Kanifing weather in January

In January, Kanifing sees average daytime highs of 26°C and overnight lows near 21°C, with 2 mm of rain across 0.2 wet days and about 11.3 hours of daylight. It is the 9th-warmest and 6th-wettest month of the year here.

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 26°C through the month. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 52% of the time in January, and the air most often feels comfortable.

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 Kanifing's 5th-clearest and 4th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Kanifing's year-round climate.

Daytime high
26°
9th warmest
Overnight low
21°
1st coldest
Rainfall
2 mm
0.2 wet days
Daylight
11 h 18 min
7:37 AM – 6:55 PM
Cloud cover
41%
5th clearest
Wind
17 km/h
4th windiest
Solar energy
5.45 kWh/m²
Travel score
8.6
out of 10

Kanifing is locality in Kanifing LGA, The Gambia.

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 26°C through the month.

A typical January day in Kanifing reaches about 26°C in the afternoon and slips back to 21°C overnight — a 5°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 23°C and 28°C. Set against its neighbours, January runs about 2°C cooler than December and on par with February.

15°20°25°30°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
12621
22621
32621
42621
52621
62621
72621
82621
92621
102621
112621
122621
132621
142621
152521
162521
172520
182520
192520
202520
212520
222520
232520
242520
252520
262521
272521
282621
292621
302621
312621

How January really feels in Kanifing

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.

Kanifing weather by month

How January compares with the rest of the year at a glance. January is the 9th-warmest and 6th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan26° / 21°20.211.38.6
Feb26° / 21°10.111.68.7
Mar26° / 21°00.111.99.0
Apr25° / 21°0012.39.1
May26° / 23°10.212.68.8
Jun27° / 25°91.612.87.9
Jul28° / 26°11813.512.75.3
Aug28° / 26°24622.212.44.1
Sep29° / 26°17418.612.14.3
Oct30° / 27°497.411.75.7
Nov29° / 26°10.411.46.7
Dec27° / 22°10.211.28.0

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 (%)
16238
26139
36139
46238
56238
66337
76337
86436
96535
106634
116634
126733
136733
146832
156832
166832
176931
186931
197030
207030
217030
227030
237129
247129
257129
267030
277030
287030
297030
307030
316931

Chance of precipitation in January

Any precipitation

Kanifing gets around 2 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 (%)
10
21
31
41
51
61
71
81
91
101
111
121
131
141
151
161
171
181
190
200
210
220
230
240
250
260
270
280
290
300
310

Humidity in January

DryComfortableHumidMuggyOppressiveMiserable

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

By dew point, January lands in the comfortable band about 42% of days. Sticky, muggy-or-worse air turns up on roughly 5% of them.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)Muggy (%)Oppressive (%)
121412882
222412872
323422762
424422751
525422751
625432741
726432741
826432741
926432741
1026432740
1127432730
1227432730
1327432730
1427432730
1527432730
1627432730
1727432730
1827422730
1927422740
2028422740
2128412740
2228412740
2328402650
2428402650
2528402660
2628412560
2728412560
2827412570
2927412470
3027412470
3127422470

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.

05101520151015202531
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
2217light breeze
2317light breeze
2417light breeze
2517light breeze
2618light breeze
2718light breeze
2818light breeze
2918light breeze
3018light breeze
3118light breeze

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 7:33 AM to 7:38 AM, and sunset from 6:46 PM to 7:02 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
111.27:336:46
211.27:346:47
311.27:346:48
411.27:346:48
511.27:356:49
611.27:356:49
711.27:356:50
811.27:366:50
911.27:366:51
1011.37:366:51
1111.37:366:52
1211.37:376:52
1311.37:376:53
1411.37:376:54
1511.37:376:54
1611.37:376:55
1711.37:386:55
1811.37:386:56
1911.37:386:56
2011.37:386:57
2111.37:386:57
2211.37:386:58
2311.37:386:58
2411.37:386:59
2511.47:386:59
2611.47:387:00
2711.47:387:00
2811.47:387:01
2911.47:387:01
3011.47:387:02
3111.47:387:02

