Farafenni weather in January

In January, Farafenni sees average daytime highs of 33°C and overnight lows near 19°C, with 1 mm of rain across 0.2 wet days and about 11.3 hours of daylight. It is the 9th-warmest and 9th-wettest month of the year here.

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 33°C through the month. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 52% of the time in January, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 11 h 12 min at the start of January to 11 h 24 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, January is Farafenni's 5th-clearest and 2nd-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Farafenni's year-round climate.

Daytime high
33°
9th warmest
Overnight low
19°
1st coldest
Rainfall
1 mm
0.2 wet days
Daylight
11 h 18 min
7:33 AM – 6:50 PM
Cloud cover
41%
5th clearest
Wind
11 km/h
2nd windiest
Solar energy
5.48 kWh/m²
Travel score
4.6
out of 10

Farafenni is city.

Density
354/km²
people per km²

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 33°C through the month.

A typical January day in Farafenni reaches about 33°C in the afternoon and slips back to 19°C overnight — a 14°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 30°C and 35°C. Set against its neighbours, January runs on par with December and about 2°C cooler than February.

15°20°25°30°35°40°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
13318
23218
33218
43218
53218
63218
73218
83218
93218
103218
113218
123218
133218
143318
153318
163318
173318
183318
193319
203319
213319
223319
233319
243319
253319
263319
273319
283319
293419
303419
313419

How January really feels in Farafenni

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.

Farafenni weather by month

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

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan33° / 19°10.211.34.6
Feb35° / 20°10.111.53.4
Mar37° / 21°0011.92.2
Apr37° / 22°0012.31.7
May37° / 24°10.312.61.9
Jun36° / 25°284.812.82.5
Jul33° / 25°16017.512.73.0
Aug31° / 24°26424.312.52.8
Sep32° / 24°19219.312.13.0
Oct34° / 24°518.111.73.3
Nov35° / 22°30.711.43.3
Dec33° / 19°20.311.24.3

Cloud cover in January

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 52% of the time in January.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 15% of January, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 33%. Skies tend to open up as the month goes on.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
16139
26139
36139
46139
56238
66238
76337
86337
96436
106535
116634
126634
136733
146733
156733
166832
176832
186832
197030
207030
217030
227129
237129
247030
257030
267030
277030
287030
296931
306931
316832

Chance of precipitation in January

Any precipitation

Farafenni gets around 1 mm of rain over 0.2 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 1% and peaks near 1% on the wettest days.

0%10%20%30%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
11
21
31
41
51
61
71
81
91
101
111
121
131
141
151
161
171
180
190
200
210
220
230
240
250
260
270
280
290
300
310

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 88% of days. It rarely turns muggy — the humid and sticky bands barely register.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)Muggy (%)
1871021
288921
388921
489911
589911
689911
789911
889911
990910
1090910
1190910
1290910
1390910
1490910
1590910
1690910
1790910
1890910
1990910
2090910
21891010
22891010
23881020
24881020
25871030
26861031
27861031
28861031
29851041
30851041
31851041

Wind in January

Winds average 11 km/h in January.

Across January, daily wind ranges from about 11 km/h on the calmest days to 11 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

051015151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
111calm
211calm
311calm
411calm
511calm
611calm
711calm
811calm
911calm
1011calm
1111calm
1211calm
1311calm
1411calm
1511calm
1611calm
1711calm
1811calm
1911calm
2011calm
2111calm
2211calm
2311calm
2411calm
2511calm
2611calm
2711calm
2811calm
2911calm
3011calm
3111calm

Sunrise & sunset in January

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 11 h 12 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 12 minutes over January. Sunrise moves from 7:29 AM to 7:34 AM, and sunset from 6:42 PM to 6:58 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
111.27:296:42
211.27:306:42
311.27:306:43
411.27:306:44
511.27:316:44
611.27:316:45
711.27:316:45
811.27:316:46
911.27:326:46
1011.27:326:47
1111.37:326:47
1211.37:336:48
1311.37:336:48
1411.37:336:49
1511.37:336:50
1611.37:336:50
1711.37:336:51
1811.37:346:51
1911.37:346:52
2011.37:346:52
2111.37:346:53
2211.37:346:53
2311.37:346:54
2411.37:346:54
2511.37:346:55
2611.47:346:55
2711.47:346:56
2811.47:346:56
2911.47:346:57
3011.47:346:57
3111.47:346:58

Solar energy in January

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in January, about 5.48 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 4.44 kWh/m² to a high of 7.22 kWh/m² in April across the year — January's 5.48 kWh/m² falls in the middle.

