Dire Dawa weather in January

In January, Dire Dawa sees average daytime highs of 24°C and overnight lows near 12°C, with 24 mm of rain across 4.3 wet days and about 11.5 hours of daylight. It is the 11th-warmest and 11th-wettest month of the year here.

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 24°C through the month. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 56% 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 Dire Dawa's 3rd-clearest and 10th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Dire Dawa's year-round climate.

Daytime high
24°
11th warmest
Overnight low
12°
2nd coldest
Rainfall
24 mm
4.3 wet days
Daylight
11 h 30 min
6:37 AM – 6:07 PM
Cloud cover
36%
3rd clearest
Wind
6 km/h
10th windiest
Solar energy
5.81 kWh/m²
Travel score
8.3
out of 10

Temperature in January

Average highAverage lowShaded bands: 10–90% of days

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 24°C through the month.

A typical January day in Dire Dawa reaches about 24°C in the afternoon and slips back to 12°C overnight — a 11°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 21°C and 26°C. Set against its neighbours, January runs on par with December and about 2°C cooler than February.

10°15°20°25°30°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
12312
22312
32312
42312
52312
62312
72312
82312
92312
102312
112312
122312
132312
142312
152312
162312
172412
182413
192413
202413
212413
222413
232413
242413
252413
262413
272413
282413
292413
302413
312413

Dire Dawa weather by month

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

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan24° / 12°244.311.58.3
Feb25° / 14°304.211.78.0
Mar26° / 15°951011.96.9
Apr26° / 16°15314.312.26.0
May27° / 17°9511.512.46.4
Jun27° / 17°308.412.56.9
Jul26° / 16°9218.912.55.6
Aug25° / 16°12722.412.35.2
Sep25° / 16°1101712.15.9
Oct25° / 15°74811.87.4
Nov24° / 13°364.311.68.4
Dec23° / 12°203.111.58.5

Cloud cover in January

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 56% of the time in January.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 19% of January, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 25%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
17921
27822
37822
47723
57723
67723
77624
87525
97426
107426
117426
127327
137327
147327
157327
167327
177327
187327
197327
207327
217426
227525
237525
247624
257624
267723
277723
287723
297822
307822
317723

Chance of precipitation in January

Any precipitation

Dire Dawa gets around 24 mm of rain over 4.3 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 14% and peaks near 16% on the wettest days.

0%10%20%30%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
110
210
310
411
511
611
712
812
913
1013
1114
1214
1315
1415
1516
1616
1716
1816
1916
2016
2116
2216
2316
2416
2515
2615
2715
2815
2914
3014
3114

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 86% of days. It rarely turns muggy — the humid and sticky bands barely register.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)
1928
2919
3919
4919
5919
69010
79010
88911
98911
108812
118812
128713
138713
148614
158515
168515
178416
188416
198317
208317
218317
228317
238317
248317
258317
268317
278317
288317
298416
308416
318416

Wind in January

Winds average 6 km/h in January.

Across January, daily wind ranges from about 6 km/h on the calmest days to 6 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

0246810151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
16calm
26calm
36calm
46calm
56calm
66calm
76calm
86calm
96calm
106calm
116calm
126calm
136calm
146calm
156calm
166calm
176calm
186calm
196calm
206calm
216calm
226calm
236calm
246calm
256calm
266calm
276calm
286calm
296calm
306calm
316calm

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 6:32 AM to 6:39 AM, and sunset from 5:59 PM to 6:13 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
111.46:325:59
211.56:336:00
311.56:336:00
411.56:336:01
511.56:346:01
611.56:346:02
711.56:346:02
811.56:356:03
911.56:356:03
1011.56:356:04
1111.56:366:04
1211.56:366:05
1311.56:366:05
1411.56:366:06
1511.56:376:06
1611.56:376:07
1711.56:376:07
1811.56:376:08
1911.56:386:08
2011.56:386:09
2111.56:386:09
2211.56:386:09
2311.56:386:10
2411.56:386:10
2511.56:386:11
2611.56:386:11
2711.66:386:12
2811.66:386:12
2911.66:396:12
3011.66:396:13
3111.66:396:13

Solar energy in January

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in January, about 5.81 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 5.45 kWh/m² to a high of 6.23 kWh/m² in February across the year — January's 5.81 kWh/m² falls in the middle.

0246151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
15.8Bright
25.8Bright
35.8Bright
45.8Bright
55.8Bright
65.8Bright
75.8Bright
85.8Bright
95.8Bright
105.8Bright
115.8Bright
125.7Bright
135.7Bright
145.7Bright
155.8Bright
165.8Bright
175.8Bright
185.8Bright
195.8Bright
205.8Bright
215.8Bright
225.8Bright
235.9Bright
245.9Bright
255.9Bright
265.9Bright
276.0Bright
286.0Bright
296.0Intense
306.0Intense
316.0Intense
Planning a trip in January

Hazard calendar for Dire Dawa

In seasonPeak

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

Dire Dawa sees seasonal dust haze (June–July), heaviest in July.

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

Is January a good time to visit Dire Dawa?

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

8.3
Sightseeing
3rd-best month of the year
6.7
Beach & pool
4th-best month of the year

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

What to pack for Dire Dawa in January

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

In January, Dire Dawa sees daytime highs around 24°C and nights near 12°C. Worth packing: light clothes and sun protection. About 4 days see rain.

light clothessun protection

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

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

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecExtremeMar 21UV 15Dec 10UV 10
UV index (midday)Level
Jan12Extreme
Feb14Extreme
Mar15Extreme
Apr15Extreme
May12Extreme
Jun12Extreme
Jul11Extreme
Aug13Extreme
Sep13Extreme
Oct13Extreme
Nov11Extreme
Dec10Extreme

Air quality in Dire Dawa 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 Dire Dawa is worst in June — around 30 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), and holds fairly steady the rest of the year.

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

010203040JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecModerateJun 1929 µg/m³Dec 1021 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan22Moderate
Feb24Moderate
Mar24Moderate
Apr21Moderate
May25Moderate
Jun30Moderate
Jul28Moderate
Aug22Moderate
Sep26Moderate
Oct24Moderate
Nov21Moderate
Dec21Moderate
Location & terrain

Where is Dire Dawa?

Dire Dawa sits at 9.6°N, 41.9°E, 1,204 m above sea level, in Ethiopia. The nearest listed city is ‘Alemaya, 27 km away.

Topography around Dire Dawa

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Dire Dawa has significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 322 m around an average of 1,233 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 2,714 m.

The land around Dire Dawa is covered by shrubs (49%) and artificial surfaces (36%) within 3 km, shrubs (72%) within 16 km, and shrubs (44%) and grassland (22%) within 80 km.

3 km
322 m
16 km
1,339 m
80 km
2,714 m
treesshrubsgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwetland
January weather nearby: ‘Alemaya 27 km · Felana 38 km · Chelenko 40 km · Harar 42 km · Funyan Bīra 54 km · Deder 56 km · Babīlē 65 km · Ārabī 80 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 Dire Dawa (9.5931°, 41.8661°, elevation 1,204 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).