Solar energy in January

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in January, about 5.45 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 4.99 kWh/m² to a high of 7.15 kWh/m² in April across the year — January's 5.45 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
95.3Bright
105.3Bright
115.3Bright
125.4Bright
135.4Bright
145.4Bright
155.4Bright
165.4Bright
175.5Bright
185.5Bright
195.5Bright
205.5Bright
215.5Bright
225.5Bright
235.6Bright
245.6Bright
255.6Bright
265.6Bright
275.6Bright
285.7Bright
295.7Bright
305.7Bright
315.7Bright
Planning a trip in January

Hazard calendar for Kanifing

In seasonPeak

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

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

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

Kanifing 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 Kanifing?

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

8.6
Sightseeing
5th-best month of the year
8.0
Beach & pool
8th-best month of the year

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

What to pack for Kanifing in January

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

In January, Kanifing sees daytime highs around 26°C and nights near 21°C. Worth packing: light clothes and sun protection.

light clothessun protection

Sea temperature near Kanifing in January

The nearest coast averages about 22°C in January — the other half of the beach question. The full-year curve and swim-comfort zones are below.

The sea at the nearest coast (about 21 km away) is warmest in October at about 29°C and coldest in March near 20°C.

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

20°25°30°JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDeccoolrefreshingwarmtropicalcomfortable to swim
Sea temperature (°C)Comfort
Jan22Refreshing
Feb21Refreshing
Mar20Refreshing
Apr21Refreshing
May23Refreshing
Jun26Warm
Jul28Tropical
Aug28Tropical
Sep29Tropical
Oct29Tropical
Nov28Warm
Dec24Refreshing

UV index in Kanifing in January

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in January peaks around 8 — enough to warrant sun protection. The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.

Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Kanifing peaks around March 19 at about 13 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near December 18 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 19UV 13Dec 18UV 7
UV index (midday)Level
Jan8Very high
Feb11Extreme
Mar13Extreme
Apr12Extreme
May11Extreme
Jun11Extreme
Jul11Extreme
Aug12Extreme
Sep12Extreme
Oct10Extreme
Nov8Very high
Dec7Very high

Air quality in Kanifing 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 Kanifing is worst in February — around 98 µg/m³ PM2.5 (unhealthy), about 4.2× the cleanest month (August, 24 µg/m³).

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

0306090120JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecUnhealthyPoorModeratePoorUnhealthyFeb 1397 µg/m³Aug 2024 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan89Unhealthy
Feb98Unhealthy
Mar80Unhealthy
Apr61Unhealthy
May52Poor
Jun60Unhealthy
Jul36Poor
Aug24Moderate
Sep29Moderate
Oct50Poor
Nov64Unhealthy
Dec84Unhealthy
Location & terrain

Where is Kanifing?

Kanifing sits at 13.4°N, 16.7°W, 12 m above sea level, in Gambia. The nearest listed city is Serekunda, 1.0 km away.

Topography around Kanifing

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Kanifing has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 26 m around an average of 10 m above sea level; within 16 km, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 37 m; within 80 km, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 53 m.

The land around Kanifing is covered by artificial surfaces (66%) within 3 km, water (60%) within 16 km, and water (41%) within 80 km.

3 km
26 m
16 km
37 m
80 km
53 m
treesshrubsgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwaterwetlandmangroves
January weather nearby: Serekunda 1.0 km · New Jeshwang 1.0 km · Latri Kunda 1.0 km · Ibo Town 1.0 km · Dippa Kunda 2.0 km · Talinding 2.0 km · Bununka Kunda 2.0 km · Manjai Kunda 3.0 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 Kanifing (13.4464°, -16.6744°, elevation 12 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). 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).