Arba Minch weather in January

In January, Arba Minch sees average daytime highs of 25°C and overnight lows near 16°C, with 80 mm of rain across 7 wet days and about 11.7 hours of daylight. It is the 3rd-warmest and 11th-wettest month of the year here.

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 25°C through the month. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 33% of the time in January, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 11 h 42 min at the start of January to 11 h 42 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, January is Arba Minch's 2nd-clearest and 12th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Arba Minch's year-round climate.

Daytime high
25°
3rd warmest
Overnight low
16°
8th coldest
Rainfall
80 mm
7 wet days
Daylight
11 h 42 min
6:49 AM – 6:30 PM
Cloud cover
52%
2nd clearest
Wind
4 km/h
12th windiest
Solar energy
5.67 kWh/m²
Travel score
7.4
out of 10

Arba Minch is city in Ethiopia.

Density
6,091/km²
people per km²

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 25°C through the month.

A typical January day in Arba Minch reaches about 25°C in the afternoon and slips back to 16°C overnight — a 10°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 23°C and 28°C. Set against its neighbours, January runs about 1°C warmer than December and about 1°C cooler than February.

10°15°20°25°30°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
12515
22515
32515
42515
52515
62516
72516
82516
92516
102516
112516
122516
132516
142516
152516
162516
172516
182516
192516
202616
212616
222616
232616
242616
252616
262616
272616
282616
292616
302616
312616

Arba Minch weather by month

How January compares with the rest of the year at a glance. January is the 3rd-warmest and 11th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan25° / 16°80711.77.4
Feb26° / 16°736.711.87.0
Mar26° / 17°20114.9125.9
Apr25° / 16°45125.712.14.2
May24° / 16°44828.912.33.9
Jun22° / 16°16623.512.34.4
Jul21° / 15°12623.412.34.4
Aug22° / 16°12921.612.24.7
Sep23° / 16°19822.8124.7
Oct24° / 15°47928.511.94.0
Nov24° / 15°27718.311.75.5
Dec25° / 15°1169.711.77.1

Cloud cover in January

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 33% of the time in January.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 28% of January, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 39%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
16337
26337
36337
46337
56337
66238
76238
86238
96040
106040
116040
125941
135941
145941
155941
165941
176040
186040
196040
206040
216139
226139
236139
246139
256139
266139
276139
286238
296139
306139
316139

Chance of precipitation in January

Any precipitation

Arba Minch gets around 80 mm of rain over 7 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 22% and peaks near 24% on the wettest days.

0%10%20%30%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
122
221
321
420
520
620
720
820
920
1020
1121
1221
1321
1421
1522
1622
1722
1822
1923
2023
2123
2224
2324
2424
2524
2624
2724
2824
2924
3024
3124

Humidity in January

DryComfortableHumidMuggyOppressiveMiserable

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

By dew point, January lands in the dry band about 73% of days. It rarely turns muggy — the humid and sticky bands barely register.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)
171272
271272
372262
472262
573252
674242
773243
873243
974233
1074233
1174224
1274224
1374224
1475214
1575214
1674224
1774224
1875223
1975223
2074233
2174233
2273243
2373243
2473243
2573243
2672253
2772253
2871254
2971254
3071254
3171254

Wind in January

Winds average 4 km/h in January, the calmest month.

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 11 h 42 min at the start of January to 11 h 42 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 6:43 AM to 6:51 AM, and sunset from 6:23 PM to 6:35 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
111.76:436:23
211.76:446:23
311.76:446:24
411.76:456:24
511.76:456:25
611.76:456:25
711.76:466:26
811.76:466:26
911.76:466:26
1011.76:476:27
1111.76:476:27
1211.76:476:28
1311.76:486:28
1411.76:486:29
1511.76:486:29
1611.76:496:30
1711.76:496:30
1811.76:496:30
1911.76:496:31
2011.76:506:31
2111.76:506:32
2211.76:506:32
2311.76:506:32
2411.76:506:33
2511.76:506:33
2611.76:516:34
2711.76:516:34
2811.76:516:34
2911.76:516:35
3011.76:516:35
3111.76:516:35

Solar energy in January

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in January, about 5.67 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 3.94 kWh/m² to a high of 6.03 kWh/m² in February across the year — January's 5.67 kWh/m² sits near the top of that range.

