Portmore weather in January

In January, Portmore sees average daytime highs of 27°C and overnight lows near 22°C, with 17 mm of rain across 4.4 wet days and about 11 hours of daylight. It is the 12th-warmest and 12th-wettest month of the year here.

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 27°C through the month. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 70% of the time in January, and the air most often feels muggy.

Daylight stretches from about 10 h 54 min at the start of January to 11 h 12 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, January is Portmore's 2nd-clearest and 3rd-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Portmore's year-round climate.

Daytime high
27°
12th warmest
Overnight low
22°
2nd coldest
Rainfall
17 mm
4.4 wet days
Daylight
11 hours
6:46 AM – 5:48 PM
Cloud cover
35%
2nd clearest
Wind
11 km/h
3rd windiest
Solar energy
4.65 kWh/m²
Travel score
7.8
out of 10

Portmore is city in the Saint Catherine Parish, Jamaica.

Air quality
Elevated
PM10 53.8 µg/m³ · 2012
Founded
1960

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 27°C through the month.

A typical January day in Portmore reaches about 27°C in the afternoon and slips back to 22°C overnight — a 5°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 26°C and 28°C. Set against its neighbours, January runs on par with December and on par with February.

20°23°25°28°30°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
12722
22722
32722
42722
52722
62722
72722
82722
92722
102722
112722
122722
132722
142722
152722
162722
172722
182722
192722
202722
212722
222722
232722
242722
252722
262722
272722
282722
292722
302722
312722

How January really feels in Portmore

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.

Portmore weather by month

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

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan27° / 22°174.4117.8
Feb27° / 22°174.611.47.7
Mar27° / 22°316.511.97.4
Apr28° / 23°489.412.46.6
May28° / 23°11915.412.85.2
Jun29° / 24°681113.15.2
Jul30° / 25°529.4135.2
Aug30° / 25°8614.612.64.5
Sep29° / 24°13918.912.14.2
Oct28° / 24°14021.411.64.3
Nov28° / 23°6711.711.26.1
Dec27° / 22°306.210.97.4

Cloud cover in January

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 70% of the time in January.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 16% of January, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 14%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
18218
28218
38218
48317
58317
68416
78416
88515
98515
108515
118515
128614
138713
148713
158713
168713
178713
188713
198713
208713
218713
228713
238812
248812
258812
268812
278911
288911
298911
308911
319010

Chance of precipitation in January

Any precipitation

Portmore gets around 17 mm of rain over 4.4 wet days in January, the driest month. The line is the day-by-day chance of measurable precipitation.

Day to day, the chance of measurable rain averages around 14% and peaks near 16% on the wettest days.

0%10%20%30%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
116
216
316
416
516
616
716
816
916
1015
1115
1215
1314
1414
1514
1614
1713
1813
1913
2013
2113
2213
2313
2413
2513
2613
2713
2813
2913
3014
3114

Humidity in January

DryComfortableHumidMuggyOppressiveMiserable

Most of January feels muggy — the stacked bands show each day's mix of comfort levels, read off the dew point.

By dew point, January lands in the muggy band about 78% of days. Sticky, muggy-or-worse air turns up on roughly 91% of them.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Comfortable (%)Humid (%)Muggy (%)Oppressive (%)
1066529
2066727
3066925
4057223
5057421
6057520
7057619
8057817
9057916
10167716
11167815
12167914
13177913
14177913
15187912
16187912
17197911
18197911
191107910
201107910
21111799
22111799
23111808
24111808
25112807
26112807
27112807
28112807
29112807
30112807
31111817

Wind in January

Winds average 11 km/h in January.

Across January, daily wind ranges from about 11 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
111calm
211calm
311calm
411calm
511calm
611calm
711calm
811calm
911calm
1011calm
1111calm
1211calm
1311calm
1411calm
1511calm
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 h 54 min at the start of January to 11 h 12 min by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days grow by about 18 minutes over January. Sunrise moves from 6:43 AM to 6:45 AM, and sunset from 5:39 PM to 5:57 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
110.96:435:39
210.96:435:39
310.96:435:40
411.06:435:41
511.06:445:41
611.06:445:42
711.06:445:42
811.06:455:43
911.06:455:44
1011.06:455:44
1111.06:455:45
1211.06:455:45
1311.06:465:46
1411.06:465:47
1511.06:465:47
1611.06:465:48
1711.06:465:48
1811.06:465:49
1911.16:465:50
2011.16:465:50
2111.16:465:51
2211.16:465:51
2311.16:465:52
2411.16:465:53
2511.16:465:53
2611.16:465:54
2711.16:465:54
2811.26:465:55
2911.26:465:55
3011.26:455:56
3111.26:455:57

Solar energy in January

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in January, about 4.65 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 4.39 kWh/m² to a high of 6.68 kWh/m² in July across the year — January's 4.65 kWh/m² sits near the bottom.

