Lukula weather in January

In January, Lukula sees average daytime highs of 30°C and overnight lows near 21°C, with 131 mm of rain across 21 wet days and about 12.2 hours of daylight. It is the 7th-warmest and 7th-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 3% of the time in January, and the air most often feels oppressive.

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

Daytime high
30°
7th warmest
Overnight low
21°
8th coldest
Rainfall
131 mm
21 wet days
Daylight
12 h 12 min
6:28 AM – 6:40 PM
Cloud cover
82%
10th clearest
Wind
4 km/h
10th windiest
Solar energy
5.3 kWh/m²
Travel score
3.7
out of 10

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 Lukula reaches about 30°C in the afternoon and slips back to 21°C overnight — a 8°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 27°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)
12921
22921
32921
42921
52921
62921
72921
82921
92921
102921
112921
122921
132921
143021
153021
163021
173021
183021
193021
203021
213021
223021
233021
243021
253021
263021
273021
283021
293021
303021
313021

How January really feels in Lukula

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.

Lukula weather by month

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

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan30° / 21°1312112.23.7
Feb30° / 22°12318.512.13.5
Mar30° / 22°15822.8123.3
Apr30° / 22°16923.311.93.4
May30° / 21°9716.511.84.2
Jun30° / 21°357.511.85.0
Jul31° / 21°275.911.84.9
Aug30° / 21°9115.911.94.2
Sep30° / 21°14423.3123.5
Oct29° / 21°18526.812.13.2
Nov29° / 21°18825.612.23.3
Dec29° / 21°16124.512.23.5

Cloud cover in January

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 3% of the time in January.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 11% of January, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 86%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
11387
21387
31387
41387
51387
61585
71585
81585
91585
101585
111486
121387
131387
141387
151288
161288
171387
181288
191288
201288
211288
221288
231288
241387
251387
261387
271585
281585
291684
301684
311783

Chance of precipitation in January

Any precipitation

Lukula gets around 131 mm of rain over 21 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 68% and peaks near 71% on the wettest days.

0%20%40%60%80%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
171
271
371
470
570
669
769
868
968
1068
1167
1267
1367
1467
1567
1667
1767
1867
1967
2067
2167
2268
2368
2468
2568
2668
2767
2867
2966
3066
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 86% of days. Sticky, muggy-or-worse air turns up on roughly 99% of them.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Humid (%)Muggy (%)Oppressive (%)Miserable (%)
1011890
2011890
3012880
4012880
5012880
6012880
7013870
8113860
9113860
10114850
11114850
12114850
13115840
14115840
15115840
16116830
17116830
18116830
19116830
20116830
21016840
22015850
23015850
24014860
25013870
26013870
27012871
28012871
29011881
30010891
31010891

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 12 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 grow by about 0 minutes over January. Sunrise moves from 6:21 AM to 6:33 AM, and sunset from 6:34 PM to 6:43 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
112.26:216:34
212.26:216:35
312.26:226:35
412.26:226:35
512.26:236:36
612.26:236:36
712.26:246:37
812.26:246:37
912.26:256:37
1012.26:256:38
1112.26:266:38
1212.26:266:39
1312.26:266:39
1412.26:276:39
1512.26:276:39
1612.26:286:40
1712.26:286:40
1812.26:286:40
1912.26:296:41
2012.26:296:41
2112.26:306:41
2212.26:306:41
2312.26:306:42
2412.26:316:42
2512.26:316:42
2612.26:316:42
2712.26:326:42
2812.26:326:42
2912.26:326:43
3012.26:326:43
3112.26:336:43

Solar energy in January

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in January, about 5.3 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 4.9 kWh/m² to a high of 5.57 kWh/m² in February across the year — January's 5.3 kWh/m² falls in the middle.

0246151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
15.1Bright
25.1Bright
35.1Bright
45.2Bright
55.2Bright
65.2Bright
75.2Bright
85.2Bright
95.2Bright
105.2Bright
115.2Bright
125.2Bright
135.2Bright
145.2Bright
155.3Bright
165.3Bright
175.3Bright
185.3Bright
195.3Bright
205.3Bright
215.4Bright
225.4Bright
235.4Bright
245.4Bright
255.4Bright
265.5Bright
275.5Bright
285.5Bright
295.5Bright
305.5Bright
315.5Bright
Planning a trip in January

Is January a good time to visit Lukula?

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

3.7
Sightseeing
5th-best month of the year
4.9
Beach & pool
5th-best month of the year

January is a weaker month for outdoor sightseeing in Lukula.

What to pack for Lukula in January

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

In January, Lukula sees daytime highs around 30°C and nights near 21°C. Pack light clothes and rain gear. Worth having: sun protection. About 21 days see rain.

light clothesrain gearsun protection

UV index in Lukula 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 Lukula peaks around March 20 at about 15 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near August 10 at about 7 (high).

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

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecExtremeVery highExtremeMar 20UV 15Aug 10UV 7
UV index (midday)Level
Jan13Extreme
Feb13Extreme
Mar15Extreme
Apr14Extreme
May10Extreme
Jun8Very high
Jul7Very high
Aug7High
Sep11Extreme
Oct13Extreme
Nov11Extreme
Dec10Very high

Air quality in Lukula 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 Lukula is worst in July — around 221 µg/m³ PM2.5 (very unhealthy), about 20.0× the cleanest month (November, 11 µg/m³).

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

0306090120150180210240JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecModerateVery unhealthyModerateModerateJul 11214 µg/m³Nov 1411 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan18Moderate
Feb22Moderate
Mar16Moderate
Apr14Moderate
May33Moderate
Jun192Very unhealthy
Jul221Very unhealthy
Aug50Poor
Sep21Moderate
Oct13Moderate
Nov11Good
Dec15Moderate
Location & terrain

Where is Lukula?

Lukula sits at 3.9°S, 23.9°E, 610 m above sea level, in Democratic Republic of the Congo. The nearest listed city is Lodja, 50 km away.

LusamboKabeya-KamwangaKinduMbuji-MayiDembaKabindaLubao

Topography around Lukula

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Lukula has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 138 m around an average of 567 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 298 m.

The land around Lukula is covered by trees (68%) and grassland (24%) within 3 km, trees (62%) and grassland (33%) within 16 km, and trees (74%) and grassland (24%) within 80 km.

3 km
138 m
16 km
200 m
80 km
298 m
treesshrubsgrassland
January weather nearby: Lodja 50 km · Lusambo 132 km · Kabeya-Kamwanga 247 km · Kindu 249 km · Mbuji-Mayi 254 km · Demba 254 km · Kabinda 261 km · Lubao 267 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 Lukula (-3.8688°, 23.8835°, elevation 610 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).