Mbale weather in January

In January, Mbale sees average daytime highs of 27°C and overnight lows near 18°C, with 116 mm of rain across 15.7 wet days and about 12 hours of daylight. It is the 3rd-warmest and 7th-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 32% of the time in January, and the air most often feels humid.

Daylight stretches from about 12 hours at the start of January to 12 hours by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, January is Mbale's 2nd-clearest and 2nd-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Mbale's year-round climate.

Daytime high
27°
3rd warmest
Overnight low
18°
7th coldest
Rainfall
116 mm
15.7 wet days
Daylight
12 hours
6:51 AM – 6:50 PM
Cloud cover
57%
2nd clearest
Wind
7 km/h
2nd windiest
Solar energy
6.41 kWh/m²
Travel score
5.8
out of 10

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 Mbale reaches about 27°C in the afternoon and slips back to 18°C overnight — a 9°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 24°C and 29°C. Set against its neighbours, January runs about 1°C warmer than December and about 1°C cooler than February.

15°20°25°30°35°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
12618
22618
32618
42618
52618
62618
72618
82618
92618
102618
112618
122618
132718
142718
152718
162718
172718
182718
192718
202718
212718
222718
232718
242718
252718
262718
272718
282718
292718
302718
312718

Mbale weather by month

How January compares with the rest of the year at a glance. January is the 3rd-warmest and 7th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan27° / 18°11615.7125.8
Feb28° / 19°8813125.8
Mar27° / 19°18220.3125.0
Apr25° / 19°28127123.9
May25° / 18°20626.3124.3
Jun25° / 18°10320.7125.1
Jul25° / 18°9218.1125.6
Aug25° / 18°10019.3125.4
Sep26° / 18°10619.6125.2
Oct26° / 18°19425.5124.3
Nov25° / 18°24725.1124.2
Dec26° / 18°17920.7125.1

Cloud cover in January

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 32% of the time in January.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 21% of January, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 47%. Skies tend to open up as the month goes on.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
15347
25347
35347
45347
55248
65248
75149
85149
95149
105149
115050
125050
135149
145149
155149
165248
175248
185347
195446
205446
215446
225545
235545
245644
255644
265644
275743
285743
295743
305842
315842

Chance of precipitation in January

Any precipitation

Mbale gets around 116 mm of rain over 15.7 wet days in January. The line is the day-by-day chance of measurable precipitation.

Day to day, the chance of measurable rain averages around 50% and peaks near 55% on the wettest days. The odds ease toward the end of the month.

0%20%40%60%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
154
254
354
454
554
654
754
854
954
1054
1155
1255
1355
1455
1554
1654
1753
1852
1951
2050
2149
2248
2347
2446
2545
2644
2743
2842
2941
3041
3141

Humidity in January

DryComfortableHumidMuggyOppressiveMiserable

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

By dew point, January lands in the humid band about 61% of days. It rarely turns muggy — the humid and sticky bands barely register.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)Muggy (%)
1531640
2531640
3531640
4531640
5530650
6530650
7630640
8630640
9629650
10629650
11629650
12628660
13728650
14728650
15828631
16828631
17928621
181028611
191028611
201128601
211228591
221228591
231328581
241428571
251429561
261529551
271629541
281629541
291729531
301729531
311830511

Wind in January

Winds average 7 km/h in January.

Across January, daily wind ranges from about 7 km/h on the calmest days to 7 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

0246810151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
17calm
27calm
37calm
47calm
57calm
67calm
77calm
87calm
97calm
107calm
117calm
127calm
137calm
147calm
157calm
167calm
177calm
187calm
197calm
207calm
217calm
227calm
237calm
247calm
257calm
267calm
277calm
287calm
297calm
307calm
317calm

Sunrise & sunset in January

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 12 hours at the start of January to 12 hours by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days grow by about 0 minutes over January. Sunrise moves from 6:44 AM to 6:55 AM, and sunset from 6:44 PM to 6:54 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
112.06:446:44
212.06:456:45
312.06:456:45
412.06:466:45
512.06:466:46
612.06:476:46
712.06:476:47
812.06:476:47
912.06:486:48
1012.06:486:48
1112.06:496:48
1212.06:496:49
1312.06:496:49
1412.06:506:50
1512.06:506:50
1612.06:516:50
1712.06:516:51
1812.06:516:51
1912.06:526:51
2012.06:526:52
2112.06:526:52
2212.06:526:52
2312.06:536:52
2412.06:536:53
2512.06:536:53
2612.06:546:53
2712.06:546:54
2812.06:546:54
2912.06:546:54
3012.06:546:54
3112.06:556:54

Solar energy in January

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in January, about 6.41 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 5.18 kWh/m² to a high of 6.8 kWh/m² in February across the year — January's 6.41 kWh/m² sits near the top of that range.

