Soran weather in January

In January, Soran sees average daytime highs of 6°C and overnight lows near -3°C, with 150 mm of precipitation across 11.8 wet days and about 9.8 hours of daylight. It is the 12th-warmest and 3rd-wettest month of the year here.

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 6°C through the month. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 36% of the time in January, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 9 h 30 min at the start of January to 10 h 06 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, January is Soran's 10th-clearest and 10th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Soran's year-round climate.

Daytime high
12th warmest
Overnight low
-3°
1st coldest
Precipitation
150 mm
11.8 wet days
Daylight
9 h 48 min
7:19 AM – 5:04 PM
Cloud cover
55%
10th clearest
Wind
4 km/h
10th windiest
Solar energy
2.52 kWh/m²
Travel score
0.5
out of 10

Soran is District in Erbil Governorate, Kurdistan Region, 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 6°C through the month.

A typical January day in Soran reaches about 6°C in the afternoon and slips back to -3°C overnight — a 9°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 2°C and 10°C. Set against its neighbours, January runs about 2°C cooler than December and about 2°C cooler than February.

-10°10°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
17-2
27-2
37-2
47-2
57-3
67-3
77-3
86-3
96-3
106-3
116-3
126-3
136-3
146-3
156-3
166-3
176-3
186-3
196-3
206-3
216-3
226-3
236-3
246-3
256-3
266-3
276-3
286-3
296-3
306-3
316-3

How January really feels in Soran

Once humidity and wind are folded in, January averages 0 days that feel above 32°C and 31 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
31
wind chill below the day's low

The story in January is cold — wind chill drags the overnight "feels like" below the raw low.

Soran weather by month

How January compares with the rest of the year at a glance. January is the 12th-warmest and 3rd-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysSnow daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan / -3°15011.88.89.80.5
Feb / -2°15612.47.610.61.2
Mar13° / 16913.94.311.73.2
Apr18° / 13212.90.312.95.5
May24° / 12°608.7013.97.3
Jun31° / 17°51.5014.55.9
Jul36° / 20°20.6014.33.1
Aug36° / 20°10.3013.43.0
Sep31° / 15°30.7012.26.0
Oct24° / 10°455011.18.0
Nov15° / 1008.60.7104.8
Dec / -1°1331059.51.7

Cloud cover in January

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 36% of the time in January.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 15% of January, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 49%. Skies tend to cloud over as the month goes on.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
15446
25446
35347
45347
55446
65446
75347
85347
95446
105446
115446
125446
135446
145446
155446
165446
175446
185347
195248
205248
215050
225050
234852
244753
254753
264555
274555
284555
294555
304456
314456

Chance of precipitation in January

Any precipitationSnow

Soran gets around 150 mm of rain and snow over 11.8 wet days in January. The line is the day-by-day chance of measurable precipitation.

Day to day, the chance of measurable precipitation averages around 37% and peaks near 45% on the wettest days, and about 9 days bring snow. The odds climb toward the end of the month.

0%20%40%60%151015202531
Rain chance (%)Snow chance (%)
13524
23525
33626
43626
53626
63627
73627
83527
93527
103527
113527
123427
133426
143426
153425
163425
173425
183425
193526
203626
213727
223828
234029
244129
254230
264331
274331
284432
294432
304532
314533

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 4 km/h in January.

Across January, daily wind ranges from about 4 km/h on the calmest days to 4 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

0246810151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
14calm
24calm
34calm
44calm
54calm
64calm
74calm
84calm
94calm
104calm
114calm
124calm
134calm
144calm
154calm
164calm
174calm
184calm
194calm
204calm
214calm
224calm
234calm
244calm
254calm
264calm
274calm
284calm
294calm
304calm
314calm

