Petra weather in January

In January, Petra sees average daytime highs of 13°C and overnight lows near 4°C, with 20 mm of precipitation across 3.9 wet days and about 10.3 hours of daylight. It is the 12th-warmest and 1st-wettest month of the year here.

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 13°C through the month. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 62% of the time in January, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 10 h 06 min at the start of January to 10 h 30 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, January is Petra's 12th-clearest and 8th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Petra's year-round climate.

Daytime high
13°
12th warmest
Overnight low
1st coldest
Precipitation
20 mm
3.9 wet days
Daylight
10 h 12 min
6:40 AM – 4:55 PM
Cloud cover
34%
12th clearest
Wind
9 km/h
8th windiest
Solar energy
3.74 kWh/m²
Travel score
4.6
out of 10

Petra is human settlement in Jordan.

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 13°C through the month.

A typical January day in Petra reaches about 13°C in the afternoon and slips back to 4°C overnight — a 9°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 9°C and 18°C. Set against its neighbours, January runs about 2°C cooler than December and about 2°C cooler than February.

10°15°20°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
1145
2145
3145
4145
5144
6134
7134
8134
9134
10134
11134
12134
13134
14134
15134
16134
17134
18134
19134
20134
21134
22134
23134
24134
25134
26134
27134
28134
29144
30144
31145

How January really feels in Petra

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.

Petra 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 daysSnow daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan13° / 203.90.610.34.6
Feb15° / 173.60.310.95.5
Mar19° / 132.90.311.87.6
Apr23° / 12°41.1012.78.9
May28° / 15°30.9013.58.3
Jun30° / 18°00.1013.96.8
Jul32° / 20°00013.85.8
Aug32° / 20°00.2013.15.7
Sep30° / 19°10.3012.26.9
Oct26° / 15°51.4011.38.8
Nov20° / 10°71.7010.58.1
Dec15° / 82.10.310.16.0

Cloud cover in January

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 62% of the time in January, the cloudiest month of the year.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 13% of January, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 24%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
17822
27822
37822
47723
57723
67723
77723
87723
97723
107822
117822
127822
137822
147723
157723
167624
177624
187624
197426
207426
217426
227426
237426
247426
257327
267327
277327
287426
297426
307426
317525

Chance of precipitation in January

Any precipitationSnow

Petra gets around 20 mm of rain and snow over 3.9 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 precipitation averages around 12% and peaks near 14% on the wettest days, and about 1 day brings snow.

0%10%20%30%151015202531
Rain chance (%)Snow chance (%)
1101
2101
3111
4112
5112
6122
7122
8122
9122
10122
11122
12122
13122
14122
15122
16132
17132
18132
19132
20132
21132
22132
23132
24132
25142
26142
27142
28142
29132
30132
31132

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 9 km/h in January.

Across January, daily wind ranges from about 8 km/h on the calmest days to 9 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

051015151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
18calm
28calm
38calm
48calm
58calm
68calm
79calm
89calm
99calm
109calm
119calm
129calm
139calm
149calm
159calm
169calm
179calm
189calm
199calm
209calm
219calm
229calm
239calm
249calm
259calm
269calm
279calm
289calm
299calm
309calm
319calm

Sunrise & sunset in January

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 10 h 06 min 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 24 minutes over January. Sunrise moves from 6:39 AM to 6:35 AM, and sunset from 4:43 PM to 5:07 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
110.16:394:43
210.16:394:44
310.16:394:45
410.16:404:45
510.16:404:46
610.16:404:47
710.16:404:48
810.16:404:48
910.16:404:49
1010.26:404:50
1110.26:404:51
1210.26:404:51
1310.26:404:52
1410.26:404:53
1510.26:404:54
1610.26:404:55
1710.36:404:55
1810.36:404:56
1910.36:404:57
2010.36:394:58
2110.36:394:59
2210.36:395:00
2310.46:395:00
2410.46:385:01
2510.46:385:02
2610.46:385:03
2710.46:375:04
2810.56:375:05
2910.56:365:06
3010.56:365:06
3110.56:355:07

Solar energy in January

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in January, about 3.74 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 3.51 kWh/m² to a high of 8.22 kWh/m² in June across the year — January's 3.74 kWh/m² sits near the bottom.