0246151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
15.3Bright
25.3Bright
35.3Bright
45.3Bright
55.3Bright
65.3Bright
75.3Bright
85.3Bright
95.4Bright
105.4Bright
115.4Bright
125.4Bright
135.4Bright
145.4Bright
155.5Bright
165.5Bright
175.5Bright
185.5Bright
195.5Bright
205.5Bright
215.6Bright
225.6Bright
235.6Bright
245.6Bright
255.6Bright
265.7Bright
275.7Bright
285.7Bright
295.7Bright
305.7Bright
315.7Bright
Planning a trip in January

Hazard calendar for Farafenni

In seasonPeak

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

Farafenni sits in the Atlantic hurricane belt; the season peaks August–October.

Farafenni's monsoon runs July–September, when most of the year's rain falls.

Farafenni sees seasonal dust haze (February–August), heaviest in June.

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

Is January a good time to visit Farafenni?

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

4.6
Sightseeing
1st-best month of the year
7.9
Beach & pool
1st-best month of the year

January is a reasonable time to visit Farafenni for sightseeing. The water and warmth also suit a beach or pool day.

What to pack for Farafenni in January

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

In January, Farafenni sees daytime highs around 33°C and nights near 19°C. Pack light clothes. Worth having: sun protection.

light clothessun protection

UV index in Farafenni in January

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in January peaks around 8 (very high — sun protection essential). The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.

Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Farafenni peaks around March 18 at about 13 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near December 17 at about 7 (very high).

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

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecVery highExtremeVery highMar 18UV 13Dec 17UV 7
UV index (midday)Level
Jan8Very high
Feb11Extreme
Mar13Extreme
Apr12Extreme
May11Extreme
Jun11Extreme
Jul12Extreme
Aug13Extreme
Sep12Extreme
Oct10Extreme
Nov8Very high
Dec7Very high

Air quality in Farafenni 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 Farafenni is worst in February — around 99 µg/m³ PM2.5 (unhealthy), about 4.4× the cleanest month (August, 23 µg/m³).

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

0306090120JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecUnhealthyPoorModeratePoorUnhealthyFeb 1697 µg/m³Aug 1924 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan77Unhealthy
Feb99Unhealthy
Mar83Unhealthy
Apr65Unhealthy
May56Unhealthy
Jun58Unhealthy
Jul34Moderate
Aug23Moderate
Sep28Moderate
Oct47Poor
Nov55Poor
Dec71Unhealthy
Location & terrain

Where is Farafenni?

Farafenni sits at 13.6°N, 15.6°W, 15 m above sea level, in Gambia. The nearest listed city is Soma, 16 km away.

Nioro du RipNema KunkuLamin

Topography around Farafenni

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Farafenni has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 43 m around an average of 15 m above sea level; within 16 km, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 53 m; within 80 km, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 60 m.

The land around Farafenni is covered by cropland (51%) within 3 km, cropland (47%) within 16 km, and cropland (47%) and shrubs (20%) within 80 km.

3 km
43 m
16 km
53 m
80 km
60 m
treesshrubsgrasslandcroplandartificial surfaceswaterwetlandmangroves
January weather nearby: Soma 16 km · Nioro du Rip 30 km · Nema Kunku 47 km · Kaffrine 60 km · Kahone 81 km · Kaolack 83 km · Guinguinéo 87 km · Lamin 93 km

Gambia travel facts

Travel advisory
Level 2
Exercise Increased Caution
Power plugs
Type G
230 V · 50 Hz
Prices
≈ 25% of US
price level, 2025
GDP per capita
$919
2025
Happiness
4.3 / 10
World Happiness, 2025
Safe drinking water
48%
of population, 2024
Road deaths
29.6
per 100k/yr, 2019
Income group
Low
World Bank
Religion
Muslim 96%Christian 4%other or none 0%

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 Farafenni (13.5667°, -15.6°, elevation 15 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. Tropical-cyclone seasons are the published climatological basin seasons (NOAA National Hurricane Center / regional warning centres). 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).