Sunrise & sunset in January

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 9 h 30 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 36 minutes over January. Sunrise moves from 7:19 AM to 7:11 AM, and sunset from 4:51 PM to 5:19 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
19.57:194:51
29.57:194:52
39.67:194:52
49.67:194:53
59.67:204:54
69.67:204:55
79.67:204:56
89.67:204:56
99.67:204:57
109.67:204:58
119.77:194:59
129.77:195:00
139.77:195:01
149.77:195:02
159.77:195:03
169.87:195:04
179.87:185:05
189.87:185:06
199.87:185:07
209.87:175:08
219.97:175:09
229.97:175:10
239.97:165:11
249.97:165:12
2510.07:155:13
2610.07:155:14
2710.07:145:15
2810.07:135:16
2910.17:135:17
3010.17:125:18
3110.17:115:19

Solar energy in January

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in January, about 2.52 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 2.25 kWh/m² to a high of 7.87 kWh/m² in June across the year — January's 2.52 kWh/m² sits near the bottom.

0123151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
12.3Moderate
22.3Moderate
32.3Moderate
42.3Moderate
52.4Moderate
62.4Moderate
72.4Moderate
82.4Moderate
92.4Moderate
102.5Moderate
112.5Moderate
122.5Moderate
132.5Moderate
142.6Moderate
152.6Moderate
162.6Moderate
172.6Moderate
182.6Moderate
192.6Moderate
202.6Moderate
212.7Moderate
222.7Moderate
232.7Moderate
242.7Moderate
252.7Moderate
262.7Moderate
272.7Moderate
282.8Moderate
292.8Moderate
302.8Moderate
312.8Moderate
Planning a trip in January

Hazard calendar for Soran

In seasonPeak

In January, Soran sits inside its rainy season season. The full year is below, with each hazard's peak months called out.

Soran's rainy season runs November–April, when most of the year's rain falls.

Soran sees seasonal dust haze (May), heaviest in May.

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

Is January a good time to visit Soran?

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

0.5
Sightseeing
12th-best month of the year
0.0
Beach & pool
10th-best month of the year

January is a weaker month for outdoor sightseeing in Soran.

What to pack for Soran in January

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

In January, Soran sees daytime highs around 6°C and nights near -3°C. Pack a warm layer and a heavy coat. Worth having: rain gear. About 12 days see rain.

a warm layera heavy coatrain gear

UV index in Soran 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 Soran peaks around June 21 at about 11 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near January 1 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 highExtremeVery highHighModerateJun 21UV 11Jan 1UV 3
UV index (midday)Level
Jan3Moderate
Feb3Moderate
Mar4Moderate
Apr6High
May9Very high
Jun11Extreme
Jul10Extreme
Aug10Very high
Sep8Very high
Oct5High
Nov3Moderate
Dec3Moderate

Air quality in Soran 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 Soran is worst in April — around 38 µg/m³ PM2.5 (poor), and holds fairly steady the rest of the year.

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

010203040JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecModeratePoorModerateApr 1338 µg/m³Dec 1325 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan26Moderate
Feb30Moderate
Mar37Poor
Apr38Poor
May37Poor
Jun30Moderate
Jul29Moderate
Aug29Moderate
Sep28Moderate
Oct29Moderate
Nov25Moderate
Dec25Moderate
Location & terrain

Where is Soran?

Soran sits at 36.7°N, 44.5°E, 741 m above sea level, in Iraq. The nearest listed city is Ṟuwandiz, 5.0 km away.

HajiawaPiranshahrRānyah

Topography around Soran

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Soran has large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 792 m around an average of 714 m above sea level; within 16 km, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 2,150 m; within 80 km, extreme variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 3,445 m.

The land around Soran is covered by grassland (39%) and artificial surfaces (36%) within 3 km, grassland (76%) within 16 km, and grassland (70%) within 80 km.

3 km
792 m
16 km
2,150 m
80 km
3,445 m
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwater
January weather nearby: Ṟuwandiz 5.0 km · Khalīfān 13 km · Ḩarir 21 km · Shaqlāwah 34 km · Pīrmām 43 km · Hajiawa 52 km · Piranshahr 54 km · Rānyah 54 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 Soran (36.6556°, 44.5422°, elevation 741 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).