012345151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
13.5Moderate
23.5Moderate
33.5Moderate
43.5Moderate
53.5Moderate
63.6Moderate
73.6Moderate
83.6Moderate
93.6Moderate
103.6Moderate
113.6Moderate
123.7Moderate
133.7Moderate
143.7Moderate
153.7Moderate
163.8Moderate
173.8Moderate
183.8Moderate
193.8Moderate
203.8Moderate
213.9Moderate
223.9Moderate
233.9Moderate
243.9Moderate
254.0Moderate
264.0Moderate
274.0Bright
284.0Bright
294.1Bright
304.1Bright
314.1Bright
Planning a trip in January

Hazard calendar for Petra

In seasonPeak

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

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

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

Is January a good time to visit Petra?

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

4.6
Sightseeing
12th-best month of the year
0.0
Beach & pool
12th-best month of the year

January is a reasonable time to visit Petra for sightseeing.

What to pack for Petra in January

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

In January, Petra sees daytime highs around 13°C and nights near 4°C. Worth packing: a warm layer. About 4 days see rain.

a warm layer

UV index in Petra in January

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in January peaks around 4 — enough to warrant sun protection. The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.

Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Petra peaks around June 21 at about 12 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near January 11 at about 4 (moderate).

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

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecModerateVery highExtremeVery highHighModerateJun 21UV 12Jan 11UV 4
UV index (midday)Level
Jan4Moderate
Feb4Moderate
Mar8Very high
Apr8Very high
May11Extreme
Jun12Extreme
Jul12Extreme
Aug12Extreme
Sep11Extreme
Oct8Very high
Nov6High
Dec4Moderate

Air quality in Petra 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 Petra is worst in May — around 37 µg/m³ PM2.5 (poor), and holds fairly steady the rest of the year.

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

010203040JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecModeratePoorModerateMay 1037 µg/m³Jul 1926 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan30Moderate
Feb31Moderate
Mar31Moderate
Apr36Poor
May37Poor
Jun29Moderate
Jul26Moderate
Aug27Moderate
Sep29Moderate
Oct28Moderate
Nov29Moderate
Dec30Moderate
Location & terrain

Where is Petra?

Petra sits at 30.3°N, 35.5°E, 0 m above sea level, in Jordan. The nearest listed city is Ma'an, 28 km away.

Ma'anAţ ŢafīlahSafiWadi Rum‘IzrāKarak CityKerakAqaba

Topography around Petra

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Petra has large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 670 m around an average of 1,261 m above sea level; within 16 km, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,506 m; within 80 km, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 2,122 m.

The land around Petra is covered by bare terrain (70%) within 3 km, bare terrain (83%) within 16 km, and bare terrain (96%) within 80 km.

3 km
670 m
16 km
1,506 m
80 km
2,122 m
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrain
January weather nearby: Ma'an 28 km · Aţ Ţafīlah 59 km · Safi 80 km · Wadi Rum 82 km · ‘Izrā 95 km · Karak City 98 km · Kerak 98 km · Aqaba 99 km

Jordan travel facts

Travel advisory
Level 3
Reconsider Travel
Power plugs
Type B / C / D / F / G / J
230 V · 50 Hz
Prices
≈ 42% of US
price level, 2025
GDP per capita
$5,348
2025
Happiness
4.5 / 10
World Happiness, 2025
Safe drinking water
89%
of population, 2024
Homicide rate
1
per 100k, 2023
Road deaths
17
per 100k/yr, 2019
Income group
Upper middle
World Bank
English
Very low
EF EPI 426
Religion
Muslim 97%Christian 2%Buddhist 0%Hindu 0%

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 Petra (30.321°, 35.4789°, elevation 0 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).