Mombasa weather in January

In January, Mombasa sees average daytime highs of 30°C and overnight lows near 26°C, with 18 mm of rain across 3.5 wet days and about 12.2 hours of daylight. It is the 3rd-warmest and 11th-wettest month of the year here.

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 30°C through the month. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 50% of the time in January, and the air most often feels oppressive.

Daylight stretches from about 12 h 12 min at the start of January to 12 h 12 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, January is Mombasa's 5th-clearest and 7th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Mombasa's year-round climate.

Daytime high
30°
3rd warmest
Overnight low
26°
10th coldest
Rainfall
18 mm
3.5 wet days
Daylight
12 h 12 min
6:24 AM – 6:37 PM
Cloud cover
46%
5th clearest
Wind
16 km/h
7th windiest
Solar energy
6.32 kWh/m²
Travel score
5.6
out of 10

Mombasa is city in Kenya.

Air quality
Moderate
PM2.5 10.8 µg/m³ · 2019
Density
4,100/km²
people per km²
Founded
1593

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 30°C through the month.

A typical January day in Mombasa reaches about 30°C in the afternoon and slips back to 26°C overnight — a 5°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 29°C and 31°C. Set against its neighbours, January runs on par with December and on par with February.

20°25°30°35°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
13026
23026
33026
43026
53026
63026
73026
83026
93026
103026
113026
123026
133026
143026
153026
163026
173026
183026
193026
203026
213026
223026
233026
243026
253026
263026
273026
283026
293026
303026
313126

How January really feels in Mombasa

Once humidity and wind are folded in, January averages 31 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
31
heat index over the day's high
Days feeling ≤ C
0
wind chill below the day's low

The story in January is heat — humidity pushes the afternoon "feels like" well above the raw temperature.

Mombasa weather by month

How January compares with the rest of the year at a glance. January is the 3rd-warmest and 11th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan30° / 26°183.512.25.6
Feb31° / 26°112.412.15.5
Mar31° / 26°4912.4124.4
Apr30° / 26°13624.411.93.5
May28° / 25°22324.111.84.3
Jun27° / 24°9220.511.85.0
Jul26° / 23°6919.811.85.2
Aug27° / 23°4917.211.95.7
Sep27° / 23°4314.8126.1
Oct28° / 24°7514.912.15.5
Nov29° / 25°6616.112.24.8
Dec30° / 25°461312.24.9

Cloud cover in January

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 50% 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 29%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
17426
27426
37426
47228
57228
67228
77129
87129
97030
107030
116931
126931
136931
146931
156931
167030
177129
187129
197129
207129
217129
227129
237129
247030
257030
267030
277030
287030
297030
307030
317129

Chance of precipitation in January

Any precipitation

Mombasa gets around 18 mm of rain over 3.5 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 12% and peaks near 17% on the wettest days. The odds ease toward the end of the month.

0%10%20%30%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
117
217
316
415
515
614
714
814
914
1014
1114
1214
1314
1413
1513
1613
1712
1812
1911
2011
2110
2210
2310
249
259
269
278
288
297
307
317

Humidity in January

DryComfortableHumidMuggyOppressiveMiserable

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

By dew point, January lands in the oppressive band about 91% of days. Sticky, muggy-or-worse air turns up on roughly 100% of them.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Muggy (%)Oppressive (%)Miserable (%)
108614
208713
308713
418712
518811
618811
718910
818910
91909
101909
111918
121918
131927
141927
151927
161927
171936
181936
191936
201936
210946
220937
230937
240937
250937
260937
270937
280937
290937
300937
310946

Wind in January

Winds average 16 km/h in January.

Across January, daily wind ranges from about 16 km/h on the calmest days to 16 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

05101520151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
116light breeze
216light breeze
316light breeze
416light breeze
516light breeze
616light breeze
716light breeze
816light breeze
916light breeze
1016light breeze
1116light breeze
1216light breeze
1316light breeze
1416light breeze
1516light breeze
1616light breeze
1716light breeze
1816light breeze
1916light breeze
2016light breeze
2116light breeze
2216light breeze
2316light breeze
2416light breeze
2516light breeze
2616light breeze
2716light breeze
2816light breeze
2916light breeze
3016light breeze
3116light breeze

