Kourou weather in January

In January, Kourou sees average daytime highs of 27°C and overnight lows near 24°C, with 236 mm of rain across 26 wet days and about 11.7 hours of daylight. It is the 11th-warmest and 5th-wettest month of the year here.

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 27°C through the month. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 11% of the time in January, and the air most often feels oppressive.

Daylight stretches from about 11 h 42 min at the start of January to 11 h 48 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, January is Kourou's 9th-clearest and 3rd-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Kourou's year-round climate.

Daytime high
27°
11th warmest
Overnight low
24°
3rd coldest
Rainfall
236 mm
26 wet days
Daylight
11 h 42 min
6:48 AM – 6:32 PM
Cloud cover
70%
9th clearest
Wind
17 km/h
3rd windiest
Solar energy
4.51 kWh/m²
Travel score
4.1
out of 10

Temperature in January

Average highAverage lowShaded bands: 10–90% of days

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 27°C through the month.

A typical January day in Kourou reaches about 27°C in the afternoon and slips back to 24°C overnight — a 3°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 26°C and 28°C. Set against its neighbours, January runs on par with December and on par with February.

20°23°25°28°30°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
12724
22724
32724
42724
52724
62724
72724
82724
92724
102724
112724
122724
132724
142724
152724
162724
172724
182724
192724
202724
212724
222724
232724
242724
252724
262724
272724
282724
292724
302724
312724

How January really feels in Kourou

Once humidity and wind are folded in, January averages 0 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
0
heat index over the day's high
Days feeling ≤ C
0
wind chill below the day's low

January sits comfortably in between — no days that feel dangerously hot or drop to a hard freeze once humidity and wind are folded in.

Kourou weather by month

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

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan27° / 24°2362611.74.1
Feb27° / 24°19122.511.84.2
Mar28° / 25°16523.8124.3
Apr28° / 25°23625.312.14.0
May28° / 25°39228.912.23.6
Jun28° / 24°34628.712.33.4
Jul29° / 24°2042612.33.8
Aug29° / 25°9016.812.24.8
Sep29° / 25°4010125.5
Oct30° / 25°491211.95.2
Nov29° / 25°12820.411.84.2
Dec28° / 24°24426.911.73.8

Cloud cover in January

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 11% of the time in January.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 21% of January, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 67%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
13466
23565
33565
43466
53466
63466
73466
83466
93466
103466
113466
123367
133367
143367
153367
163268
173268
183268
193268
203268
213070
223070
233070
243070
253169
263169
273169
283169
293268
303268
313367

Chance of precipitation in January

Any precipitation

Kourou gets around 236 mm of rain over 26 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 83% and peaks near 88% on the wettest days. The odds ease toward the end of the month.

0%20%40%60%80%100%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
188
288
387
487
587
686
786
886
985
1085
1185
1284
1384
1483
1583
1682
1782
1882
1981
2081
2181
2281
2381
2481
2581
2681
2781
2881
2981
3081
3181

Humidity in January

DryComfortableHumidMuggyOppressiveMiserable

Most of January feels oppressive — the stacked bands show each day's mix of comfort levels, read off the dew point.

By dew point, January lands in the oppressive band about 94% of days. Sticky, muggy-or-worse air turns up on roughly 100% of them.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Muggy (%)Oppressive (%)Miserable (%)
12944
22944
32944
42953
52953
62953
72953
82953
92953
102953
112953
123943
133943
143952
154942
164942
174942
184942
194942
205932
215932
225932
235941
245941
255941
265941
275941
285941
295932
306922
316922

Wind in January

Winds average 17 km/h in January.

Across January, daily wind ranges from about 17 km/h on the calmest days to 18 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

0510152025151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
117light breeze
217light breeze
317light breeze
417light breeze
517light breeze
617light breeze
717light breeze
817light breeze
917light breeze
1017light breeze
1117light breeze
1217light breeze
1317light breeze
1417light breeze
1517light breeze
1617light breeze
1717light breeze
1817light breeze
1917light breeze
2017light breeze
2117light breeze
2218light breeze
2318light breeze
2418light breeze
2518light breeze
2618light breeze
2718light breeze
2818light breeze
2918light breeze
3018light breeze
3118light breeze

Sunrise & sunset in January

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 11 h 42 min at the start of January to 11 h 48 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 6:43 AM to 6:51 AM, and sunset from 6:25 PM to 6:37 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
111.76:436:25
211.76:436:25
311.76:436:26
411.76:446:26
511.76:446:27
611.76:456:27
711.76:456:28
811.76:456:28
911.76:466:29
1011.76:466:29
1111.76:466:30
1211.76:476:30
1311.76:476:30
1411.76:476:31
1511.76:486:31
1611.76:486:32
1711.76:486:32
1811.76:486:33
1911.76:496:33
2011.76:496:33
2111.76:496:34
2211.76:496:34
2311.76:506:35
2411.86:506:35
2511.86:506:35
2611.86:506:36
2711.86:506:36
2811.86:506:36
2911.86:506:37
3011.86:516:37
3111.86:516:37

Solar energy in January

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in January, about 4.51 kWh/m² — the year's lowest.

