Mosul weather in January

In January, Mosul sees average daytime highs of 12°C and overnight lows near 4°C, with 70 mm of precipitation across 9.7 wet days and about 9.8 hours of daylight. It is the 12th-warmest and 1st-wettest month of the year here.

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 12°C through the month. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 42% of the time in January, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 9 h 36 min at the start of January to 10 h 06 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, January is Mosul's 12th-clearest and 10th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Mosul's year-round climate.

Daytime high
12°
12th warmest
Overnight low
1st coldest
Precipitation
70 mm
9.7 wet days
Daylight
9 h 48 min
7:23 AM – 5:10 PM
Cloud cover
50%
12th clearest
Wind
8 km/h
10th windiest
Solar energy
2.61 kWh/m²
Travel score
3.5
out of 10

Mosul is city in northern Iraq and capital of Nineveh Province.

Density
9,350/km²
people per km²
Founded
~700 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 12°C through the month.

A typical January day in Mosul reaches about 12°C in the afternoon and slips back to 4°C overnight — a 8°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 8°C and 16°C. Set against its neighbours, January runs about 2°C cooler than December and about 2°C cooler than February.

-5°10°15°20°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
1135
2135
3135
4135
5134
6134
7134
8124
9124
10124
11124
12124
13124
14124
15124
16124
17124
18124
19124
20124
21124
22124
23124
24124
25124
26124
27124
28124
29124
30134
31134

How January really feels in Mosul

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.

Mosul 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
Jan12° / 709.79.83.5
Feb14° / 628.810.64.5
Mar19° / 628.611.76.6
Apr25° / 14°436.512.97.5
May33° / 19°162.913.94.4
Jun39° / 25°10.314.40.7
Jul43° / 28°00.114.20.0
Aug42° / 28°0013.40.0
Sep38° / 23°10.212.21.6
Oct30° / 18°202.611.16.0
Nov21° / 11°50610.17.3
Dec14° / 627.79.64.6

Cloud cover in January

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 42% 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 44%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
15545
25644
35644
45644
55743
65743
75743
85743
95743
105743
115743
125743
135743
145743
155743
165743
175743
185644
195545
205545
215545
225545
235446
245446
255446
265446
275446
285545
295545
305545
315644

Chance of precipitation in January

Any precipitation

Mosul gets around 70 mm of rain and snow over 9.7 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 precipitation averages around 30% and peaks near 35% on the wettest days, and about 0 day brings snow.

0%10%20%30%40%50%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
128
229
329
429
529
629
729
828
928
1028
1128
1227
1327
1427
1527
1627
1728
1828
1929
2030
2131
2232
2333
2434
2534
2635
2735
2835
2935
3035
3134

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 100% of days. It rarely turns muggy — the humid and sticky bands barely register.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)
1100
2100
3100
4100
5100
6100
7100
8100
9100
10100
11100
12100
13100
14100
15100
16100
17100
18100
19100
20100
21100
22100
23100
24100
25100
26100
27100
28100
29100
30100
31100

Wind in January

Winds average 8 km/h in January.

Across January, daily wind ranges from about 7 km/h on the calmest days to 8 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

0246810151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
17calm
27calm
37calm
47calm
57calm
67calm
77calm
87calm
97calm
107calm
117calm
127calm
137calm
147calm
157calm
167calm
177calm
187calm
198calm
208calm
218calm
228calm
238calm
248calm
258calm
268calm
278calm
288calm
298calm
308calm
318calm

Sunrise & sunset in January

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 9 h 36 min at the start of January to 10 h 06 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 7:24 AM to 7:16 AM, and sunset from 4:58 PM to 5:25 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
19.67:244:58
29.67:244:58
39.67:244:59
49.67:245:00
59.67:245:01
69.67:245:01
79.67:245:02
89.67:245:03
99.77:245:04
109.77:245:05
119.77:245:06
129.77:245:06
139.77:245:07
149.77:245:08
159.87:245:09
169.87:235:10
179.87:235:11
189.87:235:12
199.87:235:13
209.97:225:14
219.97:225:15
229.97:215:16
239.97:215:17
2410.07:215:18
2510.07:205:19
2610.07:205:20
2710.07:195:21
2810.17:185:22
2910.17:185:23
3010.17:175:24
3110.17:165:25

