Mbuji-Mayi weather in January

In January, Mbuji-Mayi sees average daytime highs of 30°C and overnight lows near 21°C, with 140 mm of rain across 21.6 wet days and about 12.3 hours of daylight. It is the 10th-warmest and 6th-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 2% of the time in January, and the air most often feels muggy.

Daylight stretches from about 12 h 24 min at the start of January to 12 h 18 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, January is Mbuji-Mayi's 12th-clearest and 9th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Mbuji-Mayi's year-round climate.

Daytime high
30°
10th warmest
Overnight low
21°
9th coldest
Rainfall
140 mm
21.6 wet days
Daylight
12 h 18 min
6:25 AM – 6:45 PM
Cloud cover
84%
12th clearest
Wind
4 km/h
9th windiest
Solar energy
5.3 kWh/m²
Travel score
3.6
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 Mbuji-Mayi reaches about 30°C in the afternoon and slips back to 21°C overnight — a 9°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 about 1°C cooler than February.

15°20°25°30°35°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
12921
22921
32921
42921
52921
62921
72921
82921
92921
102921
112921
122921
133021
143021
153021
163021
173021
183021
193021
203021
213021
223021
233021
243021
253021
263021
273021
283021
293021
303021
313021

How January really feels in Mbuji-Mayi

Once humidity and wind are folded in, January averages 10 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
10
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.

Mbuji-Mayi weather by month

How January compares with the rest of the year at a glance. January is the 10th-warmest and 6th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan30° / 21°14021.612.33.6
Feb30° / 21°1271912.23.4
Mar31° / 21°17923.5123.1
Apr31° / 21°14420.111.93.4
May32° / 21°356.811.74.6
Jun32° / 19°61.111.75.0
Jul32° / 19°20.511.75.0
Aug32° / 20°326.611.84.5
Sep31° / 21°11017.1123.8
Oct30° / 21°1592412.13.3
Nov29° / 21°18325.612.33.2
Dec29° / 21°17023.912.33.5

Cloud cover in January

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 2% of the time in January, the cloudiest month of the year.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 8% of January, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 91%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
11387
21288
31288
41288
51189
61189
71189
81189
91090
101090
111090
121090
131090
14991
15892
16892
17892
18892
19892
20892
21892
22892
23793
24793
25793
26793
27793
28793
29892
30991
31991

Chance of precipitation in January

Any precipitation

Mbuji-Mayi gets around 140 mm of rain over 21.6 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 70% and peaks near 72% on the wettest days.

0%20%40%60%80%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
172
271
371
471
570
670
770
870
969
1069
1169
1269
1368
1469
1569
1669
1769
1870
1970
2070
2171
2271
2371
2471
2570
2670
2770
2870
2970
3069
3169

Humidity in January

DryComfortableHumidMuggyOppressiveMiserable

Most of January feels muggy — the stacked bands show each day's mix of comfort levels, read off the dew point.

By dew point, January lands in the muggy band about 67% of days. Sticky, muggy-or-worse air turns up on roughly 99% of them.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Humid (%)Muggy (%)Oppressive (%)
106832
206733
306733
406733
506733
616732
716732
816732
916732
1016831
1116831
1216831
1316930
1416930
1516930
1616930
1716930
1816930
1916831
2016831
2116831
2216732
2306832
2406733
2506733
2606634
2706634
2806634
2906634
3006535
3106535

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 24 min at the start of January to 12 h 18 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 6:18 AM to 6:31 AM, and sunset from 6:39 PM to 6:47 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
112.46:186:39
212.36:196:40
312.36:196:40
412.36:206:41
512.36:206:41
612.36:216:41
712.36:216:42
812.36:226:42
912.36:226:42
1012.36:236:43
1112.36:236:43
1212.36:246:43
1312.36:246:44
1412.36:246:44
1512.36:256:44
1612.36:256:45
1712.36:266:45
1812.36:266:45
1912.36:276:45
2012.36:276:46
2112.36:276:46
2212.36:286:46
2312.36:286:46
2412.36:296:46
2512.36:296:46
2612.36:296:47
2712.36:306:47
2812.36:306:47
2912.36:306:47
3012.36:316:47
3112.36:316:47

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 5.18 kWh/m² to a high of 5.61 kWh/m² in February across the year — January's 5.3 kWh/m² falls in the middle.

