Debre Birhan weather in January

In January, Debre Birhan sees average daytime highs of 19°C and overnight lows near 7°C, with 49 mm of rain across 8.4 wet days and about 11.5 hours of daylight. It is the 6th-warmest and 9th-wettest month of the year here.

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 19°C through the month. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 39% of the time in January, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 11 h 24 min at the start of January to 11 h 36 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, January is Debre Birhan's 4th-clearest and 8th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Debre Birhan's year-round climate.

Daytime high
19°
6th warmest
Overnight low
3rd coldest
Rainfall
49 mm
8.4 wet days
Daylight
11 h 30 min
6:46 AM – 6:16 PM
Cloud cover
47%
4th clearest
Wind
7 km/h
8th windiest
Solar energy
5.77 kWh/m²
Travel score
6.6
out of 10

Debre Birhan is city in Ethiopia.

Density
9,986/km²
people per km²
Founded
1456

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 19°C through the month.

A typical January day in Debre Birhan reaches about 19°C in the afternoon and slips back to 7°C overnight — a 12°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 17°C and 21°C. Set against its neighbours, January runs on par with December and about 1°C cooler than February.

10°15°20°25°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
1197
2197
3197
4197
5197
6197
7197
8197
9197
10197
11197
12197
13197
14197
15197
16197
17197
18197
19198
20198
21198
22198
23198
24208
25208
26208
27208
28208
29208
30208
31208

Debre Birhan weather by month

How January compares with the rest of the year at a glance. January is the 6th-warmest and 9th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan19° / 498.411.56.6
Feb20° / 569.211.76.6
Mar21° / 15215.511.95.8
Apr21° / 10°1611612.25.6
May21° / 10°789.312.46.7
Jun21° / 10°1131212.66.2
Jul18° / 10°48429.612.53.3
Aug17° / 10°57930.612.33.1
Sep18° / 25221.712.14.4
Oct19° / 476.411.86.9
Nov19° / 234.211.67.4
Dec19° / 17411.47.3

Cloud cover in January

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 39% of the time in January.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 22% of January, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 39%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
16634
26634
36535
46535
56337
66337
76238
86139
96040
105941
115941
125842
135743
145743
155644
165644
175644
185743
195842
205842
215941
226040
236139
246238
256436
266436
276436
286535
296535
306535
316535

Chance of precipitation in January

Any precipitation

Debre Birhan gets around 49 mm of rain over 8.4 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 27% and peaks near 31% on the wettest days. The odds climb toward the end of the month.

0%10%20%30%40%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
120
220
320
421
522
622
723
824
925
1026
1127
1228
1329
1430
1530
1631
1731
1831
1931
2031
2131
2231
2330
2430
2529
2629
2728
2828
2928
3028
3127

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 100% of days. It rarely turns muggy — the humid and sticky bands barely register.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)
1100
2100
3100
4100
5100
6100
7100
8100
9100
10100
11100
12100
13100
14100
15100
16100
17100
18100
19100
20100
21100
22100
23100
24100
25100
26100
27100
28100
29100
30100
31100

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 11 h 24 min at the start of January to 11 h 36 min by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days grow by about 12 minutes over January. Sunrise moves from 6:42 AM to 6:48 AM, and sunset from 6:08 PM to 6:22 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
111.46:426:08
211.46:426:09
311.46:426:09
411.56:436:10
511.56:436:10
611.56:446:11
711.56:446:11
811.56:446:12
911.56:456:12
1011.56:456:13
1111.56:456:13
1211.56:456:14
1311.56:466:14
1411.56:466:15
1511.56:466:15
1611.56:466:16
1711.56:476:16
1811.56:476:17
1911.56:476:17
2011.56:476:18
2111.56:476:18
2211.56:476:19
2311.56:486:19
2411.56:486:20
2511.56:486:20
2611.56:486:20
2711.56:486:21
2811.66:486:21
2911.66:486:22
3011.66:486:22
3111.66:486:22

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.

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 4.5 kWh/m² to a high of 6.4 kWh/m² in April across the year — January's 5.77 kWh/m² falls in the middle.

0246151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
15.7Bright
25.7Bright
35.7Bright
45.7Bright
55.7Bright
65.7Bright
75.7Bright
85.7Bright
95.7Bright
105.7Bright
115.7Bright
125.7Bright
135.7Bright
145.7Bright
155.7Bright
165.7Bright
175.7Bright
185.8Bright
195.8Bright
205.8Bright
215.8Bright
225.8Bright
235.8Bright
245.9Bright
255.9Bright
265.9Bright
275.9Bright
286.0Bright
296.0Bright
306.0Intense
316.0Intense
Planning a trip in January

Hazard calendar for Debre Birhan

In seasonPeak

None of Debre Birhan's seasonal hazards are active in January. The full-year calendar below shows when the rainy season, cyclone risk and dust haze do peak.

Debre Birhan's monsoon runs July–August, when most of the year's rain falls.

Debre Birhan sees seasonal dust haze (June–July), heaviest in June.

Monsoon
Dust
Jan
Feb
Mar
Apr
May
Jun
Jul
Aug
Sep
Oct
Nov
Dec

Is January a good time to visit Debre Birhan?

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

6.6
Sightseeing
5th-best month of the year
3.0
Beach & pool
8th-best month of the year

January is a reasonable time to visit Debre Birhan for sightseeing.

What to pack for Debre Birhan in January

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

In January, Debre Birhan sees daytime highs around 19°C and nights near 7°C. Worth packing: a warm layer, rain gear and sun protection. About 8 days see rain.

a warm layerrain gearsun protection

UV index in Debre Birhan 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 Debre Birhan peaks around March 19 at about 16 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near December 10 at about 11 (extreme).

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

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecExtremeMar 19UV 16Dec 10UV 11
UV index (midday)Level
Jan13Extreme
Feb14Extreme
Mar16Extreme
Apr15Extreme
May14Extreme
Jun13Extreme
Jul12Extreme
Aug15Extreme
Sep14Extreme
Oct13Extreme
Nov11Extreme
Dec11Extreme

Air quality in Debre Birhan 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 Debre Birhan is worst in June — around 43 µg/m³ PM2.5 (poor), about 1.7× the cleanest month (November, 25 µg/m³).

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

0204060JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecModeratePoorPoorModerateJun 1842 µg/m³Nov 2025 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan27Moderate
Feb28Moderate
Mar30Moderate
Apr28Moderate
May32Moderate
Jun43Poor
Jul37Poor
Aug34Moderate
Sep38Poor
Oct28Moderate
Nov25Moderate
Dec26Moderate
Location & terrain

Where is Debre Birhan?

Debre Birhan sits at 9.7°N, 39.5°E, 2,830 m above sea level, in Ethiopia. The nearest listed city is Sheno, 47 km away.

Topography around Debre Birhan

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Debre Birhan has significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 459 m around an average of 2,763 m above sea level; within 16 km, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,339 m; within 80 km, extreme variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 3,027 m.

The land around Debre Birhan is covered by cropland (52%) and artificial surfaces (25%) within 3 km, cropland (73%) within 16 km, and cropland (51%) and shrubs (33%) within 80 km.

3 km
459 m
16 km
1,339 m
80 km
3,027 m
treesshrubsgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwetland
January weather nearby: Sheno 47 km · Kobo 52 km · Robit 53 km · Abomsa 60 km · ‘Alem Ketema 71 km · Mehal Mēda 72 km · Sendafa 81 km · Āt’aye 87 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 Debre Birhan (9.6795°, 39.5326°, elevation 2,830 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).