024151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
14.5Bright
24.5Bright
34.5Bright
44.5Bright
54.5Bright
64.5Bright
74.5Bright
84.5Bright
94.5Bright
104.6Bright
114.6Bright
124.6Bright
134.6Bright
144.6Bright
154.6Bright
164.7Bright
174.7Bright
184.7Bright
194.7Bright
204.7Bright
214.7Bright
224.8Bright
234.8Bright
244.8Bright
254.8Bright
264.8Bright
274.8Bright
284.9Bright
294.9Bright
304.9Bright
314.9Bright
Planning a trip in January

Hazard calendar for Portmore

In seasonPeak

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

Portmore sits in the Atlantic hurricane belt; the season peaks August–October.

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

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

Is January a good time to visit Portmore?

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

7.8
Sightseeing
1st-best month of the year
7.9
Beach & pool
1st-best month of the year

January is one of the better times to visit Portmore for general sightseeing. The water and warmth also suit a beach or pool day.

What to pack for Portmore in January

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

In January, Portmore sees daytime highs around 27°C and nights near 22°C. Worth packing: light clothes and sun protection. About 4 days see rain.

light clothessun protection

Sea temperature near Portmore in January

The nearest coast averages about 27°C in January — the other half of the beach question. The full-year curve and swim-comfort zones are below.

The sea offshore is warmest in September at about 29°C and coldest in February near 27°C.

The water stays above 20°C all year — warm enough for a swim any month.

26°28°30°JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecwarmtropicalcomfortable to swim
Sea temperature (°C)Comfort
Jan27Warm
Feb27Warm
Mar27Warm
Apr28Warm
May28Tropical
Jun28Tropical
Jul29Tropical
Aug29Tropical
Sep29Tropical
Oct29Tropical
Nov29Tropical
Dec28Tropical

UV index in Portmore in January

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in January peaks around 8 (very high — sun protection essential). The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.

Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Portmore peaks around April 19 at about 12 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near December 16 at about 7 (very high).

The index reaches 3 or more — the level where the WHO recommends sun protection — every month of the year.

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecVery highExtremeVery highApr 19UV 12Dec 16UV 7
UV index (midday)Level
Jan8Very high
Feb10Extreme
Mar12Extreme
Apr13Extreme
May12Extreme
Jun13Extreme
Jul11Extreme
Aug12Extreme
Sep12Extreme
Oct11Extreme
Nov8Very high
Dec7Very high

Air quality in Portmore 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 Portmore is worst in June — around 35 µg/m³ PM2.5 (poor), about 2.1× the cleanest month (January, 17 µg/m³).

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

010203040JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecModerateJun 2335 µg/m³Jan 1117 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan17Moderate
Feb17Moderate
Mar18Moderate
Apr18Moderate
May24Moderate
Jun35Poor
Jul34Moderate
Aug29Moderate
Sep23Moderate
Oct24Moderate
Nov20Moderate
Dec17Moderate
Location & terrain

Where is Portmore?

Portmore sits at 18.0°N, 76.9°W, 7 m above sea level, in Jamaica. The nearest listed city is Port Royal, 6.0 km away.

Old HarbourLinsteadMay Pen

Topography around Portmore

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Portmore has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 201 m around an average of 14 m above sea level; within 16 km, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 767 m; within 80 km, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 2,229 m.

The land around Portmore is covered by artificial surfaces (43%) and trees (25%) within 3 km, trees (43%) and water (27%) within 16 km, and water (58%) and trees (35%) within 80 km.

3 km
201 m
16 km
767 m
80 km
2,229 m
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwatermangroves
January weather nearby: Port Royal 6.0 km · Spanish Town 8.0 km · Kingston 10 km · Half Way Tree 10 km · New Kingston 12 km · Old Harbour 24 km · Linstead 24 km · May Pen 38 km

Jamaica travel facts

Travel advisory
Level 2
Exercise Increased Caution
Power plugs
Type A / B
110 V · 50 Hz
Prices
≈ 60% of US
price level, 2025
GDP per capita
$8,003
2025
Happiness
6.3 / 10
World Happiness, 2025
Homicide rate
49.4
per 100k, 2023
Road deaths
15.1
per 100k/yr, 2019
Income group
Upper middle
World Bank
Religion
Protestant 65%none 21%other 7%Roman Catholic 2%

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 Portmore (17.971°, -76.8869°, elevation 7 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. Tropical-cyclone seasons are the published climatological basin seasons (NOAA National Hurricane Center / regional warning centres). Sea temperatures are the NOAA OISST v2.1 1991–2020 monthly climatology (public domain), sampled at the nearest ocean point. 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).