Al Madīnah weather in January

In January, Al Madīnah sees average daytime highs of 19°C and overnight lows near 9°C, with 32 mm of rain across 4.8 wet days and about 10.2 hours of daylight. It is the 12th-warmest and 1st-wettest month of the year here.

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 19°C through the month. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 59% of the time in January, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 10 hours at the start of January to 10 h 30 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, January is Al Madīnah's 12th-clearest and 9th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Al Madīnah's year-round climate.

Daytime high
19°
12th warmest
Overnight low
1st coldest
Rainfall
32 mm
4.8 wet days
Daylight
10 h 12 min
6:54 AM – 5:06 PM
Cloud cover
37%
12th clearest
Wind
11 km/h
9th windiest
Solar energy
3.42 kWh/m²
Travel score
7.2
out of 10

Temperature in January

Average highAverage lowShaded bands: 10–90% of days

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 19°C through the month.

A typical January day in Al Madīnah reaches about 19°C in the afternoon and slips back to 9°C overnight — a 10°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 14°C and 23°C. Set against its neighbours, January runs about 2°C cooler than December and about 3°C cooler than February.

10°15°20°25°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
1199
2199
3199
4199
5199
6199
7199
8199
9199
10199
11189
12189
13189
14189
15189
16188
17188
18188
19189
20189
21189
22199
23199
24199
25199
26199
27199
28199
29199
30199
31209

How January really feels in Al Madīnah

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.

Al Madīnah weather by month

How January compares with the rest of the year at a glance. January is the 12th-warmest and 1st-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan19° / 324.810.27.2
Feb22° / 11°20310.98.2
Mar27° / 15°21311.87.8
Apr34° / 20°122.512.74.0
May40° / 26°40.913.50.5
Jun45° / 31°00.1140.0
Jul47° / 32°0013.80.0
Aug47° / 32°0013.10.0
Sep43° / 28°00.112.20.0
Oct36° / 22°80.911.22.5
Nov27° / 15°323.510.47.6
Dec20° / 10°294.4107.6

Cloud cover in January

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 59% of the time in January, the cloudiest month of the year.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 13% of January, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 28%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
17030
27030
36931
47030
57030
66931
76931
87030
97030
107129
117129
127030
137030
147030
157129
167129
177129
187228
197228
207228
217228
227327
237327
247327
257426
267426
277426
287525
297624
307624
317624

Chance of precipitation in January

Any precipitation

Al Madīnah gets around 32 mm of rain over 4.8 wet days in January, the wettest month. The line is the day-by-day chance of measurable precipitation.

Day to day, the chance of measurable rain averages around 15% and peaks near 17% on the wettest days.

0%10%20%30%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
112
212
313
413
514
614
715
815
916
1016
1116
1217
1317
1417
1517
1616
1716
1816
1916
2016
2115
2215
2315
2415
2514
2614
2714
2814
2913
3013
3113

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 95% of days. It rarely turns muggy — the humid and sticky bands barely register.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)
1955
2946
3946
4946
5946
6946
7946
8955
9955
10955
11955
12964
13964
14964
15973
16973
17973
18973
19973
20964
21964
22964
23964
24955
25955
26955
27955
28955
29955
30955
31955

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 12 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
2412calm
2512calm
2612calm
2712calm
2812calm
2912calm
3012calm
3112light breeze

Sunrise & sunset in January

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 10 hours at the start of January to 10 h 30 min by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days grow by about 30 minutes over January. Sunrise moves from 6:53 AM to 6:49 AM, and sunset from 4:55 PM to 5:19 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
110.06:534:55
210.06:544:55
310.06:544:56
410.06:544:57
510.16:544:58
610.16:544:58
710.16:544:59
810.16:555:00
910.16:555:00
1010.16:555:01
1110.16:555:02
1210.16:555:03
1310.26:555:04
1410.26:555:04
1510.26:545:05
1610.26:545:06
1710.26:545:07
1810.26:545:08
1910.26:545:09
2010.36:545:09
2110.36:535:10
2210.36:535:11
2310.36:535:12
2410.36:525:13
2510.46:525:14
2610.46:525:15
2710.46:515:16
2810.46:515:16
2910.46:505:17
3010.56:505:18
3110.56:495:19

Solar energy in January

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in January, about 3.42 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 3.18 kWh/m² to a high of 7.81 kWh/m² in June across the year — January's 3.42 kWh/m² sits near the bottom.