0246151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
15.2Bright
25.2Bright
35.2Bright
45.2Bright
55.2Bright
65.2Bright
75.2Bright
85.2Bright
95.2Bright
105.2Bright
115.2Bright
125.2Bright
135.3Bright
145.3Bright
155.3Bright
165.3Bright
175.3Bright
185.3Bright
195.3Bright
205.3Bright
215.3Bright
225.3Bright
235.4Bright
245.4Bright
255.4Bright
265.4Bright
275.4Bright
285.4Bright
295.5Bright
305.5Bright
315.5Bright
Planning a trip in January

Hazard calendar for Mbuji-Mayi

In seasonPeak

In January, Mbuji-Mayi sits inside its rainy season season. The full year is below, with each hazard's peak months called out.

Mbuji-Mayi's rainy season runs September–April, when most of the year's rain falls.

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

Is January a good time to visit Mbuji-Mayi?

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

3.6
Sightseeing
6th-best month of the year
4.8
Beach & pool
7th-best month of the year

January is a weaker month for outdoor sightseeing in Mbuji-Mayi.

What to pack for Mbuji-Mayi in January

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

In January, Mbuji-Mayi sees daytime highs around 30°C and nights near 21°C. Pack light clothes and rain gear. Worth having: sun protection. About 22 days see rain.

light clothesrain gearsun protection

UV index in Mbuji-Mayi in January

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in January peaks around 12 (very high — sun protection essential). The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.

Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Mbuji-Mayi peaks around March 19 at about 15 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near August 10 at about 6 (high).

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

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecExtremeVery highHighExtremeMar 19UV 15Aug 10UV 6
UV index (midday)Level
Jan12Extreme
Feb12Extreme
Mar15Extreme
Apr14Extreme
May10Very high
Jun8Very high
Jul6High
Aug6High
Sep12Extreme
Oct13Extreme
Nov11Extreme
Dec11Extreme

Air quality in Mbuji-Mayi 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 Mbuji-Mayi is worst in August — around 104 µg/m³ PM2.5 (unhealthy), about 4.4× the cleanest month (November, 24 µg/m³).

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

0306090120JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecModeratePoorUnhealthyModerateAug 9104 µg/m³Nov 2224 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan28Moderate
Feb32Moderate
Mar27Moderate
Apr27Moderate
May46Poor
Jun66Unhealthy
Jul104Unhealthy
Aug104Unhealthy
Sep43Poor
Oct29Moderate
Nov24Moderate
Dec24Moderate
Location & terrain

Where is Mbuji-Mayi?

Mbuji-Mayi sits at 6.1°S, 23.6°E, 621 m above sea level, in Democratic Republic of the Congo. The nearest listed city is Miabi, 24 km away.

LusamboKananga

Topography around Mbuji-Mayi

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Mbuji-Mayi has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 145 m around an average of 623 m above sea level; within 16 km, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 300 m; within 80 km, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 490 m.

The land around Mbuji-Mayi is covered by artificial surfaces (47%), trees (25%) and grassland (23%) within 3 km, grassland (70%) within 16 km, and grassland (59%) and trees (29%) within 80 km.

3 km
145 m
16 km
300 m
80 km
490 m
treesshrubsgrasslandcroplandartificial surfaceswater
January weather nearby: Miabi 24 km · Kabeya-Kamwanga 40 km · Gandajika 79 km · Mwene-Ditu 98 km · Kabinda 99 km · Luputa 115 km · Lusambo 130 km · Kananga 132 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 Mbuji-Mayi (-6.136°, 23.5898°, elevation 621 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).