Xam Nua weather in January

In January, Xam Nua sees average daytime highs of 20°C and overnight lows near 10°C, with 24 mm of rain across 4.2 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 20°C through the month. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 34% 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 Xam Nua's 5th-clearest and 7th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Xam Nua's year-round climate.

Daytime high
20°
11th warmest
Overnight low
10°
1st coldest
Rainfall
24 mm
4.2 wet days
Daylight
10 h 54 min
6:46 AM – 5:40 PM
Cloud cover
57%
5th clearest
Wind
6 km/h
7th windiest
Solar energy
3.42 kWh/m²
Travel score
7.1
out of 10

Temperature in January

Average highAverage lowShaded bands: 10–90% of days

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 20°C through the month.

A typical January day in Xam Nua reaches about 20°C in the afternoon and slips back to 10°C overnight — a 10°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 13°C and 25°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)
12010
22010
32010
42010
52010
62010
72010
82010
92010
102010
112010
122010
132010
142010
152010
162010
172010
182010
192010
202010
212010
222010
232010
242010
252010
262010
272010
282010
292010
302010
312010

Xam Nua 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
Jan20° / 10°244.210.97.1
Feb22° / 12°173.711.37.7
Mar25° / 14°6310.211.96.9
Apr27° / 17°11317.412.55.4
May28° / 20°20923.6134.0
Jun29° / 21°21724.513.23.5
Jul28° / 21°27626.813.13.6
Aug27° / 20°31227.412.73.7
Sep26° / 19°20021.512.14.6
Oct24° / 17°9214.611.56.1
Nov22° / 14°317117.2
Dec20° / 11°183.610.87.2

Cloud cover in January

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 34% of the time in January.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 14% of January, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 52%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
15347
25248
35149
45050
54951
64852
74852
84852
94852
104852
114852
124852
134852
144852
154852
164753
174951
184852
194852
204852
214852
224852
234852
244753
254753
264852
274753
284852
294852
304852
314852

Chance of precipitation in January

Any precipitation

Xam Nua gets around 24 mm of rain over 4.2 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 13% and peaks near 15% on the wettest days.

0%10%20%30%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
114
214
315
415
515
615
715
815
915
1015
1115
1214
1314
1414
1513
1613
1712
1812
1912
2012
2112
2212
2312
2412
2512
2613
2713
2813
2913
3013
3113

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 71% of days. It rarely turns muggy — the humid and sticky bands barely register.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)
170273
270273
369274
469274
569274
669274
770264
870264
970264
1070264
1170264
1271254
1371254
1471254
1572253
1672253
1772253
1872253
1972253
2073243
2173243
2273243
2373243
2472253
2572253
2672253
2771263
2871263
2971263
3071263
3172262

Wind in January

Winds average 6 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
146calm
156calm
166calm
176calm
186calm
196calm
206calm
216calm
226calm
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 6:44 AM to 6:45 AM, and sunset from 5:30 PM to 5:49 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
110.86:445:30
210.86:445:31
310.86:445:32
410.86:445:32
510.86:455:33
610.86:455:33
710.86:455:34
810.86:455:35
910.86:465:35
1010.86:465:36
1110.86:465:37
1210.96:465:37
1310.96:465:38
1410.96:465:38
1510.96:465:39
1610.96:465:40
1710.96:475:40
1810.96:475:41
1910.96:475:42
2010.96:475:42
2110.96:475:43
2211.06:465:44
2311.06:465:44
2411.06:465:45
2511.06:465:45
2611.06:465:46
2711.06:465:47
2811.06:465:47
2911.06:465:48
3011.16:455:49
3111.16:455:49

Solar energy in January

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in January, about 3.42 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 3.3 kWh/m² to a high of 5.34 kWh/m² in April across the year — January's 3.42 kWh/m² sits near the bottom.

01234151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
13.4Moderate
23.4Moderate
33.4Moderate
43.4Moderate
53.4Moderate
63.4Moderate
73.4Moderate
83.4Moderate
93.4Moderate
103.4Moderate
113.4Moderate
123.4Moderate
133.4Moderate
143.4Moderate
153.4Moderate
163.4Moderate
173.5Moderate
183.5Moderate
193.5Moderate
203.5Moderate
213.5Moderate
223.5Moderate
233.5Moderate
243.5Moderate
253.5Moderate
263.5Moderate
273.6Moderate
283.6Moderate
293.6Moderate
303.6Moderate
313.7Moderate
Planning a trip in January

Hazard calendar for Xam Nua

In seasonPeak

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

Xam Nua'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 Xam Nua?

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

7.1
Sightseeing
4th-best month of the year
3.7
Beach & pool
11th-best month of the year

January is one of the better times to visit Xam Nua for general sightseeing.

What to pack for Xam Nua in January

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

In January, Xam Nua sees daytime highs around 20°C and nights near 10°C. Little to plan around — just the basics. About 4 days see rain.

UV index in Xam Nua in January

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in January peaks around 8 — enough to warrant sun protection. The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.

Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Xam Nua peaks around August 12 at about 14 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near December 17 at about 7 (high).

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

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecVery highExtremeVery highExtremeVery highAug 12UV 14Dec 17UV 7
UV index (midday)Level
Jan8Very high
Feb10Very high
Mar10Extreme
Apr9Very high
May11Extreme
Jun14Extreme
Jul13Extreme
Aug14Extreme
Sep10Extreme
Oct10Very high
Nov8Very high
Dec7High

Air quality in Xam Nua 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 Xam Nua is worst in April — around 288 µg/m³ PM2.5 (very unhealthy), about 35.5× the cleanest month (August, 8 µg/m³).

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

0306090120150180210240270JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecModerateUnhealthyVery unhealthyUnhealthyGoodModerateApr 15263 µg/m³Aug 128 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan20Moderate
Feb28Moderate
Mar98Unhealthy
Apr288Very unhealthy
May64Unhealthy
Jun14Moderate
Jul9Good
Aug8Good
Sep11Good
Oct15Moderate
Nov15Moderate
Dec19Moderate
Location & terrain

Where is Xam Nua?

Xam Nua sits at 20.4°N, 104.0°E, 957 m above sea level, in Laos. The nearest listed city is Vieng Xai, 19 km away.

Sơn LaBản Na HỷThị Trấn Thuận ChâuÍt OngMuang PhônsavanNghĩa LộHòa Bình

Topography around Xam Nua

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Xam Nua has significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 373 m around an average of 1,033 m above sea level; within 16 km, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,118 m; within 80 km, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,963 m.

The land around Xam Nua is covered by trees (65%) within 3 km, trees (83%) within 16 km, and trees (82%) within 80 km.

3 km
373 m
16 km
1,118 m
80 km
1,963 m
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrain
January weather nearby: Vieng Xai 19 km · Sơn La 102 km · Bản Na Hỷ 108 km · Thị Trấn Thuận Châu 119 km · Ít Ong 122 km · Muang Phônsavan 140 km · Nghĩa Lộ 140 km · Hòa Bình 142 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 Xam Nua (20.4164°, 104.045°, elevation 957 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).