Tamale weather in January

In January, Tamale sees average daytime highs of 34°C and overnight lows near 22°C, with 2 mm of rain across 0.3 wet days and about 11.5 hours of daylight. It is the 5th-warmest and 11th-wettest month of the year here.

Highs climb over the month, from about 34°C in the first days to 35°C by the end. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 67% of the time in January, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 11 h 30 min at the start of January to 11 h 36 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, January is Tamale's 2nd-clearest and 4th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Tamale's year-round climate.

Daytime high
34°
5th warmest
Overnight low
22°
2nd coldest
Rainfall
2 mm
0.3 wet days
Daylight
11 h 30 min
6:27 AM – 5:58 PM
Cloud cover
30%
2nd clearest
Wind
10 km/h
4th windiest
Solar energy
6 kWh/m²
Travel score
3.7
out of 10

Tamale is city in Northern Region, Ghana.

Density
619/km²
people per km²
Founded
1906

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 34°C in the first days to 35°C by the end.

A typical January day in Tamale reaches about 34°C in the afternoon and slips back to 22°C overnight — a 13°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 32°C and 37°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)
13421
23421
33421
43421
53421
63421
73421
83421
93421
103421
113421
123421
133421
143421
153421
163422
173422
183422
193422
203522
213522
223522
233522
243522
253522
263522
273523
283523
293523
303623
313623

How January really feels in Tamale

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.

Tamale weather by month

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

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan34° / 22°20.311.53.7
Feb37° / 24°61.311.72.1
Mar38° / 27°214.711.91.3
Apr37° / 27°519.612.21.7
May35° / 26°6812.112.42.5
Jun32° / 24°7813.112.53.5
Jul30° / 24°1522112.53.6
Aug29° / 23°22525.512.33.4
Sep30° / 23°17922.812.13.4
Oct32° / 23°6911.411.83.9
Nov34° / 23°71.411.63.5
Dec34° / 21°20.111.53.8

Cloud cover in January

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 67% 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%. Skies tend to cloud over as the month goes on.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
18614
28515
38515
48416
58416
68416
78317
88218
98119
108020
118020
127921
137822
147822
157822
167723
177723
187723
197723
207723
217723
227723
237822
247822
257921
267921
277921
288119
298119
308119
318119

Chance of precipitation in January

Any precipitation

Tamale gets around 2 mm of rain over 0.3 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
20
30
40
50
60
70
80
91
101
111
121
131
141
151
161
171
181
191
201
211
221
231
241
251
261
271
281
291
301
311

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 86% of days. Sticky, muggy-or-worse air turns up on roughly 6% of them.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)Muggy (%)Oppressive (%)
1915220
2924220
3924220
4924220
5924220
6914320
7904330
8913330
9913330
10903340
11903340
12903340
13893341
14873451
15873451
16873451
17873451
18864451
19854551
20854551
21845551
22835561
23815662
24816661
25806671
26806671
27796681
28787681
29777691
30777691
317577101

Wind in January

Winds average 10 km/h in January.

Across January, daily wind ranges from about 9 km/h on the calmest days to 10 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

051015151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
110calm
210calm
310calm
410calm
510calm
610calm
710calm
810calm
910calm
1010calm
1110calm
1210calm
1310calm
1410calm
1510calm
1610calm
1710calm
1810calm
1910calm
209calm
219calm
229calm
239calm
249calm
259calm
269calm
279calm
289calm
299calm
309calm
319calm

Sunrise & sunset in January

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 11 h 30 min at the start of January to 11 h 36 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 6:23 AM to 6:29 AM, and sunset from 5:50 PM to 6:04 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
111.56:235:50
211.56:235:51
311.56:235:51
411.56:245:52
511.56:245:52
611.56:255:53
711.56:255:53
811.56:255:54
911.56:265:54
1011.56:265:55
1111.56:265:55
1211.56:265:56
1311.56:275:56
1411.56:275:57
1511.56:275:57
1611.56:275:58
1711.56:285:58
1811.56:285:59
1911.56:285:59
2011.56:286:00
2111.56:286:00
2211.56:296:01
2311.56:296:01
2411.56:296:01
2511.66:296:02
2611.66:296:02
2711.66:296:03
2811.66:296:03
2911.66:296:04
3011.66:296:04
3111.66:296:04

Solar energy in January

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in January, about 6 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 4.4 kWh/m² to a high of 6.43 kWh/m² in March across the year — January's 6 kWh/m² falls in the middle.

0246151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
15.9Bright
25.9Bright
35.9Bright
45.9Bright
55.9Bright
65.9Bright
75.9Bright
85.9Bright
95.9Bright
105.9Bright
115.9Bright
126.0Bright
136.0Bright
146.0Bright
156.0Bright
166.0Bright
176.0Bright
186.0Intense
196.0Intense
206.0Intense
216.0Intense
226.0Intense
236.1Intense
246.1Intense
256.1Intense
266.1Intense
276.1Intense
286.1Intense
296.2Intense
306.2Intense
316.2Intense
Planning a trip in January

Hazard calendar for Tamale

In seasonPeak

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

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

Tamale sees seasonal dust haze (January–May), heaviest in February.

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

Is January a good time to visit Tamale?

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

3.7
Sightseeing
3rd-best month of the year
7.4
Beach & pool
2nd-best month of the year

January is a weaker month for outdoor sightseeing in Tamale. The water and warmth also suit a beach or pool day.

What to pack for Tamale in January

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

In January, Tamale sees daytime highs around 34°C and nights near 22°C. Pack light clothes and sun protection.

light clothessun protection

UV index in Tamale in January

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in January peaks around 7 — enough to warrant sun protection. The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.

Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Tamale peaks around April 13 at about 13 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near December 21 at about 7 (high).

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

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecVery highExtremeVery highApr 13UV 13Dec 21UV 7
UV index (midday)Level
Jan7Very high
Feb9Very high
Mar13Extreme
Apr13Extreme
May12Extreme
Jun11Extreme
Jul10Extreme
Aug12Extreme
Sep13Extreme
Oct11Extreme
Nov8Very high
Dec7High

Air quality in Tamale 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 Tamale is worst in December — around 113 µg/m³ PM2.5 (unhealthy), about 7.2× the cleanest month (August, 16 µg/m³).

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

0306090120JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecUnhealthyPoorModerateUnhealthyDec 22111 µg/m³Aug 1116 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan104Unhealthy
Feb84Unhealthy
Mar48Poor
Apr38Poor
May21Moderate
Jun18Moderate
Jul16Moderate
Aug16Moderate
Sep19Moderate
Oct29Moderate
Nov59Unhealthy
Dec113Unhealthy
Location & terrain

Where is Tamale?

Tamale sits at 9.4°N, 0.8°W, 196 m above sea level, in Ghana. The nearest listed city is Savelugu, 25 km away.

YendiSalagaDamongoBimbilaYegyiNaleriguBolgatanga

Topography around Tamale

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Tamale has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 57 m around an average of 173 m above sea level; within 16 km, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 106 m; within 80 km, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 206 m.

The land around Tamale is covered by artificial surfaces (76%) within 3 km, cropland (67%) within 16 km, and cropland (36%), grassland (32%) and shrubs (30%) within 80 km.

3 km
57 m
16 km
106 m
80 km
206 m
treesshrubsgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrain
January weather nearby: Savelugu 25 km · Yendi 91 km · Salaga 101 km · Damongo 113 km · Bimbila 116 km · Yegyi 132 km · Nalerigu 135 km · Bolgatanga 154 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 Tamale (9.4008°, -0.8393°, elevation 196 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).