Wadi Rum weather in January

In January, Wadi Rum sees average daytime highs of 14°C and overnight lows near 4°C, with 8 mm of precipitation across 1.9 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 14°C through the month. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 68% 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 36 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, January is Wadi Rum's 12th-clearest and 8th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Wadi Rum's year-round climate.

Daytime high
14°
12th warmest
Overnight low
1st coldest
Precipitation
8 mm
1.9 wet days
Daylight
10 h 18 min
6:39 AM – 4:56 PM
Cloud cover
28%
12th clearest
Wind
9 km/h
8th windiest
Solar energy
4 kWh/m²
Travel score
5.5
out of 10

Temperature in January

Average highAverage lowShaded bands: 10–90% of days

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 14°C through the month.

A typical January day in Wadi Rum reaches about 14°C in the afternoon and slips back to 4°C overnight — a 11°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 10°C and 20°C. Set against its neighbours, January runs about 2°C cooler than December and about 2°C cooler than February.

10°20°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
1154
2154
3154
4154
5154
6144
7144
8144
9144
10144
11143
12143
13143
14143
15143
16143
17143
18144
19144
20144
21144
22144
23144
24154
25154
26154
27154
28154
29154
30154
31154

How January really feels in Wadi Rum

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.

Wadi Rum 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
Jan14° / 81.910.35.5
Feb16° / 61.610.96.7
Mar20° / 51.511.88.3
Apr25° / 12°30.912.79.1
May29° / 16°20.413.57.3
Jun32° / 19°0013.95.5
Jul34° / 21°0013.74.5
Aug34° / 21°00.113.14.4
Sep32° / 19°00.112.25.8
Oct27° / 15°51.311.38.3
Nov21° / 30.810.58.6
Dec16° / 30.810.16.7

Cloud cover in January

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 68% 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 19%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
18119
28119
38119
48119
58119
68119
78218
88218
98218
108317
118317
128317
138317
148218
158218
168119
178119
188020
198020
208020
217822
227822
237822
247921
257921
267921
277921
287921
298020
308020
318119

Chance of precipitation in January

Any precipitation

Wadi Rum gets around 8 mm of rain and snow over 1.9 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 6% and peaks near 7% on the wettest days, and about 0 day brings snow.

0%10%20%30%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
14
25
35
45
55
66
76
86
96
106
116
126
136
146
157
167
177
187
197
207
217
226
237
247
257
267
277
287
297
307
317

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 10 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

051015151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
18calm
28calm
38calm
48calm
59calm
69calm
79calm
89calm
99calm
109calm
119calm
129calm
139calm
149calm
159calm
169calm
179calm
189calm
199calm
209calm
219calm
229calm
239calm
249calm
259calm
269calm
279calm
289calm
2910calm
3010calm
3110calm

Sunrise & sunset in January

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 10 h 06 min at the start of January to 10 h 36 min by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days grow by about 30 minutes over January. Sunrise moves from 6:37 AM to 6:34 AM, and sunset from 4:45 PM to 5:09 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
110.16:374:45
210.16:384:46
310.16:384:47
410.26:384:47
510.26:384:48
610.26:394:49
710.26:394:50
810.26:394:50
910.26:394:51
1010.26:394:52
1110.26:394:53
1210.26:394:53
1310.36:394:54
1410.36:394:55
1510.36:394:56
1610.36:394:56
1710.36:394:57
1810.36:384:58
1910.36:384:59
2010.46:385:00
2110.46:385:00
2210.46:385:01
2310.46:375:02
2410.46:375:03
2510.56:375:04
2610.56:365:05
2710.56:365:06
2810.56:365:06
2910.56:355:07
3010.66:355:08
3110.66:345:09

Solar energy in January

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in January, about 4 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 3.75 kWh/m² to a high of 8.28 kWh/m² in June across the year — January's 4 kWh/m² sits near the bottom.

012345151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
13.8Moderate
23.8Moderate
33.8Moderate
43.8Moderate
53.8Moderate
63.8Moderate
73.8Moderate
83.9Moderate
93.9Moderate
103.9Moderate
113.9Moderate
123.9Moderate
134.0Moderate
144.0Moderate
154.0Moderate
164.0Bright
174.0Bright
184.0Bright
194.1Bright
204.1Bright
214.1Bright
224.1Bright
234.2Bright
244.2Bright
254.2Bright
264.2Bright
274.3Bright
284.3Bright
294.3Bright
304.4Bright
314.4Bright
Planning a trip in January

Hazard calendar for Wadi Rum

In seasonPeak

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

Wadi Rum 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 Wadi Rum?

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

5.5
Sightseeing
9th-best month of the year
0.0
Beach & pool
12th-best month of the year

January is a reasonable time to visit Wadi Rum for sightseeing.

What to pack for Wadi Rum in January

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

In January, Wadi Rum sees daytime highs around 14°C and nights near 4°C. Worth packing: a warm layer.

a warm layer

Sea temperature near Wadi Rum in January

The nearest coast averages about 22°C in January — the other half of the beach question. The full-year curve and swim-comfort zones are below.

The sea at the nearest coast (about 58 km away) is warmest in August at about 28°C and coldest in February near 21°C.

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

20°25°30°JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDeccoolrefreshingwarmtropicalcomfortable to swim
Sea temperature (°C)Comfort
Jan22Refreshing
Feb21Refreshing
Mar21Refreshing
Apr22Refreshing
May24Refreshing
Jun25Warm
Jul27Warm
Aug28Warm
Sep27Warm
Oct26Warm
Nov25Warm
Dec23Refreshing

UV index in Wadi Rum 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 Wadi Rum peaks around June 19 at about 12 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near January 10 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 19UV 12Jan 10UV 4
UV index (midday)Level
Jan4Moderate
Feb5Moderate
Mar8Very high
Apr8Very high
May11Extreme
Jun12Extreme
Jul11Extreme
Aug12Extreme
Sep10Extreme
Oct8Very high
Nov6High
Dec4Moderate

Air quality in Wadi Rum 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 Wadi Rum is worst in May — around 33 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 1.7× the cleanest month (November, 19 µg/m³).

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

010203040JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecModerateMay 1233 µg/m³Nov 2120 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan20Moderate
Feb22Moderate
Mar24Moderate
Apr31Moderate
May33Moderate
Jun27Moderate
Jul24Moderate
Aug25Moderate
Sep27Moderate
Oct22Moderate
Nov19Moderate
Dec20Moderate
Location & terrain

Where is Wadi Rum?

Wadi Rum sits at 29.6°N, 35.4°E, 0 m above sea level, in Jordan. The nearest listed city is Aqaba, 41 km away.

AqabaḨaqlMa'anPetraAţ ŢafīlahSafi

Topography around Wadi Rum

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Wadi Rum has large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 854 m around an average of 1,160 m above sea level; within 16 km, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 962 m; within 80 km, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,816 m.

The land around Wadi Rum is covered by bare terrain (96%) within 3 km, bare terrain (99%) within 16 km, and bare terrain (96%) within 80 km.

3 km
854 m
16 km
962 m
80 km
1,816 m
grasslandartificial surfacesbare terrainwater
January weather nearby: Aqaba 41 km · Ḩaql 57 km · Ma'an 74 km · Petra 82 km · Aţ Ţafīlah 140 km · Dahab 152 km · Safi 161 km · Tabuk 173 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 Wadi Rum (29.5846°, 35.4263°, 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. 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).