Bolgatanga weather in January

In January, Bolgatanga sees average daytime highs of 34°C and overnight lows near 21°C, with 0 mm of rain across 0.1 wet days and about 11.4 hours of daylight. It is the 7th-warmest and 11th-wettest month of the year here.

Highs climb over the month, from about 33°C in the first days to 35°C by the end. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 66% of the time in January, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 11 h 24 min at the start of January to 11 h 30 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, January is Bolgatanga's 2nd-clearest and 1st-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Bolgatanga's year-round climate.

Daytime high
34°
7th warmest
Overnight low
21°
2nd coldest
Rainfall
0 mm
0.1 wet days
Daylight
11 h 24 min
6:30 AM – 5:56 PM
Cloud cover
29%
2nd clearest
Wind
11 km/h
1st windiest
Solar energy
5.95 kWh/m²
Travel score
4.0
out of 10

Bolgatanga is capital of the Upper East Region, Ghana.

Air quality: WHO Ambient Air Quality Database. Density & description: Wikidata (CC0), GeoNames.

Temperature in January

Average highAverage lowShaded bands: 10–90% of days

Highs climb over the month, from about 33°C in the first days to 35°C by the end.

A typical January day in Bolgatanga reaches about 34°C in the afternoon and slips back to 21°C overnight — a 13°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 31°C and 37°C. Set against its neighbours, January runs on par with December and about 3°C cooler than February.

15°20°25°30°35°40°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
13320
23320
33320
43320
53320
63320
73320
83320
93320
103320
113320
123320
133420
143421
153421
163421
173421
183421
193421
203421
213421
223421
233421
243521
253522
263522
273522
283522
293522
303522
313522

How January really feels in Bolgatanga

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.

Bolgatanga weather by month

How January compares with the rest of the year at a glance. January is the 7th-warmest and 11th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan34° / 21°00.111.44.0
Feb36° / 24°20.511.62.3
Mar38° / 27°102.311.91.0
Apr38° / 27°326.212.21.2
May35° / 26°5310.312.52.2
Jun33° / 25°6211.412.63.4
Jul30° / 24°13219.212.63.7
Aug29° / 23°21125.212.43.4
Sep30° / 23°14418.512.13.7
Oct33° / 23°468.711.83.7
Nov35° / 22°40.611.53.0
Dec34° / 21°0011.43.8

Cloud cover in January

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 66% of the time in January.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 14% of January, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 20%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
18515
28515
38416
48416
58317
68218
78218
88218
98020
108020
118020
127822
137822
147822
157822
167723
177723
187822
197723
207723
217723
227723
237822
247921
257921
268020
278020
288119
298218
308218
318218

Chance of precipitation in January

Any precipitation

Bolgatanga gets around 0 mm of rain over 0.1 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 0% and peaks near 1% on the wettest days.

0%10%20%30%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
80
90
100
110
120
130
140
150
161
171
181
191
201
211
221
231
241
251
261
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 97% of days. It rarely turns muggy — the humid and sticky bands barely register.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)Muggy (%)
199010
299010
399010
499010
599010
6100000
799010
898110
998110
1098110
1198110
1298110
1398110
1497111
1597111
1697111
1797111
1896121
1996121
2096121
2196121
2296121
2396121
2496121
2596121
2695131
2794231
2894231
2994231
3094231
3195230

Wind in January

Winds average 11 km/h in January, the windiest month of the year.

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 24 min at the start of January to 11 h 30 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 6:25 AM to 6:31 AM, and sunset from 5:48 PM to 6:02 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
111.46:255:48
211.46:265:48
311.46:265:49
411.46:265:49
511.46:275:50
611.46:275:51
711.46:275:51
811.46:285:52
911.46:285:52
1011.46:285:53
1111.46:295:53
1211.46:295:54
1311.46:295:54
1411.46:295:55
1511.46:305:55
1611.46:305:56
1711.46:305:56
1811.46:305:57
1911.46:305:57
2011.56:305:58
2111.56:315:58
2211.56:315:59
2311.56:315:59
2411.56:315:59
2511.56:316:00
2611.56:316:00
2711.56:316:01
2811.56:316:01
2911.56:316:02
3011.56:316:02
3111.56:316:02

Solar energy in January

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in January, about 5.95 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 4.58 kWh/m² to a high of 6.55 kWh/m² in March across the year — January's 5.95 kWh/m² falls in the middle.