Sunrise & sunset in January

DaylightNight

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

Days grow by about 0 minutes over January. Sunrise moves from 6:18 AM to 6:29 AM, and sunset from 6:31 PM to 6:40 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
112.26:186:31
212.26:186:32
312.26:196:32
412.26:196:33
512.26:196:33
612.26:206:33
712.26:206:34
812.26:216:34
912.26:216:35
1012.26:226:35
1112.26:226:35
1212.26:236:36
1312.26:236:36
1412.26:236:36
1512.26:246:37
1612.26:246:37
1712.26:256:37
1812.26:256:38
1912.26:256:38
2012.26:266:38
2112.26:266:38
2212.26:276:39
2312.26:276:39
2412.26:276:39
2512.26:286:39
2612.26:286:39
2712.26:286:39
2812.26:296:40
2912.26:296:40
3012.26:296:40
3112.26:296:40

Solar energy in January

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in January, about 6.32 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 4.67 kWh/m² to a high of 6.64 kWh/m² in February across the year — January's 6.32 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
66.2Intense
76.2Intense
86.2Intense
96.2Intense
106.2Intense
116.2Intense
126.3Intense
136.3Intense
146.3Intense
156.3Intense
166.3Intense
176.3Intense
186.3Intense
196.3Intense
206.4Intense
216.4Intense
226.4Intense
236.4Intense
246.4Intense
256.4Intense
266.5Intense
276.5Intense
286.5Intense
296.5Intense
306.5Intense
316.5Intense
Planning a trip in January

Hazard calendar for Mombasa

In seasonPeak

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

Mombasa sits in the South Indian Ocean cyclone belt; the season peaks January–March.

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

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

Is January a good time to visit Mombasa?

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

5.6
Sightseeing
3rd-best month of the year
7.9
Beach & pool
1st-best month of the year

January is a reasonable time to visit Mombasa for sightseeing. The water and warmth also suit a beach or pool day.

What to pack for Mombasa in January

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

In January, Mombasa sees daytime highs around 30°C and nights near 26°C. Pack light clothes and sun protection. About 4 days see rain.

light clothessun protection

Sea temperature near Mombasa in January

The nearest coast averages about 28°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 April at about 29°C and coldest in August near 25°C.

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

24°26°28°30°JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecrefreshingwarmtropicalcomfortable to swim
Sea temperature (°C)Comfort
Jan28Warm
Feb28Warm
Mar29Tropical
Apr29Tropical
May28Warm
Jun27Warm
Jul26Warm
Aug25Warm
Sep26Warm
Oct27Warm
Nov28Warm
Dec28Tropical

UV index in Mombasa in January

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in January peaks around 14 (very high — sun protection essential). The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.

Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Mombasa peaks around March 19 at about 15 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near June 18 at about 10 (very high).

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

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecExtremeVery highExtremeMar 19UV 15Jun 18UV 10
UV index (midday)Level
Jan14Extreme
Feb14Extreme
Mar15Extreme
Apr14Extreme
May11Extreme
Jun9Very high
Jul10Extreme
Aug11Extreme
Sep13Extreme
Oct13Extreme
Nov12Extreme
Dec12Extreme
Location & terrain

Where is Mombasa?

Mombasa sits at 4.1°S, 39.7°E, 20 m above sea level, in Kenya. The nearest listed city is Jomvu, 10 km away.

Topography around Mombasa

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Mombasa has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 31 m around an average of 12 m above sea level; within 16 km, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 264 m; within 80 km, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 800 m.

The land around Mombasa is covered by artificial surfaces (46%) and water (35%) within 3 km, water (41%) and grassland (21%) within 16 km, and water (36%), grassland (24%) and shrubs (23%) within 80 km.

3 km
31 m
16 km
264 m
80 km
800 m
treesshrubsgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwaterwetlandmangroves
January weather nearby: Jomvu 10 km · Mtwapa 16 km · Mazeras 16 km · Matuga 16 km · Diani Beach 26 km · Ukunda 29 km · Mariakani 30 km · Kilifi 51 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 Mombasa (-4.0547°, 39.6636°, elevation 20 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. Topography is sampled from the Copernicus DEM GLO-90 elevation model (© ESA/Airbus) and ESA WorldCover 2021 land cover (CC BY 4.0).