Muang Xay weather in January

In January, Muang Xay sees average daytime highs of 24°C and overnight lows near 12°C, with 32 mm of rain across 4.3 wet days and about 10.9 hours of daylight. It is the 11th-warmest and 10th-wettest month of the year here.

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 24°C through the month. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 49% of the time in January, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 10 h 48 min at the start of January to 11 h 06 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, January is Muang Xay's 3rd-clearest and 7th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Muang Xay's year-round climate.

Daytime high
24°
11th warmest
Overnight low
12°
1st coldest
Rainfall
32 mm
4.3 wet days
Daylight
10 h 54 min
6:55 AM – 5:47 PM
Cloud cover
42%
3rd clearest
Wind
5 km/h
7th windiest
Solar energy
3.92 kWh/m²
Travel score
8.2
out of 10

Temperature in January

Average highAverage lowShaded bands: 10–90% of days

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 24°C through the month.

A typical January day in Muang Xay reaches about 24°C in the afternoon and slips back to 12°C overnight — a 12°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 19°C and 27°C. Set against its neighbours, January runs on par with December and about 3°C cooler than February.

10°15°20°25°30°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
12312
22312
32312
42312
52312
62312
72312
82312
92312
102312
112312
122312
132312
142312
152312
162312
172412
182412
192412
202412
212412
222412
232412
242412
252412
262412
272412
282412
292412
302412
312412

How January really feels in Muang Xay

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.

Muang Xay weather by month

How January compares with the rest of the year at a glance. January is the 11th-warmest and 10th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan24° / 12°324.310.98.2
Feb26° / 13°203.811.38.0
Mar29° / 16°658.611.96.2
Apr30° / 19°14515.312.54.6
May30° / 21°23822.4133.6
Jun29° / 22°24825.613.23.1
Jul28° / 22°33128.613.13.1
Aug28° / 22°33428.112.73.3
Sep28° / 21°19922.612.14.1
Oct27° / 19°8814.211.55.9
Nov25° / 16°396.6117.6
Dec23° / 13°304.610.88.0

Cloud cover in January

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 49% of the time in January.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 23% of January, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 28%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
17129
27030
36931
46931
56733
66733
76634
86733
96634
106634
116733
126634
136733
146832
156832
166931
177030
187129
197327
207426
217525
227624
237723
247723
257822
267921
277822
287921
297921
307921
317921

Chance of precipitation in January

Any precipitation

Muang Xay gets around 32 mm of rain over 4.3 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 14% and peaks near 15% on the wettest days.

0%10%20%30%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
113
214
314
414
514
615
715
815
915
1015
1114
1214
1314
1414
1513
1613
1713
1813
1913
2013
2113
2213
2313
2413
2513
2613
2714
2814
2914
3014
3114

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 52% of days. It rarely turns muggy — the humid and sticky bands barely register.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)Muggy (%)
15237101
25237101
35138101
45138101
55138101
65138101
7523891
8523891
9523891
10523891
11533881
12533881
13543871
14543871
15543871
16543871
17553870
18553870
19543970
20543970
21534070
22524170
23514270
24514270
25504370
26504370
27504370
28504370
29504370
30524260
31524260

Wind in January

Winds average 5 km/h in January.

Across January, daily wind ranges from about 5 km/h on the calmest days to 6 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

0246810151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
15calm
25calm
35calm
45calm
55calm
65calm
75calm
85calm
95calm
105calm
115calm
125calm
135calm
145calm
155calm
165calm
175calm
185calm
195calm
205calm
215calm
225calm
236calm
246calm
256calm
266calm
276calm
286calm
296calm
306calm
316calm

Sunrise & sunset in January

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 10 h 48 min at the start of January to 11 h 06 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 6:52 AM to 6:54 AM, and sunset from 5:38 PM to 5:57 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
110.86:525:38
210.86:535:39
310.86:535:39
410.86:535:40
510.86:535:41
610.86:545:41
710.86:545:42
810.86:545:42
910.86:545:43
1010.86:555:44
1110.86:555:44
1210.86:555:45
1310.86:555:46
1410.96:555:46
1510.96:555:47
1610.96:555:47
1710.96:555:48
1810.96:555:49
1910.96:555:49
2010.96:555:50
2110.96:555:51
2210.96:555:51
2310.96:555:52
2411.06:555:53
2511.06:555:53
2611.06:555:54
2711.06:555:55
2811.06:545:55
2911.06:545:56
3011.06:545:56
3111.16:545:57

