Timbuktu weather in January

In January, Timbuktu sees average daytime highs of 28°C and overnight lows near 15°C, with 1 mm of rain across 0.1 wet days and about 11.1 hours of daylight. It is the 12th-warmest and 7th-wettest month of the year here.

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 28°C through the month. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 56% of the time in January, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 11 hours at the start of January to 11 h 12 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, January is Timbuktu's 10th-clearest and 2nd-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Timbuktu's year-round climate.

Daytime high
28°
12th warmest
Overnight low
15°
1st coldest
Rainfall
1 mm
0.1 wet days
Daylight
11 h 06 min
6:48 AM – 5:54 PM
Cloud cover
38%
10th clearest
Wind
17 km/h
2nd windiest
Solar energy
5.41 kWh/m²
Travel score
7.8
out of 10

Timbuktu is city in Mali.

Founded
~450 BCE

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 28°C through the month.

A typical January day in Timbuktu reaches about 28°C in the afternoon and slips back to 15°C overnight — a 13°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 24°C and 32°C. Set against its neighbours, January runs about 2°C cooler than December and about 3°C cooler than February.

10°15°20°25°30°35°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
12815
22815
32815
42815
52815
62815
72815
82815
92815
102815
112815
122815
132815
142815
152815
162815
172815
182815
192815
202815
212815
222815
232815
242815
252915
262915
272915
282915
292916
302916
312916

How January really feels in Timbuktu

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.

Timbuktu weather by month

How January compares with the rest of the year at a glance. January is the 12th-warmest and 7th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan28° / 15°10.111.17.8
Feb31° / 17°0011.45.7
Mar35° / 21°00.111.93.1
Apr39° / 25°00.112.40.6
May41° / 28°20.612.80.0
Jun41° / 30°52.2130.0
Jul38° / 28°255.512.91.0
Aug37° / 27°478.812.61.9
Sep38° / 27°163.712.11.3
Oct38° / 25°30.911.61.5
Nov34° / 20°0011.23.9
Dec30° / 16°00116.7

Cloud cover in January

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 56% of the time in January.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 13% of January, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 31%. Skies tend to open up as the month goes on.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
16634
26634
36634
46634
56634
66634
76733
86733
96733
106733
116832
126832
136931
146931
156931
166931
177030
186931
196931
206931
216931
226931
237030
247129
257129
267129
277228
287228
297228
307327
317426

Chance of precipitation in January

Any precipitation

Timbuktu gets around 1 mm of rain over 0.1 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 0% and peaks near 1% on the wettest days.

0%10%20%30%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
80
90
100
110
120
130
140
150
160
170
181
191
201
211
221
231
241
251
261
271
281
290
300
310

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 (%)Comfortable (%)
11000
21000
31000
41000
51000
61000
71000
81000
91000
101000
111000
121000
131000
141000
151000
161000
171000
18991
19991
20991
21991
22991
23991
24991
25991
26991
27991
28991
29991
30991
31991

Wind in January

Winds average 17 km/h in January.

Across January, daily wind ranges from about 17 km/h on the calmest days to 17 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

05101520151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
117light breeze
217light breeze
317light breeze
417light breeze
517light breeze
617light breeze
717light breeze
817light breeze
917light breeze
1017light breeze
1117light breeze
1217light breeze
1317light breeze
1417light breeze
1517light breeze
1617light breeze
1717light breeze
1817light breeze
1917light breeze
2017light breeze
2117light breeze
2217light breeze
2317light breeze
2417light breeze
2517light breeze
2617light breeze
2717light breeze
2817light breeze
2917light breeze
3017light breeze
3117light breeze

Sunrise & sunset in January

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 11 hours at the start of January to 11 h 12 min by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days grow by about 12 minutes over January. Sunrise moves from 6:45 AM to 6:48 AM, and sunset from 5:46 PM to 6:03 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
111.06:455:46
211.06:455:46
311.06:455:47
411.06:465:47
511.06:465:48
611.06:465:48
711.06:475:49
811.06:475:50
911.16:475:50
1011.16:475:51
1111.16:485:51
1211.16:485:52
1311.16:485:53
1411.16:485:53
1511.16:485:54
1611.16:485:54
1711.16:485:55
1811.16:495:55
1911.16:495:56
2011.16:495:57
2111.16:495:57
2211.26:495:58
2311.26:495:58
2411.26:495:59
2511.26:495:59
2611.26:496:00
2711.26:486:01
2811.26:486:01
2911.26:486:02
3011.26:486:02
3111.26:486:03

Solar energy in January

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in January, about 5.41 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 5.23 kWh/m² to a high of 7.35 kWh/m² in April across the year — January's 5.41 kWh/m² sits near the bottom.

