Baghdad weather in January

In January, Baghdad sees average daytime highs of 17°C and overnight lows near 7°C, with 28 mm of rain across 4.9 wet days and about 10 hours of daylight. It is the 12th-warmest and 1st-wettest month of the year here.

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 17°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 9 h 48 min at the start of January to 10 h 18 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, January is Baghdad's 11th-clearest and 10th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Baghdad's year-round climate.

Daytime high
17°
12th warmest
Overnight low
1st coldest
Rainfall
28 mm
4.9 wet days
Daylight
10 hours
7:11 AM – 5:12 PM
Cloud cover
38%
11th clearest
Wind
11 km/h
10th windiest
Solar energy
3.19 kWh/m²
Travel score
6.6
out of 10

Baghdad is capital city of Iraq.

Air quality
Very high
PM2.5 42.5 µg/m³ · 2019
Density
10,722/km²
people per km²
Founded
~762 CE

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 17°C through the month.

A typical January day in Baghdad reaches about 17°C in the afternoon and slips back to 7°C overnight — a 10°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 13°C and 21°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)
1188
2188
3188
4178
5178
6178
7177
8177
9177
10177
11177
12177
13177
14177
15177
16177
17177
18177
19177
20177
21177
22177
23177
24177
25177
26177
27177
28177
29187
30188
31188

How January really feels in Baghdad

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.

Baghdad 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
Jan17° / 284.9106.6
Feb20° / 213.810.87.6
Mar25° / 13°223.611.78.2
Apr32° / 18°142.712.85.1
May38° / 24°5113.71.3
Jun43° / 29°0014.20.0
Jul46° / 31°00140.0
Aug46° / 31°0013.20.0
Sep42° / 27°00.212.20.1
Oct35° / 21°91.611.23.2
Nov25° / 14°263.410.38.0
Dec19° / 243.99.87.4

Cloud cover in January

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 59% 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 28%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
17030
27030
37129
47129
57129
67129
77129
87228
97228
107327
117426
127426
137426
147426
157327
167327
177327
187327
197228
207228
217228
227228
237228
247228
257228
267228
277228
287327
297327
307327
317327

Chance of precipitation in January

Any precipitation

Baghdad gets around 28 mm of rain over 4.9 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 16% on the wettest days.

0%10%20%30%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
114
214
314
415
515
615
715
815
915
1015
1115
1215
1315
1415
1515
1615
1715
1815
1915
2015
2116
2216
2316
2416
2516
2616
2716
2816
2916
3016
3116

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 99% of days. It rarely turns muggy — the humid and sticky bands barely register.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)
1991
2991
3991
4991
5991
6991
7991
8991
9991
10991
11991
121000
131000
141000
151000
161000
171000
181000
191000
20991
21991
22991
23991
24991
25991
26991
27991
28991
29991
30991
31991

Wind in January

Winds average 11 km/h in January.

Across January, daily wind ranges from about 10 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
110calm
210calm
310calm
410calm
510calm
610calm
710calm
810calm
910calm
1010calm
1110calm
1210calm
1310calm
1410calm
1510calm
1610calm
1710calm
1810calm
1911calm
2011calm
2111calm
2211calm
2311calm
2411calm
2511calm
2611calm
2711calm
2811calm
2911calm
3011calm
3111calm

Sunrise & sunset in January

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 9 h 48 min at the start of January to 10 h 18 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 7:11 AM to 7:05 AM, and sunset from 5:00 PM to 5:26 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
19.87:115:00
29.87:115:01
39.87:115:02
49.97:115:02
59.97:115:03
69.97:125:04
79.97:125:05
89.97:125:06
99.97:125:06
109.97:125:07
119.97:125:08
1210.07:125:09
1310.07:125:10
1410.07:115:10
1510.07:115:11
1610.07:115:12
1710.07:115:13
1810.17:115:14
1910.17:105:15
2010.17:105:16
2110.17:105:17
2210.17:105:18
2310.27:095:19
2410.27:095:19
2510.27:085:20
2610.27:085:21
2710.27:085:22
2810.37:075:23
2910.37:075:24
3010.37:065:25
3110.37:055:26

Solar energy in January

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in January, about 3.19 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 2.91 kWh/m² to a high of 7.84 kWh/m² in June across the year — January's 3.19 kWh/m² sits near the bottom.

