Qal‘at Şāliḩ weather in January

In January, Qal‘at Şāliḩ sees average daytime highs of 18°C and overnight lows near 9°C, with 37 mm of rain across 5.4 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 18°C through the month. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 58% 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 Qal‘at Şāliḩ's 11th-clearest and 10th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Qal‘at Şāliḩ's year-round climate.

Daytime high
18°
12th warmest
Overnight low
1st coldest
Rainfall
37 mm
5.4 wet days
Daylight
10 h 12 min
6:55 AM – 5:05 PM
Cloud cover
38%
11th clearest
Wind
11 km/h
10th windiest
Solar energy
3.32 kWh/m²
Travel score
7.1
out of 10

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 Qal‘at Şāliḩ reaches about 18°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 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)
1199
2199
3199
4199
5199
6199
7199
8189
9189
10189
11189
12189
13189
14189
15188
16188
17188
18188
19188
20188
21189
22189
23189
24189
25189
26199
27199
28199
29199
30199
31199

How January really feels in Qal‘at Şāliḩ

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.

Qal‘at Şāliḩ 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° / 375.410.27.1
Feb21° / 11°243.710.88.0
Mar27° / 15°243.611.87.8
Apr33° / 20°183.112.74.2
May40° / 26°51.113.60.6
Jun45° / 30°00.1140.0
Jul47° / 32°0013.80.0
Aug47° / 32°0013.20.0
Sep43° / 28°00.212.20.0
Oct36° / 22°111.211.22.5
Nov26° / 15°353.610.47.6
Dec20° / 10°345107.4

Cloud cover in January

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 58% of the time in January.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 13% of January, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 29%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
16733
26832
36832
46832
56832
66832
76832
86832
96931
106931
117030
127030
137030
147030
157030
167129
177030
187030
197030
207030
217129
227228
237228
247228
257327
267327
277327
287426
297525
307525
317624

Chance of precipitation in January

Any precipitation

Qal‘at Şāliḩ gets around 37 mm of rain over 5.4 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 16% and peaks near 17% on the wettest days.

0%10%20%30%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
114
214
315
415
516
616
716
817
917
1017
1117
1217
1317
1417
1517
1617
1717
1817
1917
2017
2117
2217
2317
2417
2517
2617
2717
2817
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 96% of days. It rarely turns muggy — the humid and sticky bands barely register.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)
1955
2955
3955
4955
5955
6955
7955
8964
9964
10964
11964
12973
13973
14973
15973
16973
17973
18973
19973
20964
21964
22964
23955
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 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
1611calm
1711calm
1811calm
1911calm
2011calm
2111calm
2211calm
2311calm
2411calm
2511calm
2611calm
2711calm
2811calm
2911calm
3011calm
3111calm

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 6:55 AM to 6:50 AM, and sunset from 4:53 PM to 5:18 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
110.06:554:53
210.06:554:54
310.06:554:55
410.06:554:55
510.06:554:56
610.06:564:57
710.06:564:58
810.06:564:58
910.16:564:59
1010.16:565:00
1110.16:565:01
1210.16:565:01
1310.16:565:02
1410.16:565:03
1510.16:565:04
1610.26:555:05
1710.26:555:06
1810.26:555:06
1910.26:555:07
2010.26:555:08
2110.26:545:09
2210.36:545:10
2310.36:545:11
2410.36:545:12
2510.36:535:13
2610.36:535:13
2710.46:525:14
2810.46:525:15
2910.46:515:16
3010.46:515:17
3110.56:505:18

Solar energy in January

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in January, about 3.32 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 3.07 kWh/m² to a high of 7.84 kWh/m² in June across the year — January's 3.32 kWh/m² sits near the bottom.

01234151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
13.1Moderate
23.1Moderate
33.1Moderate
43.1Moderate
53.1Moderate
63.1Moderate
73.1Moderate
83.1Moderate
93.2Moderate
103.2Moderate
113.2Moderate
123.2Moderate
133.3Moderate
143.3Moderate
153.3Moderate
163.3Moderate
173.4Moderate
183.4Moderate
193.4Moderate
203.4Moderate
213.5Moderate
223.5Moderate
233.5Moderate
243.6Moderate
253.6Moderate
263.6Moderate
273.7Moderate
283.7Moderate
293.8Moderate
303.8Moderate
313.9Moderate
Planning a trip in January

Hazard calendar for Qal‘at Şāliḩ

In seasonPeak

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

Qal‘at Şāliḩ sees seasonal dust haze (March–July), heaviest in May.

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

Is January a good time to visit Qal‘at Şāliḩ?

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

7.1
Sightseeing
5th-best month of the year
2.7
Beach & pool
8th-best month of the year

January is one of the better times to visit Qal‘at Şāliḩ for general sightseeing.

What to pack for Qal‘at Şāliḩ in January

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

In January, Qal‘at Şāliḩ sees daytime highs around 18°C and nights near 9°C. Little to plan around — just the basics. About 5 days see rain.

UV index in Qal‘at Şāliḩ 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 Qal‘at Şāliḩ peaks around June 19 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 10 months of the year.

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecModerateHighVery highHighModerateJun 19UV 10Dec 22UV 3
UV index (midday)Level
Jan3Moderate
Feb4Moderate
Mar5High
Apr6High
May7Very high
Jun10Very high
Jul9Very high
Aug9Very high
Sep6High
Oct6High
Nov4Moderate
Dec3Moderate

Air quality in Qal‘at Şāliḩ 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 Qal‘at Şāliḩ 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).

020406080JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecUnhealthyUnhealthyApr 1178 µg/m³Jul 1055 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan75Unhealthy
Feb70Unhealthy
Mar77Unhealthy
Apr78Unhealthy
May72Unhealthy
Jun55Unhealthy
Jul55Poor
Aug59Unhealthy
Sep64Unhealthy
Oct71Unhealthy
Nov69Unhealthy
Dec74Unhealthy
Location & terrain

Where is Qal‘at Şāliḩ?

Qal‘at Şāliḩ sits at 31.5°N, 47.3°E, 8 m above sea level, in Iraq. The nearest listed city is Al ‘Amārah, 37 km away.

Al QurnahAl MadīnahHoveyzehNāḩiyat al FuhūdSūsangerdAsh ShaţrahḤamīdiyeh

Topography around Qal‘at Şāliḩ

How much the land rises and falls, and what covers it, within 3, 16 and 80 km of Qal‘at Şāliḩ.

Within 3 km, the terrain around Qal‘at Şāliḩ has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 8 m around an average of 5 m above sea level; within 16 km, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 18 m; within 80 km, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 231 m.

The land around Qal‘at Şāliḩ is covered by bare terrain (40%) and cropland (37%) within 3 km, cropland (62%) and bare terrain (24%) within 16 km, and bare terrain (40%) and cropland (34%) within 80 km.

3 km
8 m
16 km
18 m
80 km
231 m
treesshrubsgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwaterwetland
January weather nearby: Al ‘Amārah 37 km · Al Qurnah 59 km · Al Madīnah 63 km · Hoveyzeh 74 km · Nāḩiyat al Fuhūd 82 km · Sūsangerd 85 km · Ash Shaţrah 107 km · Ḥamīdiyeh 108 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 Qal‘at Şāliḩ (31.528°, 47.2936°, elevation 8 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).