0246151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
15.2Bright
25.2Bright
35.2Bright
45.3Bright
55.3Bright
65.3Bright
75.3Bright
85.3Bright
95.3Bright
105.3Bright
115.3Bright
125.3Bright
135.3Bright
145.4Bright
155.4Bright
165.4Bright
175.4Bright
185.4Bright
195.5Bright
205.5Bright
215.5Bright
225.5Bright
235.5Bright
245.6Bright
255.6Bright
265.6Bright
275.6Bright
285.7Bright
295.7Bright
305.7Bright
315.8Bright
Planning a trip in January

Hazard calendar for Timbuktu

In seasonPeak

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

Timbuktu sees dust haze year-round, heaviest in June.

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

Is January a good time to visit Timbuktu?

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

7.8
Sightseeing
1st-best month of the year
8.7
Beach & pool
1st-best month of the year

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

What to pack for Timbuktu in January

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

In January, Timbuktu sees daytime highs around 28°C and nights near 15°C. Pack light clothes. Worth having: sun protection.

light clothessun protection

UV index in Timbuktu 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 Timbuktu peaks around March 20 at about 13 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near December 18 at about 7 (very high).

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

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecVery highExtremeVery highMar 20UV 13Dec 18UV 7
UV index (midday)Level
Jan8Very high
Feb10Very high
Mar13Extreme
Apr12Extreme
May11Extreme
Jun10Extreme
Jul11Extreme
Aug13Extreme
Sep12Extreme
Oct11Extreme
Nov8Very high
Dec7High

Air quality in Timbuktu 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 Timbuktu is worst in February — around 92 µg/m³ PM2.5 (unhealthy), about 3.6× the cleanest month (August, 25 µg/m³).

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

0306090120JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecUnhealthyPoorModeratePoorUnhealthyFeb 1191 µg/m³Aug 2126 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan89Unhealthy
Feb92Unhealthy
Mar84Unhealthy
Apr65Unhealthy
May67Unhealthy
Jun57Unhealthy
Jul36Poor
Aug25Moderate
Sep27Moderate
Oct50Poor
Nov52Poor
Dec78Unhealthy
Location & terrain

Where is Timbuktu?

Timbuktu sits at 16.8°N, 3.0°W, 274 m above sea level, in Mali. The nearest listed city is Diré, 71 km away.

DouentzaBandiagaraBouremMoptiKoroI-n-Tillit

Topography around Timbuktu

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Timbuktu has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 19 m around an average of 263 m above sea level; within 16 km, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 21 m; within 80 km, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 294 m.

The land around Timbuktu is covered by bare terrain (78%) within 3 km, bare terrain (45%) and grassland (42%) within 16 km, and grassland (52%) and bare terrain (42%) within 80 km.

3 km
19 m
16 km
21 m
80 km
294 m
treesshrubsgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwaterwetland
January weather nearby: Diré 71 km · Goundam 81 km · Douentza 197 km · Bandiagara 277 km · Bourem 284 km · Mopti 284 km · Koro 301 km · I-n-Tillit 304 km

Mali travel facts

Travel advisory
Level 4
Do Not Travel
Power plugs
Type C / E
220 V · 50 Hz
Prices
≈ 34% of US
price level, 2025
GDP per capita
$1,193
2025
Happiness
4.6 / 10
World Happiness, 2025
Road deaths
22.7
per 100k/yr, 2019
Income group
Low
World Bank
English
Very low
EF EPI 408
Religion
Muslim 94%Christian 3%none 3%animist 1%

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 Timbuktu (16.7735°, -3.0074°, elevation 274 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).