Solar energy in January

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in January, about 3.92 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 3.76 kWh/m² to a high of 5.76 kWh/m² in April across the year — January's 3.92 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
83.8Moderate
93.8Moderate
103.8Moderate
113.8Moderate
123.8Moderate
133.9Moderate
143.9Moderate
153.9Moderate
163.9Moderate
174.0Moderate
184.0Moderate
194.0Bright
204.0Bright
214.0Bright
224.1Bright
234.1Bright
244.1Bright
254.1Bright
264.2Bright
274.2Bright
284.2Bright
294.2Bright
304.3Bright
314.3Bright
Planning a trip in January

Hazard calendar for Muang Xay

In seasonPeak

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

Muang Xay's monsoon runs May–September, when most of the year's rain falls.

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

Is January a good time to visit Muang Xay?

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

8.2
Sightseeing
1st-best month of the year
6.6
Beach & pool
4th-best month of the year

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

What to pack for Muang Xay in January

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

In January, Muang Xay sees daytime highs around 24°C and nights near 12°C. Worth packing: light clothes. About 4 days see rain.

light clothes

UV index in Muang Xay in January

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in January peaks around 7 — enough to warrant sun protection. The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.

Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Muang Xay peaks around June 22 at about 13 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near December 19 at about 7 (high).

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

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecVery highVery highExtremeVery highHighJun 22UV 13Dec 19UV 7
UV index (midday)Level
Jan7Very high
Feb9Very high
Mar10Extreme
Apr9Very high
May11Extreme
Jun13Extreme
Jul13Extreme
Aug13Extreme
Sep11Extreme
Oct10Very high
Nov8Very high
Dec7High

Air quality in Muang Xay 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 Muang Xay is worst in April — around 583 µg/m³ PM2.5 (very unhealthy), about 75.7× the cleanest month (September, 8 µg/m³).

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

0306090120150180210240270300330360390420450480510540JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecModerateVery unhealthyGoodApr 15530 µg/m³Sep 118 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan12Good
Feb24Moderate
Mar210Very unhealthy
Apr583Very unhealthy
May74Unhealthy
Jun10Good
Jul8Good
Aug8Good
Sep8Good
Oct8Good
Nov8Good
Dec10Good
Location & terrain

Where is Muang Xay?

Muang Xay sits at 20.7°N, 102.0°E, 652 m above sea level, in Laos. The nearest listed city is Nong Khiaw, 67 km away.

Nong KhiawLuang NamthaLuang PrabangMuang SingDien Bien PhuBan HouakhouaMöng YawngMuang Phônsavan

Topography around Muang Xay

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Muang Xay has significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 372 m around an average of 683 m above sea level; within 16 km, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,283 m; within 80 km, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,540 m.

The land around Muang Xay is covered by trees (41%) and cropland (22%) within 3 km, trees (66%) and grassland (27%) within 16 km, and trees (85%) within 80 km.

3 km
372 m
16 km
1,283 m
80 km
1,540 m
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrain
January weather nearby: Nong Khiaw 67 km · Luang Namtha 67 km · Luang Prabang 91 km · Muang Sing 103 km · Dien Bien Phu 133 km · Ban Houakhoua 167 km · Möng Yawng 177 km · Muang Phônsavan 187 km

Laos travel facts

Travel advisory
Level 2
Exercise Increased Caution
Power plugs
Type A / B / C / E / F
230 V · 50 Hz
Prices
≈ 23% of US
price level, 2025
GDP per capita
$2,325
2025
Happiness
5.5 / 10
World Happiness, 2025
Safe drinking water
35%
of population, 2024
Road deaths
17.9
per 100k/yr, 2019
Income group
Lower middle
World Bank
English
Low
EF EPI 461
Religion
Buddhist 65%none 31%other/not stated 2%Christian 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 Muang Xay (20.6923°, 101.9837°, elevation 652 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).