Cape Coast weather in January

In January, Cape Coast sees average daytime highs of 28°C and overnight lows near 26°C, with 18 mm of rain across 5.9 wet days and about 11.7 hours of daylight. It is the 6th-warmest and 12th-wettest month of the year here.

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 28°C through the month. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 47% of the time in January, and the air most often feels miserable.

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 Cape Coast's 2nd-clearest and 9th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Cape Coast's year-round climate.

Daytime high
28°
6th warmest
Overnight low
26°
8th coldest
Rainfall
18 mm
5.9 wet days
Daylight
11 h 42 min
6:22 AM – 6:06 PM
Cloud cover
47%
2nd clearest
Wind
13 km/h
9th windiest
Solar energy
5.25 kWh/m²
Travel score
7.2
out of 10

Cape Coast is capital city of Central Region in Ghana.

Founded
1482

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 28°C through the month.

A typical January day in Cape Coast reaches about 28°C in the afternoon and slips back to 26°C overnight — a 2°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 27°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)
12826
22826
32826
42826
52826
62826
72826
82826
92826
102826
112826
122826
132826
142826
152826
162826
172826
182826
192826
202826
212826
222826
232826
242826
252826
262826
272826
282826
292826
302826
312826

How January really feels in Cape Coast

Once humidity and wind are folded in, January averages 11 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
11
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.

Cape Coast weather by month

How January compares with the rest of the year at a glance. January is the 6th-warmest and 12th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan28° / 26°185.911.77.2
Feb28° / 26°256.811.86.4
Mar29° / 27°4111.6125.4
Apr29° / 26°7116.312.14.8
May28° / 26°1662512.24.0
Jun27° / 25°20423.812.34.3
Jul25° / 24°6513.212.36.1
Aug25° / 24°287.312.27.0
Sep25° / 24°5210.8126.6
Oct27° / 25°671711.95.6
Nov28° / 26°4915.211.85.7
Dec28° / 26°289.411.76.7

Cloud cover in January

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 47% of the time in January.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 17% of January, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 35%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
17228
27129
37129
46931
56931
66931
76931
86733
96733
106733
116634
126634
136535
146436
156436
166337
176238
186238
196139
206139
216139
226040
236040
246040
256139
266139
276139
286337
296436
306436
316535

Chance of precipitation in January

Any precipitation

Cape Coast gets around 18 mm of rain over 5.9 wet days in January, the driest month. The line is the day-by-day chance of measurable precipitation.

Day to day, the chance of measurable rain averages around 19% and peaks near 21% on the wettest days.

0%10%20%30%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
121
221
320
420
520
620
719
819
919
1019
1119
1219
1319
1419
1520
1620
1720
1820
1920
2020
2119
2219
2319
2419
2519
2618
2718
2817
2917
3017
3116

Humidity in January

DryComfortableHumidMuggyOppressiveMiserable

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

By dew point, January lands in the miserable band about 64% of days. Sticky, muggy-or-worse air turns up on roughly 99% of them.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Humid (%)Muggy (%)Oppressive (%)Miserable (%)
1143560
2143659
3153658
4153658
5263656
6263656
7263656
8263656
9263656
10263656
11263656
12163657
13153658
14153559
15153559
16143560
17143461
18143362
19133264
20133165
21132967
22132868
23122671
24122572
25122473
26122374
27122275
28122176
29122077
30021979
31011980

Wind in January

Winds average 13 km/h in January.

Across January, daily wind ranges from about 12 km/h on the calmest days to 14 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

05101520151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
112calm
212calm
312calm
412calm
512calm
612calm
712light breeze
812light breeze
912light breeze
1012light breeze
1112light breeze
1212light breeze
1312light breeze
1412light breeze
1513light breeze
1613light breeze
1713light breeze
1813light breeze
1913light breeze
2013light breeze
2113light breeze
2213light breeze
2313light breeze
2413light breeze
2513light breeze
2613light breeze
2713light breeze
2813light breeze
2913light breeze
3014light breeze
3114light 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 6:17 AM to 6:25 AM, and sunset from 5:59 PM to 6:12 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
111.76:175:59
211.76:176:00
311.76:186:00
411.76:186:01
511.76:196:01
611.76:196:02
711.76:196:02
811.76:206:03
911.76:206:03
1011.76:206:04
1111.76:216:04
1211.76:216:05
1311.76:216:05
1411.76:226:05
1511.76:226:06
1611.76:226:06
1711.76:236:07
1811.76:236:07
1911.76:236:08
2011.76:236:08
2111.76:246:08
2211.76:246:09
2311.86:246:09
2411.86:246:09
2511.86:246:10
2611.86:246:10
2711.86:256:10
2811.86:256:11
2911.86:256:11
3011.86:256:11
3111.86:256:12

Solar energy in January

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in January, about 5.25 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 4.17 kWh/m² to a high of 5.64 kWh/m² in March across the year — January's 5.25 kWh/m² falls in the middle.

