Qal‘at Sukkar weather in January

In January, Qal‘at Sukkar sees average daytime highs of 18°C and overnight lows near 8°C, with 26 mm of rain across 4.2 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 61% 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 24 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, January is Qal‘at Sukkar's 11th-clearest and 10th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Qal‘at Sukkar's year-round climate.

Daytime high
18°
12th warmest
Overnight low
1st coldest
Rainfall
26 mm
4.2 wet days
Daylight
10 h 06 min
7:01 AM – 5:09 PM
Cloud cover
36%
11th clearest
Wind
13 km/h
10th windiest
Solar energy
3.38 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 18°C through the month.

A typical January day in Qal‘at Sukkar reaches about 18°C in the afternoon and slips back to 8°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
2198
3198
4198
5188
6188
7188
8188
9188
10188
11188
12188
13188
14188
15188
16188
17188
18188
19188
20188
21188
22188
23188
24188
25188
26188
27198
28198
29198
30198
31198

How January really feels in Qal‘at Sukkar

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 Sukkar 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° / 264.210.27.2
Feb21° / 10°16310.88.1
Mar27° / 14°183.111.87.9
Apr33° / 20°152.712.84.3
May40° / 26°40.913.60.7
Jun44° / 30°00140.0
Jul46° / 32°0013.90.0
Aug46° / 32°0013.20.0
Sep43° / 28°0012.20.0
Oct36° / 22°5111.22.6
Nov26° / 15°263.210.47.8
Dec20° / 10°243.8107.6

Cloud cover in January

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 61% 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 27%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
16832
26931
36931
47030
57030
67129
77129
87228
97228
107327
117327
127426
137426
147327
157327
167327
177327
187327
197426
207426
217426
227426
237426
247525
257624
267624
277624
287624
297723
307723
317723

Chance of precipitation in January

Any precipitation

Qal‘at Sukkar gets around 26 mm of rain over 4.2 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 13% and peaks near 15% on the wettest days.

0%10%20%30%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
112
213
313
414
514
614
715
815
915
1015
1115
1214
1314
1414
1513
1613
1713
1813
1912
2012
2112
2212
2312
2412
2512
2612
2712
2812
2912
3012
3112

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 98% of days. It rarely turns muggy — the humid and sticky bands barely register.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)
1982
2982
3982
4982
5982
6982
7982
8982
9982
10991
11991
12991
13991
14991
15991
16991
17991
18991
19991
20991
21991
22982
23982
24982
25982
26982
27982
28982
29982
30982
31982

Wind in January

Winds average 13 km/h in January.

Across January, daily wind ranges from about 13 km/h on the calmest days to 14 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

05101520151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
113light breeze
213light breeze
313light breeze
413light breeze
513light breeze
613light breeze
713light breeze
813light breeze
913light breeze
1013light breeze
1113light breeze
1213light breeze
1313light breeze
1413light breeze
1513light breeze
1613light breeze
1713light breeze
1813light breeze
1913light breeze
2013light breeze
2114light breeze
2214light breeze
2314light breeze
2414light breeze
2514light breeze
2614light breeze
2714light breeze
2814light breeze
2914light breeze
3014light breeze
3114light breeze

Sunrise & sunset in January

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 10 hours 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 24 minutes over January. Sunrise moves from 7:00 AM to 6:56 AM, and sunset from 4:57 PM to 5:22 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
110.07:004:57
210.07:014:58
310.07:014:59
410.07:014:59
510.07:015:00
610.07:015:01
710.07:015:02
810.07:015:02
910.07:015:03
1010.07:015:04
1110.17:015:05
1210.17:015:06
1310.17:015:06
1410.17:015:07
1510.17:015:08
1610.17:015:09
1710.17:015:10
1810.27:015:11
1910.27:015:11
2010.27:005:12
2110.27:005:13
2210.27:005:14
2310.36:595:15
2410.36:595:16
2510.36:595:17
2610.36:585:18
2710.36:585:19
2810.46:575:19
2910.46:575:20
3010.46:565:21
3110.46:565:22

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 3.11 kWh/m² to a high of 7.84 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
223.5Moderate
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 Qal‘at Sukkar

In seasonPeak

None of Qal‘at Sukkar'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 Sukkar sees seasonal dust haze (February–October), 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 Sukkar?

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
2.6
Beach & pool
8th-best month of the year

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

What to pack for Qal‘at Sukkar in January

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

In January, Qal‘at Sukkar sees daytime highs around 18°C and nights near 8°C. Little to plan around — just the basics. About 4 days see rain.

UV index in Qal‘at Sukkar 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 Sukkar peaks around June 15 at about 10 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near January 10 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 15UV 10Jan 10UV 3
UV index (midday)Level
Jan3Moderate
Feb4Moderate
Mar5High
Apr6High
May8Very high
Jun11Extreme
Jul7High
Aug9Very high
Sep6High
Oct6High
Nov4Moderate
Dec3Moderate

Air quality in Qal‘at Sukkar 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 Sukkar is worst in May — around 74 µg/m³ PM2.5 (unhealthy), and holds fairly steady the rest of the year.

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

020406080JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecUnhealthyPoorUnhealthyMay 1673 µg/m³Nov 1753 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan58Unhealthy
Feb59Unhealthy
Mar70Unhealthy
Apr71Unhealthy
May74Unhealthy
Jun70Unhealthy
Jul68Unhealthy
Aug66Unhealthy
Sep63Unhealthy
Oct60Unhealthy
Nov52Poor
Dec58Unhealthy
Location & terrain

Where is Qal‘at Sukkar?

Qal‘at Sukkar sits at 31.9°N, 46.1°E, 15 m above sea level, in Iraq. The nearest listed city is Al Ḩayy, 35 km away.

Al-Kut‘Afak‘Alī al GharbīAr RumaythahNasiriyahAs Samawah

Topography around Qal‘at Sukkar

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Qal‘at Sukkar has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 12 m around an average of 11 m above sea level; within 16 km, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 15 m; within 80 km, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 25 m.

The land around Qal‘at Sukkar is covered by bare terrain (38%) and cropland (34%) within 3 km, cropland (58%) and bare terrain (34%) within 16 km, and cropland (53%) and bare terrain (41%) within 80 km.

3 km
12 m
16 km
15 m
80 km
25 m
treesshrubsgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwaterwetland
January weather nearby: Al Ḩayy 35 km · Ash Shaţrah 51 km · Al-Kut 76 km · ‘Afak 81 km · ‘Alī al Gharbī 88 km · Ar Rumaythah 90 km · Nasiriyah 91 km · As Samawah 94 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 Sukkar (31.8632°, 46.0732°, elevation 15 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).