Lobamba weather in January

In January, Lobamba sees average daytime highs of 26°C and overnight lows near 18°C, with 174 mm of rain across 18.1 wet days and about 13.5 hours of daylight. It is the 1st-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 27% of the time in January, and the air most often feels muggy.

Daylight stretches from about 13 h 36 min at the start of January to 13 h 12 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, January is Lobamba's 10th-clearest and 8th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Lobamba's year-round climate.

Daytime high
26°
1st warmest
Overnight low
18°
12th coldest
Rainfall
174 mm
18.1 wet days
Daylight
13 h 30 min
5:20 AM – 6:49 PM
Cloud cover
62%
10th clearest
Wind
7 km/h
8th windiest
Solar energy
5.77 kWh/m²
Travel score
5.4
out of 10

Lobamba is city in Eswatini.

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 Lobamba reaches about 26°C in the afternoon and slips back to 18°C overnight — a 9°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 22°C and 30°C. Set against its neighbours, January runs on par with December and on par with February.

15°20°25°30°35°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
12718
22718
32718
42718
52718
62718
72718
82618
92618
102618
112618
122618
132618
142618
152618
162618
172618
182618
192618
202618
212618
222618
232618
242618
252618
262718
272718
282718
292718
302718
312718

Lobamba weather by month

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

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan26° / 18°17418.113.55.4
Feb26° / 18°14514.712.95.7
Mar26° / 17°13214.312.26.3
Apr24° / 14°639.411.47.3
May23° / 11°274.810.78.3
Jun21° / 152.910.48.4
Jul21° / 173.410.58.2
Aug23° / 10°285.211.18.2
Sep24° / 12°518.311.87.6
Oct24° / 14°9614.112.66.4
Nov25° / 16°15317.113.35.6
Dec26° / 17°17218.813.65.3

Cloud cover in January

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 27% of the time in January.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 17% of January, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 57%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
14357
24456
34456
44456
54456
64555
74555
84555
94555
104456
114456
124357
134258
144258
154258
164258
174159
184060
194060
204060
214159
224159
234159
244159
254258
264357
274357
284555
294654
304753
314852

Chance of precipitation in January

Any precipitation

Lobamba gets around 174 mm of rain over 18.1 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 58% and peaks near 60% on the wettest days.

0%20%40%60%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
158
257
357
457
557
657
758
858
958
1059
1159
1259
1359
1459
1560
1660
1759
1859
1959
2059
2159
2258
2358
2458
2557
2657
2757
2857
2957
3057
3156

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 46% of days. Sticky, muggy-or-worse air turns up on roughly 47% of them.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)Muggy (%)Oppressive (%)
111141461
211141461
311141461
421141461
521142451
621142451
721042451
821042451
921042461
1021042461
112942451
122943451
132943451
142943451
152943451
162943451
172943451
182943451
192943451
202944451
212944451
222944451
231844451
241844451
251845451
261844461
271744471
281744471
291743481
301643481
311643491

Wind in January

Winds average 7 km/h in January.

Across January, daily wind ranges from about 7 km/h on the calmest days to 7 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

0246810151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
17calm
27calm
37calm
47calm
57calm
67calm
77calm
87calm
97calm
107calm
117calm
127calm
137calm
147calm
157calm
167calm
177calm
187calm
197calm
207calm
217calm
227calm
237calm
247calm
257calm
267calm
277calm
287calm
297calm
307calm
317calm

Sunrise & sunset in January

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 13 h 36 min at the start of January to 13 h 12 min by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days shrink by about 24 minutes over January. Sunrise moves from 5:09 AM to 5:31 AM, and sunset from 6:47 PM to 6:46 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
113.65:096:47
213.65:106:48
313.65:116:48
413.65:116:48
513.65:126:48
613.65:136:49
713.65:136:49
813.65:146:49
913.65:156:49
1013.65:156:49
1113.65:166:49
1213.55:176:49
1313.55:176:49
1413.55:186:49
1513.55:196:49
1613.55:206:49
1713.55:206:49
1813.55:216:49
1913.55:226:49
2013.45:236:49
2113.45:236:49
2213.45:246:49
2313.45:256:48
2413.45:266:48
2513.45:276:48
2613.35:276:48
2713.35:286:47
2813.35:296:47
2913.35:306:47
3013.35:306:46
3113.25:316:46

Solar energy in January

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in January, about 5.77 kWh/m² — the sunniest month for solar.