0246151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
15.1Bright
25.2Bright
35.2Bright
45.2Bright
55.2Bright
65.2Bright
75.2Bright
85.2Bright
95.2Bright
105.2Bright
115.2Bright
125.2Bright
135.2Bright
145.2Bright
155.2Bright
165.2Bright
175.3Bright
185.3Bright
195.3Bright
205.3Bright
215.3Bright
225.3Bright
235.3Bright
245.3Bright
255.3Bright
265.3Bright
275.3Bright
285.3Bright
295.3Bright
305.4Bright
315.4Bright
Planning a trip in January

Hazard calendar for Cape Coast

In seasonPeak

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

Cape Coast's monsoon runs May–June, when most of the year's rain falls.

Cape Coast sees seasonal dust haze (January–April), heaviest in February.

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

Is January a good time to visit Cape Coast?

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

7.2
Sightseeing
1st-best month of the year
7.6
Beach & pool
1st-best month of the year

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

What to pack for Cape Coast in January

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

In January, Cape Coast sees daytime highs around 28°C and nights near 26°C. Pack light clothes. Worth having: sun protection. About 6 days see rain.

light clothessun protection

Sea temperature near Cape Coast 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 at the nearest coast (about 14 km away) is warmest in May at about 29°C and coldest in August near 23°C.

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

22°24°26°28°30°JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecrefreshingwarmtropicalcomfortable to swim
Sea temperature (°C)Comfort
Jan27Warm
Feb28Warm
Mar28Tropical
Apr28Tropical
May29Tropical
Jun27Warm
Jul24Warm
Aug23Refreshing
Sep24Warm
Oct27Warm
Nov28Tropical
Dec28Tropical

UV index in Cape Coast in January

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in January peaks around 10 (very high — sun protection essential). The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.

Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Cape Coast peaks around March 23 at about 14 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near December 17 at about 9 (very high).

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

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecExtremeExtremeVery highMar 23UV 14Dec 17UV 9
UV index (midday)Level
Jan10Very high
Feb12Extreme
Mar14Extreme
Apr14Extreme
May12Extreme
Jun11Extreme
Jul10Very high
Aug11Extreme
Sep12Extreme
Oct12Extreme
Nov10Very high
Dec9Very high

Air quality in Cape Coast 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 Cape Coast is worst in January — around 70 µg/m³ PM2.5 (unhealthy), about 5.4× the cleanest month (September, 13 µg/m³).

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

020406080JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecUnhealthyPoorModeratePoorJan 1768 µg/m³Sep 1313 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan70Unhealthy
Feb58Unhealthy
Mar35Moderate
Apr33Moderate
May21Moderate
Jun19Moderate
Jul17Moderate
Aug14Moderate
Sep13Moderate
Oct16Moderate
Nov24Moderate
Dec54Poor
Location & terrain

Where is Cape Coast?

Cape Coast sits at 5.1°N, 1.2°W, 21 m above sea level, in Ghana. The nearest listed city is Elmina, 12 km away.

Shama JunctionSekondiApamSekondi-TakoradiTakoradi

Topography around Cape Coast

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Cape Coast has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 75 m around an average of 13 m above sea level; within 16 km, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 131 m; within 80 km, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 325 m.

The land around Cape Coast is covered by water (52%) and artificial surfaces (22%) within 3 km, water (55%) and trees (32%) within 16 km, and trees (60%) and water (35%) within 80 km.

3 km
75 m
16 km
131 m
80 km
325 m
treesgrasslandartificial surfacesbare terrainwaterwetland
January weather nearby: Elmina 12 km · Saltpond 24 km · Mankesim 32 km · Shama Junction 47 km · Sekondi 55 km · Apam 59 km · Sekondi-Takoradi 60 km · Takoradi 61 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 Cape Coast (5.1053°, -1.2466°, elevation 21 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).