0246151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
16.2Intense
26.2Intense
36.2Intense
46.2Intense
56.2Intense
66.3Intense
76.3Intense
86.3Intense
96.3Intense
106.3Intense
116.3Intense
126.3Intense
136.3Intense
146.3Intense
156.4Intense
166.4Intense
176.4Intense
186.4Intense
196.5Intense
206.5Intense
216.5Intense
226.5Intense
236.5Intense
246.6Intense
256.6Intense
266.6Intense
276.6Intense
286.7Intense
296.7Intense
306.7Intense
316.7Intense
Planning a trip in January

Is January a good time to visit Mbale?

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

5.8
Sightseeing
1st-best month of the year
5.8
Beach & pool
2nd-best month of the year

January is a reasonable time to visit Mbale for sightseeing.

What to pack for Mbale in January

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

In January, Mbale sees daytime highs around 27°C and nights near 18°C. Pack rain gear and sun protection. Worth having: light clothes. About 16 days see rain.

rain gearsun protectionlight clothes

UV index in Mbale in January

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in January peaks around 15 (very high — sun protection essential). The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.

Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Mbale peaks around March 16 at about 16 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near June 18 at about 10 (extreme).

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

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecExtremeMar 16UV 16Jun 18UV 10
UV index (midday)Level
Jan15Extreme
Feb15Extreme
Mar16Extreme
Apr14Extreme
May12Extreme
Jun10Very high
Jul11Extreme
Aug11Extreme
Sep13Extreme
Oct14Extreme
Nov12Extreme
Dec12Extreme

Air quality in Mbale 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 Mbale is worst in June — around 78 µg/m³ PM2.5 (unhealthy), and holds fairly steady the rest of the year.

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

020406080JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecUnhealthyJun 2177 µg/m³Apr 967 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan74Unhealthy
Feb68Unhealthy
Mar67Unhealthy
Apr67Unhealthy
May69Unhealthy
Jun78Unhealthy
Jul76Unhealthy
Aug74Unhealthy
Sep71Unhealthy
Oct73Unhealthy
Nov77Unhealthy
Dec76Unhealthy
Location & terrain

Where is Mbale?

Mbale sits at 0.1°N, 34.7°E, 1,628 m above sea level, in Kenya. The nearest listed city is Khwisero, 17 km away.

Topography around Mbale

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Mbale has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 188 m around an average of 1,580 m above sea level; within 16 km, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 650 m; within 80 km, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,573 m.

The land around Mbale is covered by trees (75%) within 3 km, trees (64%) and shrubs (27%) within 16 km, and trees (28%) and shrubs (26%) within 80 km.

3 km
188 m
16 km
650 m
80 km
1,573 m
treesshrubsgrasslandcroplandartificial surfaceswaterwetland
January weather nearby: Khwisero 17 km · Kisumu 21 km · Kakamega 23 km · Mumias 38 km · Kapsabet 45 km · Siaya 48 km · Bondo 54 km · Bungoma 56 km

Kenya travel facts

Travel advisory
Level 2
Exercise Increased Caution
Power plugs
Type G
240 V · 50 Hz
Prices
≈ 34% of US
price level, 2025
GDP per capita
$2,363
2025
Happiness
4.7 / 10
World Happiness, 2025
Homicide rate
4.9
per 100k, 2022
Road deaths
28.3
per 100k/yr, 2019
Income group
Lower middle
World Bank
English
High
EF EPI 593
Religion
Christian 86%Muslim 11%other 2%none 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 Mbale (0.0821°, 34.7214°, elevation 1,628 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).