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 3.61 kWh/m² to a high of 5.77 kWh/m² in January across the year — January's 5.77 kWh/m² sits near the top of that range.

0246151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
15.9Bright
25.9Bright
35.9Bright
45.9Bright
55.9Bright
65.9Bright
75.9Bright
85.9Bright
95.8Bright
105.8Bright
115.8Bright
125.8Bright
135.8Bright
145.7Bright
155.7Bright
165.7Bright
175.7Bright
185.7Bright
195.7Bright
205.7Bright
215.7Bright
225.7Bright
235.7Bright
245.7Bright
255.7Bright
265.7Bright
275.7Bright
285.8Bright
295.8Bright
305.8Bright
315.8Bright
Planning a trip in January

Hazard calendar for Lobamba

In seasonPeak

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

Lobamba's rainy season runs October–March, 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 Lobamba?

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

5.4
Sightseeing
11th-best month of the year
5.3
Beach & pool
9th-best month of the year

January is a reasonable time to visit Lobamba for sightseeing.

What to pack for Lobamba in January

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

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

rain gearlight clothessun protection

UV index in Lobamba 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 Lobamba peaks around December 18 at about 13 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near July 10 at about 5 (moderate).

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

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecExtremeHighModerateHighVery highExtremeDec 18UV 13Jul 10UV 5
UV index (midday)Level
Jan12Extreme
Feb13Extreme
Mar12Extreme
Apr7Very high
May6High
Jun5Moderate
Jul5Moderate
Aug7High
Sep9Very high
Oct9Very high
Nov12Extreme
Dec13Extreme

Air quality in Lobamba 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 Lobamba is worst in July — around 43 µg/m³ PM2.5 (poor), about 3.9× the cleanest month (January, 11 µg/m³).

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

0204060JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecGoodModeratePoorModerateJul 1942 µg/m³Jan 1611 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan11Good
Feb13Moderate
Mar18Moderate
Apr26Moderate
May34Moderate
Jun36Poor
Jul43Poor
Aug40Poor
Sep32Moderate
Oct21Moderate
Nov18Moderate
Dec13Moderate
Location & terrain

Where is Lobamba?

Lobamba sits at 26.5°S, 31.2°E, 694 m above sea level, in Eswatini. The nearest listed city is Mbabane, 18 km away.

MbabaneManziniFernieRedhillEmpuluzuLukwatiniNhlazatjePiet Retief

Topography around Lobamba

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Lobamba has significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 386 m around an average of 711 m above sea level; within 16 km, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 952 m; within 80 km, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,772 m.

The land around Lobamba is covered by grassland (49%) and trees (21%) within 3 km, grassland (42%) and trees (35%) within 16 km, and grassland (43%) and trees (40%) within 80 km.

3 km
386 m
16 km
952 m
80 km
1,772 m
treesshrubsgrasslandcroplandartificial surfaces
January weather nearby: Mbabane 18 km · Manzini 18 km · Fernie 42 km · Redhill 44 km · Empuluzu 46 km · Lukwatini 59 km · Nhlazatje 62 km · Piet Retief 71 km

Eswatini travel facts

Travel advisory
Level 2
Exercise Increased Caution
Power plugs
Type M
230 V · 50 Hz
Prices
≈ 33% of US
price level, 2025
GDP per capita
$4,108
2025
Happiness
3.9 / 10
World Happiness, 2025
Safe drinking water
38%
of population, 2024
Homicide rate
12.5
per 100k, 2021
Road deaths
33.5
per 100k/yr, 2019
Income group
Lower middle
World Bank
Religion
Christian 90%other 8%Muslim 2%

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 Lobamba (-26.4667°, 31.2°, elevation 694 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).