bright
295.1Bright
305.1Bright
315.2Bright
Planning a trip in January

Hazard calendar for Lubumbashi

In seasonPeak

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

Lubumbashi'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 Lubumbashi?

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

3.7
Sightseeing
12th-best month of the year
3.6
Beach & pool
12th-best month of the year

January is a weaker month for outdoor sightseeing in Lubumbashi.

What to pack for Lubumbashi in January

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

In January, Lubumbashi sees daytime highs around 26°C and nights near 18°C. Pack rain gear. Worth having: light clothes and sun protection. About 28 days see rain.

rain gearlight clothessun protection

UV index in Lubumbashi in January

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in January peaks around 16 (very high — sun protection essential). The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.

Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Lubumbashi peaks around March 12 at about 16 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near June 18 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 highExtremeMar 12UV 16Jun 18UV 9
UV index (midday)Level
Jan16Extreme
Feb15Extreme
Mar16Extreme
Apr14Extreme
May10Extreme
Jun9Very high
Jul10Very high
Aug11Extreme
Sep12Extreme
Oct13Extreme
Nov13Extreme
Dec13Extreme

Air quality in Lubumbashi 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 Lubumbashi is worst in August — around 74 µg/m³ PM2.5 (unhealthy), about 5.5× the cleanest month (April, 14 µg/m³).

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

020406080JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecModeratePoorUnhealthyPoorModerateAug 1772 µg/m³Apr 1914 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan15Moderate
Feb18Moderate
Mar16Moderate
Apr14Moderate
May15Moderate
Jun32Moderate
Jul55Unhealthy
Aug74Unhealthy
Sep57Unhealthy
Oct37Poor
Nov20Moderate
Dec15Moderate
Location & terrain

Where is Lubumbashi?

Lubumbashi sits at 11.7°S, 27.5°E, 1,260 m above sea level, in Democratic Republic of the Congo. The nearest listed city is Kipushi, 27 km away.

KansanshiChambishiMokamboMufulira

Topography around Lubumbashi

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Lubumbashi has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 85 m around an average of 1,240 m above sea level; within 16 km, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 239 m; within 80 km, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 431 m.

The land around Lubumbashi is covered by artificial surfaces (81%) within 3 km, grassland (31%) and artificial surfaces (31%) within 16 km, and trees (54%) and grassland (31%) within 80 km.

3 km
85 m
16 km
239 m
80 km
431 m
treesshrubsgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwaterwetland
January weather nearby: Kipushi 27 km · Chililabombwe 87 km · Chingola 106 km · Likasi 110 km · Kansanshi 124 km · Chambishi 125 km · Mokambo 127 km · Mufulira 129 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 Lubumbashi (-11.6609°, 27.4794°, elevation 1,260 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).