0246151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
15.8Bright
25.8Bright
35.8Bright
45.8Bright
55.8Bright
65.9Bright
75.9Bright
85.9Bright
95.9Bright
105.9Bright
115.9Bright
125.9Bright
135.9Bright
145.9Bright
155.9Bright
165.9Bright
176.0Bright
186.0Bright
196.0Bright
206.0Bright
216.0Intense
226.0Intense
236.0Intense
246.0Intense
256.1Intense
266.1Intense
276.1Intense
286.1Intense
296.1Intense
306.2Intense
316.2Intense
Planning a trip in January

Hazard calendar for Bolgatanga

In seasonPeak

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

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

Bolgatanga sees seasonal dust haze (February–June), heaviest in March.

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

Is January a good time to visit Bolgatanga?

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

4.0
Sightseeing
1st-best month of the year
7.7
Beach & pool
1st-best month of the year

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

What to pack for Bolgatanga in January

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

In January, Bolgatanga sees daytime highs around 34°C and nights near 21°C. Pack light clothes. Worth having: sun protection.

light clothessun protection

UV index in Bolgatanga 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 Bolgatanga peaks around March 18 at about 13 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near December 14 at about 8 (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 14UV 8
UV index (midday)Level
Jan9Very high
Feb11Extreme
Mar13Extreme
Apr12Extreme
May12Extreme
Jun11Extreme
Jul11Extreme
Aug12Extreme
Sep13Extreme
Oct11Extreme
Nov8Very high
Dec8Very high

Air quality in Bolgatanga 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 Bolgatanga is worst in December — around 97 µg/m³ PM2.5 (unhealthy), about 6.3× the cleanest month (August, 15 µg/m³).

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

0306090120JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecUnhealthyPoorModerateUnhealthyDec 1895 µg/m³Aug 1015 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan78Unhealthy
Feb78Unhealthy
Mar56Unhealthy
Apr41Poor
May22Moderate
Jun18Moderate
Jul16Moderate
Aug15Moderate
Sep20Moderate
Oct31Moderate
Nov70Unhealthy
Dec97Unhealthy
Location & terrain

Where is Bolgatanga?

Bolgatanga sits at 10.8°N, 0.9°W, 191 m above sea level, in Ghana. The nearest listed city is Navrongo, 29 km away.

ZabréNaleriguGomboussougouBawkuBittouSinkassé

Topography around Bolgatanga

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Bolgatanga has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 67 m around an average of 186 m above sea level; within 16 km, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 253 m; within 80 km, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 380 m.

The land around Bolgatanga is covered by artificial surfaces (42%) and cropland (41%) within 3 km, cropland (55%) and grassland (27%) within 16 km, and cropland (43%), grassland (36%) and shrubs (20%) within 80 km.

3 km
67 m
16 km
253 m
80 km
380 m
treesshrubsgrasslandcroplandartificial surfaces
January weather nearby: Navrongo 29 km · Zabré 50 km · 53 km · Nalerigu 60 km · Gomboussougou 72 km · Bawku 73 km · Bittou 79 km · Sinkassé 100 km

Ghana travel facts

Travel advisory
Level 2
Exercise Increased Caution
Power plugs
Type D / G
230 V · 50 Hz
Prices
≈ 38% of US
price level, 2025
GDP per capita
$3,257
2025
Happiness
4.6 / 10
World Happiness, 2025
Safe drinking water
43%
of population, 2024
Homicide rate
1.8
per 100k, 2022
Road deaths
25.7
per 100k/yr, 2019
Income group
Lower middle
World Bank
English
Moderate
EF EPI 540
Religion
Christian 71%Muslim 20%other 5%traditionalist 3%

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 Bolgatanga (10.7856°, -0.8514°, elevation 191 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).