Gambēla weather in January

In January, Gambēla sees average daytime highs of 36°C and overnight lows near 23°C, with 1 mm of rain across 0.4 wet days and about 11.6 hours of daylight. It is the 3rd-warmest and 12th-wettest month of the year here.

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 36°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 30 min at the start of January to 11 h 36 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, January is Gambēla's 2nd-clearest and 3rd-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Gambēla's year-round climate.

Daytime high
36°
3rd warmest
Overnight low
23°
8th coldest
Rainfall
1 mm
0.4 wet days
Daylight
11 h 36 min
7:04 AM – 6:38 PM
Cloud cover
41%
2nd clearest
Wind
5 km/h
3rd windiest
Solar energy
5.63 kWh/m²
Travel score
2.5
out of 10

Gambēla is city in Ethiopia.

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 36°C through the month.

A typical January day in Gambēla reaches about 36°C in the afternoon and slips back to 23°C overnight — a 13°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 34°C and 38°C. Set against its neighbours, January runs about 2°C warmer than December and about 2°C cooler than February.

20°25°30°35°40°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
13523
23523
33523
43523
53523
63623
73623
83623
93623
103623
113623
123623
133623
143623
153623
163623
173623
183623
193623
203623
213623
223623
233623
243623
253723
263724
273724
283724
293724
303724
313724

How January really feels in Gambēla

Once humidity and wind are folded in, January averages 31 days that feel above 32°C and 0 that feel at or below 0°C — the comfort signal a plain temperature reading hides.

Days feeling ≥ 32°C
31
heat index over the day's high
Days feeling ≤ C
0
wind chill below the day's low

The story in January is heat — humidity pushes the afternoon "feels like" well above the raw temperature.

Gambēla weather by month

How January compares with the rest of the year at a glance. January is the 3rd-warmest and 12th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan36° / 23°10.411.62.5
Feb38° / 24°3111.71.5
Mar37° / 26°164.711.91.5
Apr35° / 25°9314.612.22.1
May32° / 24°13620.112.42.9
Jun31° / 23°12816.312.53.9
Jul29° / 22°11916.712.44.3
Aug30° / 22°10516.712.34.2
Sep32° / 23°7413.4123.8
Oct32° / 23°11219.511.83.1
Nov32° / 22°7413.211.63.5
Dec34° / 22°92.211.53.5

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 17% of January, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 27%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
17723
27723
37624
47525
57426
67426
77426
87327
97228
107129
117129
127129
137030
147030
157030
167030
177129
187228
197228
207228
217228
227228
237228
247327
257327
267327
277426
287426
297426
307426
317426

Chance of precipitation in January

Any precipitation

Gambēla gets around 1 mm of rain over 0.4 wet days in January, the driest month. The line is the day-by-day chance of measurable precipitation.

Day to day, the chance of measurable rain averages around 1% and peaks near 2% on the wettest days.

0%10%20%30%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
12
22
32
42
52
62
72
81
91
101
111
121
131
141
151
161
171
181
191
201
211
221
231
241
251
261
271
281
291
301
311

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 54% of days. It rarely turns muggy — the humid and sticky bands barely register.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)Muggy (%)
13737215
23937204
34136194
44335184
54535174
64635163
74835153
84935143
95035132
105135122
115135122
125335111
135335111
145335111
155335111
165434111
175434111
185533111
195533111
205632111
215632111
225731111
235830111
246029101
256128101
266227101
27642691
28652591
29662581
30672481
31692371

Wind in January

Winds average 5 km/h in January.

