Bako weather in January

In January, Bako sees average daytime highs of 29°C and overnight lows near 17°C, with 89 mm of rain across 8.7 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 29°C through the month. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 37% 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 Bako's 2nd-clearest and 8th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Bako's year-round climate.

Daytime high
29°
3rd warmest
Overnight low
17°
3rd coldest
Rainfall
89 mm
8.7 wet days
Daylight
11 h 42 min
6:52 AM – 6:34 PM
Cloud cover
51%
2nd clearest
Wind
4 km/h
8th windiest
Solar energy
5.24 kWh/m²
Travel score
5.8
out of 10

Bako is place in Ethiopia.

Density
3,831/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 29°C through the month.

A typical January day in Bako reaches about 29°C in the afternoon and slips back to 17°C overnight — a 12°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 26°C and 32°C. Set against its neighbours, January runs about 1°C warmer than December and about 1°C cooler than February.

15°20°25°30°35°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
12817
22817
32817
42817
52917
62917
72917
82917
92917
102917
112917
122917
132917
142917
152917
162917
172917
182917
192917
202917
212917
222917
232917
242917
252917
262917
272917
282917
293017
303017
313017

Bako 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
Jan29° / 17°898.711.75.8
Feb30° / 18°56811.85.1
Mar30° / 18°16016.6124.4
Apr27° / 18°33024.812.14.0
May26° / 18°28723.912.34.4
Jun26° / 18°14117.812.35.4
Jul26° / 18°12015.312.35.7
Aug26° / 19°11815.212.25.6
Sep27° / 19°13617.5125.2
Oct27° / 18°27925.311.94.2
Nov27° / 17°25021.311.74.8
Dec28° / 17°14713.711.76.0

Cloud cover in January

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 37% of the time in January.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 27% of January, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 36%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
16832
26832
36733
46733
56733
66733
76733
86535
96535
106535
116337
126337
136238
146238
156238
166238
176238
186238
196238
206238
216238
226238
236238
246238
256238
266238
276238
286238
296238
306238
316238

Chance of precipitation in January

Any precipitation

Bako gets around 89 mm of rain over 8.7 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 28% and peaks near 30% on the wettest days.

0%10%20%30%40%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
127
226
326
426
526
626
726
826
927
1027
1128
1228
1328
1429
1529
1629
1729
1830
1930
2030
2130
2230
2329
2429
2529
2628
2728
2827
2927
3027
3126

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 36% of days. It rarely turns muggy — the humid and sticky bands barely register.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)Muggy (%)
13732311
23731301
33831301
43831301
53931291
63931291
73931291
83831291
93832291
103832291
113732292
123733292
133633292
143534292
153534292
163435292
173435292
183435292
193435292
203436292
213436282
223436282
233436282
243536272
253536272
263636262
273635262
283735262
293835252
303835252
313935252

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 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 6:47 AM to 6:55 AM, and sunset from 6:27 PM to 6:39 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
111.76:476:27
211.76:476:27
311.76:486:28
411.76:486:28
511.76:486:29
611.76:496:29
711.76:496:30
811.76:506:30
911.76:506:31
1011.76:506:31
1111.76:516:32
1211.76:516:32
1311.76:516:33
1411.76:526:33
1511.76:526:34
1611.76:526:34
1711.76:526:34
1811.76:536:35
1911.76:536:35
2011.76:536:36
2111.76:536:36
2211.76:536:36
2311.76:546:37
2411.76:546:37
2511.76:546:38
2611.76:546:38
2711.76:546:38
2811.76:546:39
2911.76:546:39
3011.76:556:39
3111.76:556:39

Solar energy in January

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in January, about 5.24 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 4.14 kWh/m² to a high of 5.56 kWh/m² in February across the year — January's 5.24 kWh/m² sits near the top of that range.

0246151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
15.1Bright
25.1Bright
35.1Bright
45.1Bright
55.2Bright
65.2Bright
75.2Bright
85.2Bright
95.2Bright
105.2Bright
115.2Bright
125.2Bright
135.2Bright
145.2Bright
155.2Bright
165.2Bright
175.2Bright
185.3Bright
195.3Bright
205.3Bright
215.3Bright
225.3Bright
235.3Bright
245.3Bright
255.3Bright
265.4Bright
275.4Bright
285.4Bright
295.4Bright
305.4Bright
315.4Bright
Planning a trip in January

Is January a good time to visit Bako?

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

5.8
Sightseeing
2nd-best month of the year
7.3
Beach & pool
1st-best month of the year

January is a reasonable time to visit Bako for sightseeing. The water and warmth also suit a beach or pool day.

What to pack for Bako in January

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

In January, Bako sees daytime highs around 29°C and nights near 17°C. Pack light clothes. Worth having: rain gear and sun protection. About 9 days see rain.

light clothesrain gearsun protection

UV index in Bako 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 Bako peaks around March 14 at about 15 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near November 21 at about 10 (extreme).

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

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecExtremeMar 14UV 15Nov 21UV 10
UV index (midday)Level
Jan13Extreme
Feb14Extreme
Mar15Extreme
Apr13Extreme
May12Extreme
Jun10Extreme
Jul11Extreme
Aug13Extreme
Sep13Extreme
Oct13Extreme
Nov10Very high
Dec11Extreme

Air quality in Bako 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 Bako is worst in February — around 46 µg/m³ PM2.5 (poor), about 2.1× the cleanest month (April, 22 µg/m³).

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

0204060JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecPoorModerateFeb 845 µg/m³Apr 2322 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan45Poor
Feb46Poor
Mar29Moderate
Apr22Moderate
May22Moderate
Jun30Moderate
Jul28Moderate
Aug23Moderate
Sep24Moderate
Oct22Moderate
Nov28Moderate
Dec36Poor
Location & terrain

Where is Bako?

Bako sits at 5.8°N, 36.6°E, 1,401 m above sea level, in Ethiopia. The nearest listed city is Jinka, 17 km away.

Arba MinchKonsoCh’ench’aGasubaWaka

Topography around Bako

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Bako has significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 433 m around an average of 1,439 m above sea level; within 16 km, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,969 m; within 80 km, extreme variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 3,025 m.

The land around Bako is covered by trees (44%) and shrubs (35%) within 3 km, trees (43%) and shrubs (39%) within 16 km, and shrubs (44%), trees (33%) and grassland (20%) within 80 km.

3 km
433 m
16 km
1,969 m
80 km
3,025 m
treesshrubsgrasslandcroplandartificial surfaces
January weather nearby: Jinka 17 km · Felege Neway 67 km · Gīdolē 90 km · Arba Minch 112 km · Konso 118 km · Ch’ench’a 122 km · Gasuba 152 km · Waka 157 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 Bako (5.7833°, 36.5667°, elevation 1,401 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).