Mbandaka weather in January

In January, Mbandaka sees average daytime highs of 31°C and overnight lows near 23°C, with 89 mm of rain across 15.2 wet days and about 12 hours of daylight. It is the 3rd-warmest and 12th-wettest month of the year here.

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 31°C through the month. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 12% of the time in January, and the air most often feels oppressive.

Daylight stretches from about 12 hours at the start of January to 12 hours by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, January is Mbandaka's 4th-clearest and 3rd-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Mbandaka's year-round climate.

Daytime high
31°
3rd warmest
Overnight low
23°
6th coldest
Rainfall
89 mm
15.2 wet days
Daylight
12 hours
5:56 AM – 5:56 PM
Cloud cover
73%
4th clearest
Wind
5 km/h
3rd windiest
Solar energy
5.42 kWh/m²
Travel score
3.8
out of 10

Mbandaka is is a port city in the Equateur Province of the Democratic Republic of Congo,.

Density
989/km²
people per km²
Founded
1883

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 31°C through the month.

A typical January day in Mbandaka reaches about 31°C in the afternoon and slips back to 23°C overnight — a 8°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 28°C and 33°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)
13123
23123
33123
43123
53123
63123
73123
83123
93123
103123
113123
123123
133123
143123
153123
163123
173123
183123
193123
203123
213123
223123
233123
243123
253123
263123
273123
283123
293123
303123
313123

How January really feels in Mbandaka

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.

Mbandaka weather by month

How January compares with the rest of the year at a glance. January is the 3rd-warmest and 12th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan31° / 23°8915.2123.8
Feb31° / 23°12015.9123.4
Mar31° / 23°15621.6123.1
Apr31° / 23°15923.1123.1
May30° / 23°12822.4123.4
Jun30° / 23°9217.4124.2
Jul29° / 23°9418.1124.3
Aug29° / 23°15523.5123.7
Sep29° / 23°18926.2123.2
Oct29° / 23°20526.7123.2
Nov30° / 23°18224.9123.2
Dec30° / 23°12020.1123.6

Cloud cover in January

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 12% of the time in January.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 16% of January, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 73%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
12872
22971
32872
42971
52971
62971
72971
83070
92971
102971
112872
122872
132872
142773
152773
162872
172872
182872
192872
202674
212674
222674
232674
242674
252674
262674
272674
282674
292674
302674
312674

Chance of precipitation in January

Any precipitation

Mbandaka gets around 89 mm of rain over 15.2 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 49% and peaks near 54% on the wettest days.

0%20%40%60%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
149
248
347
447
546
646
745
845
945
1045
1145
1246
1346
1447
1547
1648
1749
1849
1950
2051
2152
2253
2353
2454
2554
2654
2754
2853
2953
3053
3153

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 81% of days. Sticky, muggy-or-worse air turns up on roughly 96% of them.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Comfortable (%)Humid (%)Muggy (%)Oppressive (%)Miserable (%)
1017866
2028846
3128836
4129826
5129826
61310806
71310806
81310806
91311796
102311786
112311786
122311786
132311786
142311786
152310796
162310796
171310806
181310806
19139816
20139816
21139816
22128827
23128827
24128827
25128827
26128827
27128827
28127837
29117838
30117838
31117838

Wind in January

Winds average 5 km/h in January.

Across January, daily wind ranges from about 5 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
15calm
25calm
35calm
45calm
55calm
65calm
75calm
85calm
95calm
105calm
115calm
125calm
135calm
145calm
155calm
165calm
175calm
185calm
195calm
205calm
215calm
226calm
236calm
246calm
256calm
266calm
276calm
286calm
296calm
306calm
316calm

Sunrise & sunset in January

DaylightNight

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

Days grow by about 0 minutes over January. Sunrise moves from 5:50 AM to 6:00 AM, and sunset from 5:50 PM to 6:00 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
112.05:505:50
212.05:515:50
312.05:515:51
412.05:525:51
512.05:525:52
612.05:525:52
712.05:535:53
812.05:535:53
912.05:545:53
1012.05:545:54
1112.05:545:54
1212.05:555:55
1312.05:555:55
1412.05:565:55
1512.05:565:56
1612.05:565:56
1712.05:575:57
1812.05:575:57
1912.05:575:57
2012.05:585:57
2112.05:585:58
2212.05:585:58
2312.05:595:58
2412.05:595:59
2512.05:595:59
2612.05:595:59
2712.06:005:59
2812.06:006:00
2912.06:006:00
3012.06:006:00
3112.06:006:00

Solar energy in January

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in January, about 5.42 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 4.81 kWh/m² to a high of 5.47 kWh/m² in February across the year — January's 5.42 kWh/m² sits near the top of that range.

0246151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
15.2Bright
25.3Bright
35.3Bright
45.3Bright
55.3Bright
65.3Bright
75.3Bright
85.3Bright
95.3Bright
105.4Bright
115.4Bright
125.4Bright
135.4Bright
145.4Bright
155.4Bright
165.4Bright
175.4Bright
185.4Bright
195.4Bright
205.5Bright
215.5Bright
225.5Bright
235.5Bright
245.5Bright
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 Mbandaka?

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

3.8
Sightseeing
3rd-best month of the year
5.6
Beach & pool
1st-best month of the year

January is a weaker month for outdoor sightseeing in Mbandaka.

What to pack for Mbandaka in January

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

In January, Mbandaka sees daytime highs around 31°C and nights near 23°C. Pack light clothes and rain gear. Worth having: sun protection. About 15 days see rain.

light clothesrain gearsun protection

UV index in Mbandaka in January

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in January peaks around 11 (very high — sun protection essential). The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.

Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Mbandaka peaks around March 18 at about 13 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near June 23 at about 8 (very high).

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

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecExtremeVery highExtremeVery highMar 18UV 13Jun 23UV 8
UV index (midday)Level
Jan11Extreme
Feb13Extreme
Mar14Extreme
Apr13Extreme
May10Very high
Jun8Very high
Jul8Very high
Aug10Extreme
Sep12Extreme
Oct13Extreme
Nov9Very high
Dec9Very high

Air quality in Mbandaka 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 Mbandaka is worst in February — around 39 µg/m³ PM2.5 (poor), about 3.7× the cleanest month (October, 10 µg/m³).

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

010203040JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecModerateModerateModerateFeb 1537 µg/m³Oct 1611 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan30Moderate
Feb39Poor
Mar29Moderate
Apr20Moderate
May19Moderate
Jun28Moderate
Jul36Poor
Aug31Moderate
Sep15Moderate
Oct10Good
Nov15Moderate
Dec24Moderate
Location & terrain

Where is Mbandaka?

Mbandaka sits at 0.0°N, 18.3°E, 315 m above sea level, in Democratic Republic of the Congo. The nearest listed city is Bolenge, 7.0 km away.

ImpfondoMossakaBasankusuInongoPokolaOwandoOyo

Topography around Mbandaka

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Mbandaka has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 28 m around an average of 310 m above sea level; within 16 km, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 40 m; within 80 km, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 83 m.

The land around Mbandaka is covered by artificial surfaces (42%) and trees (30%) within 3 km, trees (75%) within 16 km, and trees (93%) within 80 km.

3 km
28 m
16 km
40 m
80 km
83 m
treesgrasslandartificial surfaceswaterwetland
January weather nearby: Bolenge 7.0 km · Impfondo 176 km · Mossaka 215 km · Basankusu 215 km · Inongo 220 km · Pokola 263 km · Owando 269 km · Oyo 288 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 Mbandaka (0.0486°, 18.2603°, elevation 315 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).