01234151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
13.2Moderate
23.2Moderate
33.2Moderate
43.2Moderate
53.2Moderate
63.2Moderate
73.2Moderate
83.2Moderate
93.3Moderate
103.3Moderate
113.3Moderate
123.3Moderate
133.3Moderate
143.4Moderate
153.4Moderate
163.4Moderate
173.5Moderate
183.5Moderate
193.5Moderate
203.5Moderate
213.6Moderate
223.6Moderate
233.6Moderate
243.7Moderate
253.7Moderate
263.7Moderate
273.8Moderate
283.8Moderate
293.9Moderate
303.9Moderate
313.9Moderate
Planning a trip in January

Hazard calendar for Al Madīnah

In seasonPeak

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

Al Madīnah sees seasonal dust haze (February–August), heaviest in May.

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

Is January a good time to visit Al Madīnah?

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

7.2
Sightseeing
5th-best month of the year
3.0
Beach & pool
7th-best month of the year

January is one of the better times to visit Al Madīnah for general sightseeing.

What to pack for Al Madīnah in January

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

In January, Al Madīnah sees daytime highs around 19°C and nights near 9°C. Little to plan around — just the basics. About 5 days see rain.

UV index in Al Madīnah in January

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in January peaks around 3 — enough to warrant sun protection. The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.

Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Al Madīnah peaks around June 22 at about 10 (very high) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near December 22 at about 3 (moderate).

The index reaches 3 or more — the level where the WHO recommends sun protection — in 11 months of the year.

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecModerateHighVery highHighModerateJun 22UV 10Dec 22UV 3
UV index (midday)Level
Jan3Moderate
Feb4Moderate
Mar5Moderate
Apr6High
May7High
Jun10Very high
Jul10Very high
Aug9Very high
Sep7High
Oct6High
Nov4Moderate
Dec3Moderate

Air quality in Al Madīnah 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 Al Madīnah is worst in April — around 78 µg/m³ PM2.5 (unhealthy), and holds fairly steady the rest of the year.

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

020406080JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecUnhealthyApr 1178 µg/m³Jul 1156 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan74Unhealthy
Feb69Unhealthy
Mar77Unhealthy
Apr78Unhealthy
May73Unhealthy
Jun56Unhealthy
Jul56Unhealthy
Aug59Unhealthy
Sep62Unhealthy
Oct70Unhealthy
Nov67Unhealthy
Dec74Unhealthy
Location & terrain

Where is Al Madīnah?

Al Madīnah sits at 31.0°N, 47.3°E, 6 m above sea level, in Iraq. The nearest listed city is Al Qurnah, 17 km away.

Qal‘at ŞāliḩAl HārithahBasrahAl Başrah al QadīmahAz ZubayrAbū al-Kahṣīb

Topography around Al Madīnah

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Al Madīnah has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 11 m around an average of 2 m above sea level; within 16 km, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 11 m; within 80 km, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 83 m.

The land around Al Madīnah is covered by cropland (43%), artificial surfaces (22%) and bare terrain (21%) within 3 km, cropland (34%) and bare terrain (32%) within 16 km, and bare terrain (51%) and cropland (20%) within 80 km.

3 km
11 m
16 km
11 m
80 km
83 m
treesshrubsgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwaterwetland
January weather nearby: Al Qurnah 17 km · Nāḩiyat al Fuhūd 52 km · Qal‘at Şāliḩ 63 km · Al Hārithah 63 km · Basrah 70 km · Al Başrah al Qadīmah 73 km · Az Zubayr 76 km · Abū al-Kahṣīb 82 km

Iraq travel facts

Travel advisory
Level 4
Do Not Travel
Power plugs
Type C / D / G
230 V · 50 Hz
Prices
≈ 38% of US
price level, 2025
GDP per capita
$5,410
2025
Happiness
5.2 / 10
World Happiness, 2025
Safe drinking water
60%
of population, 2024
Homicide rate
9.5
per 100k, 2013
Road deaths
27.3
per 100k/yr, 2019
Income group
Upper middle
World Bank
English
Very low
EF EPI 406
Religion
Christian 1%

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 Al Madīnah (30.9632°, 47.27°, elevation 6 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).