Solar energy in January

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in January, about 2.61 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 2.37 kWh/m² to a high of 7.99 kWh/m² in June across the year — January's 2.61 kWh/m² sits near the bottom.

0123151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
12.4Moderate
22.4Moderate
32.4Moderate
42.4Moderate
52.4Moderate
62.5Moderate
72.5Moderate
82.5Moderate
92.5Moderate
102.5Moderate
112.5Moderate
122.6Moderate
132.6Moderate
142.6Moderate
152.6Moderate
162.7Moderate
172.7Moderate
182.7Moderate
192.7Moderate
202.7Moderate
212.8Moderate
222.8Moderate
232.8Moderate
242.8Moderate
252.8Moderate
262.8Moderate
272.9Moderate
282.9Moderate
292.9Moderate
303.0Moderate
313.0Moderate
Planning a trip in January

Hazard calendar for Mosul

In seasonPeak

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

Mosul sees seasonal dust haze (April–June), heaviest in May.

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

Is January a good time to visit Mosul?

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

3.5
Sightseeing
8th-best month of the year
0.0
Beach & pool
12th-best month of the year

January is a weaker month for outdoor sightseeing in Mosul.

What to pack for Mosul in January

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

In January, Mosul sees daytime highs around 12°C and nights near 4°C. Worth packing: a warm layer and rain gear. About 10 days see rain.

a warm layerrain gear

UV index in Mosul in January

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in January peaks around 2. The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.

Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Mosul peaks around June 14 at about 10 (very high) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near January 12 at about 2 (moderate).

The index reaches 3 or more — the level where the WHO recommends sun protection — in 9 months of the year.

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecModerateHighVery highVery highHighModerateJun 14UV 10Jan 12UV 2
UV index (midday)Level
Jan2Moderate
Feb3Moderate
Mar4Moderate
Apr6High
May8Very high
Jun10Extreme
Jul6High
Aug9Very high
Sep7Very high
Oct5Moderate
Nov3Moderate
Dec2Moderate

Air quality in Mosul 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 Mosul is worst in May — around 42 µg/m³ PM2.5 (poor), and holds fairly steady the rest of the year.

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

0204060JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecModeratePoorModerateMay 2442 µg/m³Nov 2331 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan33Moderate
Feb36Poor
Mar41Poor
Apr40Poor
May42Poor
Jun42Poor
Jul41Poor
Aug38Poor
Sep37Poor
Oct37Poor
Nov31Moderate
Dec31Moderate
Location & terrain

Where is Mosul?

Mosul sits at 36.3°N, 43.1°E, 228 m above sea level, in Iraq. The nearest listed city is Al Mawşil al Jadīdah, 1.0 km away.

SīnahDihokSimeleSumayl'Ākra

Topography around Mosul

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Mosul has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 77 m around an average of 239 m above sea level; within 16 km, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 255 m; within 80 km, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 2,011 m.

The land around Mosul is covered by artificial surfaces (75%) within 3 km, cropland (39%) and grassland (33%) within 16 km, and cropland (65%) and grassland (26%) within 80 km.

3 km
77 m
16 km
255 m
80 km
2,011 m
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwater
January weather nearby: Al Mawşil al Jadīdah 1.0 km · Tallkayf 17 km · Al-Hamdaniya 24 km · Sīnah 53 km · Dihok 60 km · Simele 63 km · Sumayl 63 km · 'Ākra 81 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 Mosul (36.335°, 43.1189°, elevation 228 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).