Kufa weather in January

In January, Kufa sees average daytime highs of 18°C and overnight lows near 7°C, with 20 mm of rain across 3.3 wet days and about 10.1 hours of daylight. It is the 12th-warmest and 1st-wettest month of the year here.

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 18°C through the month. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 63% of the time in January, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 9 h 54 min at the start of January to 10 h 24 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, January is Kufa's 11th-clearest and 10th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Kufa's year-round climate.

Daytime high
18°
12th warmest
Overnight low
1st coldest
Rainfall
20 mm
3.3 wet days
Daylight
10 h 06 min
7:08 AM – 5:15 PM
Cloud cover
34%
11th clearest
Wind
10 km/h
10th windiest
Solar energy
3.38 kWh/m²
Travel score
7.2
out of 10

Kufa is city in Iraq.

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 18°C through the month.

A typical January day in Kufa reaches about 18°C in the afternoon and slips back to 7°C overnight — a 11°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 14°C and 22°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
2187
3187
4187
5187
6187
7187
8187
9187
10187
11187
12187
13187
14187
15187
16187
17187
18187
19187
20187
21187
22187
23187
24187
25187
26187
27187
28187
29187
30197
31197

How January really feels in Kufa

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.

Kufa 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
Jan18° / 203.310.17.2
Feb21° / 132.410.88.1
Mar26° / 13°122.311.88.3
Apr32° / 18°102.512.84.8
May39° / 24°50.713.61.0
Jun43° / 28°0014.10.0
Jul46° / 30°0013.90.0
Aug46° / 30°0013.20.0
Sep42° / 26°0012.20.0
Oct36° / 21°30.811.23.0
Nov26° / 14°172.310.48.1
Dec20° / 162.79.97.7

Cloud cover in January

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 63% of the time in January.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 12% of January, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 25%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
17030
27030
37129
47129
57129
67228
77228
87327
97327
107327
117426
127426
137525
147525
157525
167525
177624
187624
197624
207624
217624
227624
237624
247624
257723
267723
277723
287822
297822
307822
317822

Chance of precipitation in January

Any precipitation

Kufa gets around 20 mm of rain over 3.3 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 10% and peaks near 11% on the wettest days.

0%10%20%30%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
110
210
310
411
511
611
711
811
911
1011
1111
1211
1310
1410
1510
1610
1710
1810
1910
2010
2110
2210
2310
2410
2510
2610
2710
2810
2910
3010
3110

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
101000
111000
121000
131000
141000
151000
161000
171000
181000
191000
20991
21991
22991
23991
24991
25991
26982
27982
28982
29982
30982
31982

Wind in January

Winds average 10 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
1910calm
2010calm
2110calm
2210calm
2310calm
2410calm
2510calm
2610calm
2710calm
2810calm
2911calm
3011calm
3111calm

Sunrise & sunset in January

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 9 h 54 min at the start of January to 10 h 24 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 7:07 AM to 7:03 AM, and sunset from 5:03 PM to 5:28 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
19.97:075:03
29.97:085:04
310.07:085:05
410.07:085:06
510.07:085:06
610.07:085:07
710.07:085:08
810.07:085:08
910.07:085:09
1010.07:085:10
1110.07:085:11
1210.17:085:12
1310.17:085:12
1410.17:085:13
1510.17:085:14
1610.17:085:15
1710.17:085:16
1810.27:085:17
1910.27:075:18
2010.27:075:18
2110.27:075:19
2210.27:075:20
2310.27:065:21
2410.37:065:22
2510.37:065:23
2610.37:055:24
2710.37:055:25
2810.47:045:26
2910.47:045:27
3010.47:035:27
3110.47:035:28

Solar energy in January

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in January, about 3.38 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 3.1 kWh/m² to a high of 7.79 kWh/m² in June across the year — January's 3.38 kWh/m² sits near the bottom.

01234151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
13.1Moderate
23.1Moderate
33.1Moderate
43.1Moderate
53.1Moderate
63.1Moderate
73.2Moderate
83.2Moderate
93.2Moderate
103.2Moderate
113.3Moderate
123.3Moderate
133.3Moderate
143.3Moderate
153.4Moderate
163.4Moderate
173.4Moderate
183.4Moderate
193.5Moderate
203.5Moderate
213.5Moderate
223.6Moderate
233.6Moderate
243.6Moderate
253.7Moderate
263.7Moderate
273.7Moderate
283.8Moderate
293.8Moderate
303.8Moderate
313.9Moderate
Planning a trip in January

Hazard calendar for Kufa

In seasonPeak

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

Kufa 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 Kufa?

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
2.4
Beach & pool
8th-best month of the year

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

What to pack for Kufa in January

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

In January, Kufa sees daytime highs around 18°C and nights near 7°C. Worth packing: a warm layer. About 3 days see rain.

a warm layer

UV index in Kufa 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 Kufa peaks around June 15 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 11 months of the year.

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecModerateHighVery highHighModerateJun 15UV 10Jan 12UV 3
UV index (midday)Level
Jan3Moderate
Feb4Moderate
Mar5High
Apr6High
May8Very high
Jun10Extreme
Jul7High
Aug9Very high
Sep4Moderate
Oct6High
Nov4Moderate
Dec3Moderate

Air quality in Kufa 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 Kufa is worst in May — around 77 µg/m³ PM2.5 (unhealthy), and holds fairly steady the rest of the year.

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

020406080JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecUnhealthyMay 1376 µg/m³Jul 2260 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan68Unhealthy
Feb68Unhealthy
Mar73Unhealthy
Apr72Unhealthy
May77Unhealthy
Jun64Unhealthy
Jul60Unhealthy
Aug61Unhealthy
Sep65Unhealthy
Oct70Unhealthy
Nov63Unhealthy
Dec70Unhealthy
Location & terrain

Where is Kufa?

Kufa sits at 32.1°N, 44.4°E, 24 m above sea level, in Iraq. The nearest listed city is Najaf, 9.0 km away.

Nāḩiyat ash Shināfīyah

Topography around Kufa

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Kufa has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 11 m around an average of 22 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 207 m.

The land around Kufa is covered by cropland (46%) and trees (22%) within 3 km, cropland (50%) within 16 km, and bare terrain (54%) and cropland (37%) within 80 km.

3 km
11 m
16 km
62 m
80 km
207 m
treesshrubscroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwater
January weather nearby: Najaf 9.0 km · Ash Shāmīyah 18 km · Al Mishkhāb 28 km · Al-Qāsim 36 km · Nahiyat Ghammas 38 km · Al Hillah 46 km · Al Diwaniyah 46 km · Nāḩiyat ash Shināfīyah 56 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 Kufa (32.0511°, 44.4402°, elevation 24 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).