Gondar weather in January

In January, Gondar sees average daytime highs of 25°C and overnight lows near 11°C, with 4 mm of rain across 0.8 wet days and about 11.3 hours of daylight. It is the 5th-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 64% of the time in January, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 11 h 18 min at the start of January to 11 h 24 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, January is Gondar's 3rd-clearest and 3rd-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Gondar's year-round climate.

Daytime high
25°
5th warmest
Overnight low
11°
2nd coldest
Rainfall
4 mm
0.8 wet days
Daylight
11 h 18 min
6:59 AM – 6:19 PM
Cloud cover
33%
3rd clearest
Wind
7 km/h
3rd windiest
Solar energy
6 kWh/m²
Travel score
8.8
out of 10

Gondar is city, former capital of Ethiopia.

Founded
1635

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 Gondar reaches about 25°C in the afternoon and slips back to 11°C overnight — a 14°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 23°C and 26°C. Set against its neighbours, January runs about 1°C warmer than December and about 2°C cooler than February.

10°15°20°25°30°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
12410
22410
32410
42410
52410
62410
72410
82410
92510
102510
112510
122510
132510
142511
152511
162511
172511
182511
192511
202511
212511
222511
232511
242511
252511
262511
272611
282611
292611
302611
312611

Gondar weather by month

How January compares with the rest of the year at a glance. January is the 5th-warmest and 11th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan25° / 11°40.811.38.8
Feb27° / 12°51.211.68.3
Mar27° / 14°245.511.97.4
Apr27° / 15°408.212.36.8
May26° / 15°11213.912.66.1
Jun23° / 14°28425.512.74.4
Jul21° / 13°47830.912.73.3
Aug21° / 13°5593112.43.3
Sep22° / 13°43123.512.14.7
Oct24° / 12°857.111.77.7
Nov24° / 11°142.911.48.7
Dec24° / 10°4111.39.1

Cloud cover in January

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 64% of the time in January.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 20% of January, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 16%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
18812
28713
38614
48515
58515
68416
78317
88218
98218
108119
118119
128119
138119
148119
158119
168119
178119
188317
198317
208317
218416
228416
238515
248515
258614
268614
278515
288614
298614
308515
318515

Chance of precipitation in January

Any precipitation

Gondar gets around 4 mm of rain over 0.8 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 3% and peaks near 3% on the wettest days.

0%10%20%30%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
12
22
32
42
52
62
72
83
93
103
113
123
133
143
153
163
173
183
193
203
213
223
233
242
252
262
272
282
292
302
312

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 18 min at the start of January to 11 h 24 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 6:55 AM to 7:00 AM, and sunset from 6:11 PM to 6:27 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
111.36:556:11
211.36:566:12
311.36:566:12
411.36:566:13
511.36:576:14
611.36:576:14
711.36:576:15
811.36:586:15
911.36:586:16
1011.36:586:16
1111.36:586:17
1211.36:596:17
1311.36:596:18
1411.36:596:18
1511.36:596:19
1611.36:596:19
1711.37:006:20
1811.37:006:20
1911.47:006:21
2011.47:006:21
2111.47:006:22
2211.47:006:22
2311.47:006:23
2411.47:006:23
2511.47:006:24
2611.47:006:24
2711.47:006:25
2811.47:006:25
2911.47:006:26
3011.47:006:26
3111.47:006:27

Solar energy in January

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in January, about 6 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 4.74 kWh/m² to a high of 6.93 kWh/m² in April across the year — January's 6 kWh/m² falls in the middle.

0246151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
15.8Bright
25.8Bright
35.9Bright
45.9Bright
55.9Bright
65.9Bright
75.9Bright
85.9Bright
95.9Bright
105.9Bright
115.9Bright
125.9Bright
135.9Bright
145.9Bright
156.0Bright
166.0Bright
176.0Bright
186.0Intense
196.0Intense
206.0Intense
216.1Intense
226.1Intense
236.1Intense
246.1Intense
256.1Intense
266.2Intense
276.2Intense
286.2Intense
296.2Intense
306.2Intense
316.3Intense
Planning a trip in January

Hazard calendar for Gondar

In seasonPeak

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

Gondar's monsoon runs June–September, when most of the year's rain falls.

Gondar sees seasonal dust haze (June), heaviest in June.

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

Is January a good time to visit Gondar?

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

8.8
Sightseeing
2nd-best month of the year
7.9
Beach & pool
2nd-best month of the year

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

What to pack for Gondar in January

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

In January, Gondar sees daytime highs around 25°C and nights near 11°C. Pack sun protection. Worth having: light clothes.

sun protectionlight clothes

UV index in Gondar 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 Gondar peaks around March 21 at about 15 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near December 12 at about 10 (very high).

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

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecExtremeVery highMar 21UV 15Dec 12UV 10
UV index (midday)Level
Jan12Extreme
Feb13Extreme
Mar15Extreme
Apr15Extreme
May13Extreme
Jun12Extreme
Jul12Extreme
Aug14Extreme
Sep13Extreme
Oct13Extreme
Nov10Extreme
Dec10Very high

Air quality in Gondar 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 Gondar is worst in April — around 27 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), and holds fairly steady the rest of the year.

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

0102030JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecModerateOct 1126 µg/m³May 1720 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan22Moderate
Feb22Moderate
Mar26Moderate
Apr27Moderate
May20Moderate
Jun25Moderate
Jul24Moderate
Aug22Moderate
Sep26Moderate
Oct27Moderate
Nov23Moderate
Dec21Moderate
Location & terrain

Where is Gondar?

Gondar sits at 12.6°N, 37.5°E, 2,201 m above sea level, in Ethiopia. The nearest listed city is K’ola Diba, 25 km away.

Topography around Gondar

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Gondar has significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 395 m around an average of 2,150 m above sea level; within 16 km, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,258 m; within 80 km, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 2,365 m.

The land around Gondar is covered by artificial surfaces (31%) and cropland (26%) within 3 km, cropland (66%) within 16 km, and cropland (48%) and grassland (23%) within 80 km.

3 km
395 m
16 km
1,258 m
80 km
2,365 m
treesshrubsgrasslandcroplandartificial surfaceswater
January weather nearby: K’ola Diba 25 km · Amba Giorgis 25 km · Maksenyit 26 km · Āykel 44 km · Dabat 54 km · Tikil Dingay 63 km · Ādīs Zemen 64 km · Debark’ 78 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 Gondar (12.6°, 37.4667°, elevation 2,201 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).