0246151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
15.6Bright
25.6Bright
35.6Bright
45.6Bright
55.6Bright
65.6Bright
75.6Bright
85.6Bright
95.6Bright
105.6Bright
115.6Bright
125.6Bright
135.6Bright
145.6Bright
155.6Bright
165.7Bright
175.7Bright
185.7Bright
195.7Bright
205.7Bright
215.7Bright
225.7Bright
235.8Bright
245.8Bright
255.8Bright
265.8Bright
275.8Bright
285.8Bright
295.9Bright
305.9Bright
315.9Bright
Planning a trip in January

Is January a good time to visit Arba Minch?

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

7.4
Sightseeing
1st-best month of the year
6.8
Beach & pool
2nd-best month of the year

January is one of the better times to visit Arba Minch for general sightseeing. The water and warmth also suit a beach or pool day.

What to pack for Arba Minch in January

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

In January, Arba Minch sees daytime highs around 25°C and nights near 16°C. Worth packing: light clothes and sun protection. About 7 days see rain.

light clothessun protection

UV index in Arba Minch 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 Arba Minch peaks around March 16 at about 15 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near November 21 at about 11 (extreme).

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

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecExtremeMar 16UV 15Nov 21UV 11
UV index (midday)Level
Jan13Extreme
Feb15Extreme
Mar15Extreme
Apr14Extreme
May13Extreme
Jun11Extreme
Jul12Extreme
Aug14Extreme
Sep13Extreme
Oct13Extreme
Nov11Extreme
Dec11Extreme

Air quality in Arba Minch 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 Arba Minch is worst in December — around 37 µg/m³ PM2.5 (poor), and holds fairly steady the rest of the year.

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

010203040JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecPoorModeratePoorDec 2237 µg/m³Apr 2324 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan36Poor
Feb35Moderate
Mar29Moderate
Apr24Moderate
May24Moderate
Jun32Moderate
Jul30Moderate
Aug25Moderate
Sep25Moderate
Oct25Moderate
Nov32Moderate
Dec37Poor
Location & terrain

Where is Arba Minch?

Arba Minch sits at 6.0°N, 37.5°E, 1,269 m above sea level, in Ethiopia. The nearest listed city is Ch’ench’a, 24 km away.

Topography around Arba Minch

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Arba Minch has significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 430 m around an average of 1,303 m above sea level; within 16 km, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,669 m; within 80 km, extreme variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 2,890 m.

The land around Arba Minch is covered by shrubs (28%), artificial surfaces (24%) and trees (22%) within 3 km, shrubs (39%), water (22%) and trees (20%) within 16 km, and shrubs (46%) within 80 km.

3 km
430 m
16 km
1,669 m
80 km
2,890 m
treesshrubsgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwater
January weather nearby: Ch’ench’a 24 km · Gīdolē 47 km · Kele 54 km · Yirga Ch’efē 73 km · Gasuba 76 km · Tebela 79 km · Felege Neway 79 km · Wenago 85 km

Ethiopia travel facts

Travel advisory
Level 3
Reconsider Travel
Power plugs
Type C / E / F / L
220 V · 50 Hz
Prices
≈ 37% of US
price level, 2025
GDP per capita
$933
2025
Happiness
4.0 / 10
World Happiness, 2025
Safe drinking water
14%
of population, 2024
Homicide rate
8.5
per 100k, 2012
Road deaths
28.2
per 100k/yr, 2019
Income group
Low
World Bank
English
Low
EF EPI 499
Religion
Ethiopian Orthodox 44%Muslim 31%Protestant 23%other 1%

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 Arba Minch (6.0333°, 37.55°, elevation 1,269 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).