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 4.51 kWh/m² to a high of 6.25 kWh/m² in September across the year — January's 4.51 kWh/m² sits near the bottom.

024151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
14.4Bright
24.4Bright
34.5Bright
44.5Bright
54.5Bright
64.5Bright
74.5Bright
84.5Bright
94.5Bright
104.5Bright
114.5Bright
124.5Bright
134.5Bright
144.5Bright
154.5Bright
164.5Bright
174.5Bright
184.5Bright
194.5Bright
204.5Bright
214.5Bright
224.5Bright
234.5Bright
244.6Bright
254.6Bright
264.6Bright
274.6Bright
284.6Bright
294.6Bright
304.6Bright
314.6Bright
Planning a trip in January

Hazard calendar for Kourou

In seasonPeak

In January, Kourou sits inside its rainy season season. The full year is below, with each hazard's peak months called out.

Kourou's rainy season runs April–July, 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 Kourou?

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

4.1
Sightseeing
7th-best month of the year
4.2
Beach & pool
9th-best month of the year

January is a reasonable time to visit Kourou for sightseeing.

What to pack for Kourou in January

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

In January, Kourou sees daytime highs around 27°C and nights near 24°C. Pack light clothes and rain gear. Worth having: sun protection. About 26 days see rain.

light clothesrain gearsun protection

Sea temperature near Kourou in January

The nearest coast averages about 27°C in January — the other half of the beach question. The full-year curve and swim-comfort zones are below.

The sea offshore is warmest in July at about 28°C and coldest in January near 27°C.

The water stays above 20°C all year — warm enough for a swim any month.

26°28°30°JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecwarmtropicalcomfortable to swim
Sea temperature (°C)Comfort
Jan27Warm
Feb27Warm
Mar27Warm
Apr27Warm
May28Warm
Jun28Warm
Jul28Tropical
Aug28Tropical
Sep28Tropical
Oct28Tropical
Nov28Warm
Dec27Warm

UV index in Kourou 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 Kourou peaks around April 11 at about 14 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near December 11 at about 10 (extreme).

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

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecExtremeApr 11UV 14Dec 11UV 10
UV index (midday)Level
Jan13Extreme
Feb13Extreme
Mar14Extreme
Apr14Extreme
May13Extreme
Jun11Extreme
Jul11Extreme
Aug11Extreme
Sep12Extreme
Oct12Extreme
Nov11Extreme
Dec10Extreme

Air quality in Kourou 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 Kourou is worst in February — around 28 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 4.0× the cleanest month (August, 7 µg/m³).

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

0102030JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecModerateGoodModerateFeb 1627 µg/m³Aug 157 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan26Moderate
Feb28Moderate
Mar26Moderate
Apr26Moderate
May21Moderate
Jun12Moderate
Jul8Good
Aug7Good
Sep8Good
Oct10Good
Nov12Good
Dec21Moderate
Location & terrain

Where is Kourou?

Kourou sits at 5.2°N, 52.6°W, 7 m above sea level, in French Guiana. The nearest listed city is Cayenne, 42 km away.

CayenneMatouryRémire-MontjolySaint-Laurent-du-MaroniOiapoque

Topography around Kourou

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Kourou has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 67 m around an average of 4 m above sea level; within 16 km, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 165 m; within 80 km, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 403 m.

The land around Kourou is covered by water (45%) within 3 km, water (47%) and trees (34%) within 16 km, and trees (57%) and water (37%) within 80 km.

3 km
67 m
16 km
165 m
80 km
403 m
treesgrasslandartificial surfaceswaterwetlandmangroves
January weather nearby: Cayenne 42 km · Matoury 50 km · Rémire-Montjoly 50 km · Saint-Laurent-du-Maroni 158 km · Oiapoque 172 km · Blauwgrond 284 km · Rainville 286 km · Beekhuizen 289 km

French Guiana travel facts

Travel advisory
Level 1
Exercise Normal Precautions
Power plugs
Type C / E
220 V · 50 Hz

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 Kourou (5.1628°, -52.6427°, elevation 7 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. Sea temperatures are the NOAA OISST v2.1 1991–2020 monthly climatology (public domain), sampled at the nearest ocean point. 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).