Across January, daily wind ranges from about 5 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
15calm
25calm
35calm
45calm
55calm
65calm
75calm
85calm
95calm
105calm
115calm
125calm
135calm
145calm
155calm
165calm
175calm
185calm
195calm
205calm
215calm
225calm
235calm
245calm
255calm
265calm
275calm
285calm
295calm
305calm
316calm

Sunrise & sunset in January

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 11 h 30 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 6 minutes over January. Sunrise moves from 6:59 AM to 7:06 AM, and sunset from 6:31 PM to 6:44 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
111.56:596:31
211.56:596:31
311.57:006:32
411.57:006:32
511.57:016:33
611.57:016:33
711.57:016:34
811.57:026:34
911.57:026:35
1011.57:026:35
1111.67:036:36
1211.67:036:36
1311.67:036:37
1411.67:036:37
1511.67:046:38
1611.67:046:38
1711.67:046:38
1811.67:046:39
1911.67:056:39
2011.67:056:40
2111.67:056:40
2211.67:056:41
2311.67:056:41
2411.67:056:41
2511.67:056:42
2611.67:066:42
2711.67:066:43
2811.67:066:43
2911.67:066:43
3011.67:066:44
3111.67:066:44

Solar energy in January

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in January, about 5.63 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 4.66 kWh/m² to a high of 6.18 kWh/m² in March across the year — January's 5.63 kWh/m² falls in the middle.

0246151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
15.5Bright
25.5Bright
35.5Bright
45.5Bright
55.5Bright
65.5Bright
75.5Bright
85.5Bright
95.5Bright
105.6Bright
115.6Bright
125.6Bright
135.6Bright
145.6Bright
155.6Bright
165.6Bright
175.6Bright
185.6Bright
195.7Bright
205.7Bright
215.7Bright
225.7Bright
235.7Bright
245.7Bright
255.7Bright
265.8Bright
275.8Bright
285.8Bright
295.8Bright
305.8Bright
315.8Bright
Planning a trip in January

Hazard calendar for Gambēla

In seasonPeak

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

Gambēla's rainy season runs April–November, 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 Gambēla?

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

2.5
Sightseeing
9th-best month of the year
6.1
Beach & pool
2nd-best month of the year

January is a weaker month for outdoor sightseeing in Gambēla. The water and warmth also suit a beach or pool day.

What to pack for Gambēla in January

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

In January, Gambēla sees daytime highs around 36°C and nights near 23°C. Pack light clothes. Worth having: sun protection.

light clothessun protection

UV index in Gambēla in January

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in January peaks around 9 (very high — sun protection essential). The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.

Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Gambēla peaks around March 19 at about 13 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near December 17 at about 9 (very high).

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

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecVery highExtremeVery highMar 19UV 13Dec 17UV 9
UV index (midday)Level
Jan9Very high
Feb11Extreme
Mar14Extreme
Apr12Extreme
May11Extreme
Jun11Extreme
Jul11Extreme
Aug13Extreme
Sep12Extreme
Oct12Extreme
Nov9Very high
Dec9Very high

Air quality in Gambēla 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 Gambēla is worst in January — around 98 µg/m³ PM2.5 (unhealthy), about 7.2× the cleanest month (May, 14 µg/m³).

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

0306090120JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecUnhealthyModerateUnhealthyJan 1596 µg/m³May 1714 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan98Unhealthy
Feb78Unhealthy
Mar42Poor
Apr21Moderate
May14Moderate
Jun20Moderate
Jul22Moderate
Aug17Moderate
Sep16Moderate
Oct16Moderate
Nov36Poor
Dec84Unhealthy
Location & terrain

Where is Gambēla?

Gambēla sits at 8.3°N, 34.6°E, 439 m above sea level, in Ethiopia. The nearest listed city is Dembī Dolo, 40 km away.

MetuTēpīBambesiGimbiNejoMīzan TeferīKomtikas

Topography around Gambēla

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Gambēla has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 98 m around an average of 454 m above sea level; within 16 km, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 857 m; within 80 km, extreme variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 2,842 m.

The land around Gambēla is covered by grassland (44%) and trees (33%) within 3 km, trees (47%) and grassland (46%) within 16 km, and trees (54%) and grassland (35%) within 80 km.

3 km
98 m
16 km
857 m
80 km
2,842 m
treesshrubsgrasslandcroplandartificial surfaceswaterwetland
January weather nearby: Dembī Dolo 40 km · Metu 110 km · Tēpī 151 km · Bambesi 168 km · Gimbi 171 km · Nejo 172 km · Mīzan Teferī 178 km · Komtikas 179 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 Gambēla (8.25°, 34.5833°, elevation 439 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).