01234151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
12.9Moderate
22.9Moderate
32.9Moderate
43.0Moderate
53.0Moderate
63.0Moderate
73.0Moderate
83.0Moderate
93.0Moderate
103.1Moderate
113.1Moderate
123.1Moderate
133.1Moderate
143.2Moderate
153.2Moderate
163.2Moderate
173.2Moderate
183.3Moderate
193.3Moderate
203.3Moderate
213.3Moderate
223.4Moderate
233.4Moderate
243.4Moderate
253.4Moderate
263.5Moderate
273.5Moderate
283.5Moderate
293.6Moderate
303.6Moderate
313.6Moderate
Planning a trip in January

Hazard calendar for Baghdad

In seasonPeak

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

Baghdad sees seasonal dust haze (March–October), heaviest in May.

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

Is January a good time to visit Baghdad?

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

6.6
Sightseeing
5th-best month of the year
1.7
Beach & pool
9th-best month of the year

January is a reasonable time to visit Baghdad for sightseeing.

What to pack for Baghdad in January

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

In January, Baghdad sees daytime highs around 17°C and nights near 7°C. Worth packing: a warm layer. About 5 days see rain.

a warm layer

UV index in Baghdad in January

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in January peaks around 3. The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.

Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Baghdad peaks around June 13 at about 10 (very high) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near January 12 at about 3 (moderate).

The index reaches 3 or more — the level where the WHO recommends sun protection — in 10 months of the year.

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecModerateHighVery highVery highHighModerateJun 13UV 10Jan 12UV 3
UV index (midday)Level
Jan3Moderate
Feb4Moderate
Mar5Moderate
Apr5High
May8Very high
Jun10Extreme
Jul6High
Aug9Very high
Sep5High
Oct5High
Nov4Moderate
Dec3Moderate

Air quality in Baghdad 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 Baghdad is worst in December — around 50 µg/m³ PM2.5 (poor), and holds fairly steady the rest of the year.

Seasonal pattern from CAMS reanalysis, scaled to Baghdad's WHO annual average of 42.5 µg/m³.

0204060JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecPoorModeratePoorDec 2050 µg/m³Jul 1733 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan48Poor
Feb47Poor
Mar44Poor
Apr43Poor
May42Poor
Jun35Poor
Jul33Moderate
Aug35Poor
Sep40Poor
Oct47Poor
Nov46Poor
Dec50Poor
Location & terrain

Where is Baghdad?

Baghdad sits at 33.3°N, 44.4°E, 41 m above sea level, in Iraq. The nearest listed city is Sadr City, 8.0 km away.

KhālişAl FallūjahAş Şuwayrah

Topography around Baghdad

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Baghdad has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 22 m around an average of 36 m above sea level; within 16 km, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 62 m; within 80 km, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 68 m.

The land around Baghdad is covered by artificial surfaces (84%) within 3 km, artificial surfaces (55%) and bare terrain (22%) within 16 km, and cropland (47%) and bare terrain (38%) within 80 km.

3 km
22 m
16 km
62 m
80 km
68 m
treesshrubsgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwater
January weather nearby: Sadr City 8.0 km · Abū Ghurayb 20 km · Al Maḩmūdīyah 31 km · Baqubah 50 km · Nāḩiyat al Iskandarīyah 51 km · Khāliş 53 km · Al Fallūjah 57 km · Aş Şuwayrah 58 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 Baghdad (33.3406°, 44.4009°, elevation 41 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).