Sulaymaniyah weather in January

In January, Sulaymaniyah sees average daytime highs of 9°C and overnight lows near -0°C, with 131 mm of precipitation across 12.2 wet days and about 9.9 hours of daylight. It is the 12th-warmest and 2nd-wettest month of the year here.

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 9°C through the month. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 38% 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 12 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, January is Sulaymaniyah's 12th-clearest and 10th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Sulaymaniyah's year-round climate.

Daytime high
12th warmest
Overnight low
-0°
1st coldest
Precipitation
131 mm
12.2 wet days
Daylight
9 h 48 min
7:12 AM – 5:03 PM
Cloud cover
53%
12th clearest
Wind
6 km/h
10th windiest
Solar energy
2.65 kWh/m²
Travel score
1.9
out of 10

Sulaymaniyah is city in Iraq.

Founded
1784

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 9°C through the month.

A typical January day in Sulaymaniyah reaches about 9°C in the afternoon and slips back to -0°C overnight — a 10°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 5°C and 14°C. Set against its neighbours, January runs about 2°C cooler than December and about 2°C cooler than February.

-10°-5°10°15°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
1100
2100
3100
4100
5100
6100
7100
8100
9100
1090
1190
1290
139-1
149-1
159-1
169-1
179-1
189-1
199-1
209-1
219-1
229-1
239-1
249-1
259-1
269-1
279-1
2890
2990
3090
3190

How January really feels in Sulaymaniyah

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.

Sulaymaniyah weather by month

How January compares with the rest of the year at a glance. January is the 12th-warmest and 2nd-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysSnow daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan / -0°13112.249.91.9
Feb11° / 13212.12.910.72.7
Mar16° / 12111.70.911.74.8
Apr21° / 8810.20.112.96.6
May28° / 13°305.3013.87.1
Jun34° / 18°10.3014.43.8
Jul39° / 22°00014.21.0
Aug39° / 21°00013.30.9
Sep34° / 17°10.3012.24.1
Oct27° / 12°383.8011.17.5
Nov18° / 837.80.210.16.1
Dec12° / 10910.11.39.63.2

Cloud cover in January

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 38% of the time in January, the cloudiest month of the year.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 14% 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
35446
45347
55248
65248
75347
85248
95248
105248
115248
125347
135347
145446
155446
165446
175347
185347
195347
205248
215149
225050
235050
244951
254852
264852
274852
284753
294753
304753
314654

Chance of precipitation in January

Any precipitationSnow

Sulaymaniyah gets around 131 mm of rain and snow over 12.2 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 38% and peaks near 44% on the wettest days, and about 4 days bring snow. The odds climb toward the end of the month.

0%10%20%30%40%50%151015202531
Rain chance (%)Snow chance (%)
1357
2358
3368
4369
53710
63710
73711
83711
93712
103712
113612
123613
133613
143613
153614
163614
173614
183614
193714
203714
213814
223914
234014
244114
254214
264314
274314
284314
294414
304414
314413

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 6 km/h in January.

Across January, daily wind ranges from about 5 km/h on the calmest days to 6 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

0246810151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
15calm
25calm
35calm
45calm
56calm
66calm
76calm
86calm
96calm
106calm
116calm
126calm
136calm
146calm
156calm
166calm
176calm
186calm
196calm
206calm
216calm
226calm
236calm
246calm
256calm
266calm
276calm
286calm
296calm
306calm
316calm

Sunrise & sunset in January

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 9 h 36 min at the start of January to 10 h 12 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 7:12 AM to 7:06 AM, and sunset from 4:50 PM to 5:18 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
19.67:124:50
29.67:134:51
39.77:134:52
49.77:134:53
59.77:134:53
69.77:134:54
79.77:134:55
89.77:134:56
99.77:134:57
109.77:134:57
119.87:134:58
129.87:134:59
139.87:135:00
149.87:135:01
159.87:135:02
169.87:125:03
179.97:125:04
189.97:125:05
199.97:115:06
209.97:115:07
219.97:115:08
2210.07:105:09
2310.07:105:10
2410.07:105:11
2510.07:095:11
2610.17:095:12
2710.17:085:13
2810.17:075:15
2910.17:075:16
3010.27:065:17
3110.27:065:18

Solar energy in January

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in January, about 2.65 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 2.44 kWh/m² to a high of 7.98 kWh/m² in June across the year — January's 2.65 kWh/m² sits near the bottom.

0123151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
12.4Moderate
22.5Moderate
32.5Moderate
42.5Moderate
52.5Moderate
62.5Moderate
72.5Moderate
82.5Moderate
92.5Moderate
102.6Moderate
112.6Moderate
122.6Moderate
132.6Moderate
142.7Moderate
152.7Moderate
162.7Moderate
172.7Moderate
182.8Moderate
192.8Moderate
202.8Moderate
212.8Moderate
222.8Moderate
232.8Moderate
242.8Moderate
252.9Moderate
262.9Moderate
272.9Moderate
282.9Moderate
292.9Moderate
302.9Moderate
313.0Moderate
Planning a trip in January

Hazard calendar for Sulaymaniyah

In seasonPeak

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

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

Sulaymaniyah 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 Sulaymaniyah?

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

1.9
Sightseeing
10th-best month of the year
0.0
Beach & pool
12th-best month of the year

January is a weaker month for outdoor sightseeing in Sulaymaniyah.

What to pack for Sulaymaniyah in January

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

In January, Sulaymaniyah sees daytime highs around 9°C and nights near -0°C. Pack a warm layer. Worth having: rain gear. About 12 days see rain.

a warm layerrain gear

UV index in Sulaymaniyah 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 Sulaymaniyah peaks around June 18 at about 10 (extreme) — 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 10 months of the year.

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecModerateVery highVery highModerateJun 18UV 10Jan 12UV 2
UV index (midday)Level
Jan2Moderate
Feb4Moderate
Mar4Moderate
Apr6High
May9Very high
Jun11Extreme
Jul10Very high
Aug10Very high
Sep8Very high
Oct5Moderate
Nov4Moderate
Dec3Moderate

Air quality in Sulaymaniyah 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 Sulaymaniyah is worst in May — around 41 µg/m³ PM2.5 (poor), and holds fairly steady the rest of the year.

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

0204060JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecModeratePoorModerateMay 1141 µg/m³Dec 1229 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan30Moderate
Feb33Moderate
Mar41Poor
Apr41Poor
May41Poor
Jun37Poor
Jul35Moderate
Aug34Moderate
Sep33Moderate
Oct33Moderate
Nov29Moderate
Dec29Moderate
Location & terrain

Where is Sulaymaniyah?

Sulaymaniyah sits at 35.6°N, 45.4°E, 847 m above sea level, in Iraq. The nearest listed city is Baynjiwayn, 47 km away.

ShūrashJamjamālBānehSardashtHalabjaMarīvānQeładizê

Topography around Sulaymaniyah

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Sulaymaniyah has significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 257 m around an average of 862 m above sea level; within 16 km, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,093 m; within 80 km, extreme variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 2,652 m.

The land around Sulaymaniyah is covered by artificial surfaces (84%) within 3 km, grassland (57%) and cropland (23%) within 16 km, and grassland (73%) within 80 km.

3 km
257 m
16 km
1,093 m
80 km
2,652 m
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwater
January weather nearby: Baynjiwayn 47 km · Shūrash 54 km · Jamjamāl 54 km · Bāneh 63 km · Sardasht 66 km · Halabja 66 km · Marīvān 68 km · Qeładizê 74 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 Sulaymaniyah (35.565°, 45.4329°, elevation 847 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).