Nouadhibou weather in January

In January, Nouadhibou sees average daytime highs of 21°C and overnight lows near 16°C, with 3 mm of rain across 0.5 wet days and about 10.9 hours of daylight. It is the 12th-warmest and 2nd-wettest month of the year here.

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 21°C through the month. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 68% of the time in January, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 10 h 42 min at the start of January to 11 hours by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, January is Nouadhibou's 9th-clearest and 10th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Nouadhibou's year-round climate.

Daytime high
21°
12th warmest
Overnight low
16°
1st coldest
Rainfall
3 mm
0.5 wet days
Daylight
10 h 54 min
7:52 AM – 6:43 PM
Cloud cover
28%
9th clearest
Wind
22 km/h
10th windiest
Solar energy
4.85 kWh/m²
Travel score
8.5
out of 10

Nouadhibou is city in Mauritania.

Founded
1906

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 21°C through the month.

A typical January day in Nouadhibou reaches about 21°C in the afternoon and slips back to 16°C overnight — a 5°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 19°C and 23°C. Set against its neighbours, January runs about 1°C cooler than December and on par with February.

10°15°20°25°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
12117
22117
32116
42116
52116
62116
72116
82116
92116
102116
112116
122116
132116
142116
152116
162116
172116
182116
192116
202116
212116
222116
232116
242116
252116
262116
272116
282116
292116
302116
312116

Nouadhibou weather by month

How January compares with the rest of the year at a glance. January is the 12th-warmest and 2nd-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan21° / 16°30.510.98.5
Feb21° / 17°10.311.38.6
Mar22° / 17°20.211.98.9
Apr22° / 18°00.112.58.8
May22° / 18°00.1139.1
Jun24° / 19°0013.29.6
Jul24° / 21°0013.19.7
Aug26° / 22°20.212.79.2
Sep27° / 23°20.512.18.8
Oct25° / 21°40.511.58.9
Nov23° / 19°10.2118.9
Dec22° / 17°10.210.88.5

Cloud cover in January

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 68% of the time in January.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 9% of January, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 23%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
17129
27327
37426
47525
57624
67723
77822
87822
97822
107822
117822
127921
137921
147921
157921
167921
177921
187921
197921
207822
217822
227822
237723
247723
257624
267624
277624
287525
297525
307525
317525

Chance of precipitation in January

Any precipitation

Nouadhibou gets around 3 mm of rain over 0.5 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 1% and peaks near 2% on the wettest days.

0%10%20%30%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
11
21
31
41
51
61
71
81
91
101
111
121
131
141
151
161
171
181
191
201
212
222
232
242
252
262
272
282
292
302
312

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 77% of days. It rarely turns muggy — the humid and sticky bands barely register.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)Muggy (%)
1702271
2712171
3712171
4732160
5732160
6742060
7752050
8761950
9761950
10781840
11781840
12791740
13791740
14801730
15811630
16811630
17811630
18811630
19811630
20811630
21801640
22801640
23801640
24781750
25781750
26771760
27761770
28761770
29761770
30751780
31751780

Wind in January

Winds average 22 km/h in January.

Across January, daily wind ranges from about 21 km/h on the calmest days to 23 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

0510152025151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
121breezy
221breezy
321breezy
421breezy
521breezy
621breezy
721breezy
821breezy
921breezy
1021breezy
1121breezy
1221breezy
1322breezy
1422breezy
1522breezy
1622breezy
1722breezy
1822breezy
1922breezy
2022breezy
2122breezy
2222breezy
2322breezy
2422breezy
2522breezy
2622breezy
2722breezy
2822breezy
2922breezy
3022breezy
3123breezy

Sunrise & sunset in January

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 10 h 42 min at the start of January to 11 hours by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days grow by about 18 minutes over January. Sunrise moves from 7:49 AM to 7:50 AM, and sunset from 6:34 PM to 6:53 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
110.77:496:34
210.87:496:34
310.87:496:35
410.87:506:36
510.87:506:36
610.87:506:37
710.87:516:37
810.87:516:38
910.87:516:39
1010.87:516:39
1110.87:516:40
1210.87:516:41
1310.87:526:41
1410.87:526:42
1510.87:526:42
1610.97:526:43
1710.97:526:44
1810.97:526:44
1910.97:526:45
2010.97:526:46
2110.97:526:46
2210.97:526:47
2310.97:526:48
2410.97:526:48
2511.07:516:49
2611.07:516:50
2711.07:516:50
2811.07:516:51
2911.07:516:51
3011.07:506:52
3111.07:506:53

Solar energy in January

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in January, about 4.85 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 4.53 kWh/m² to a high of 7.6 kWh/m² in May across the year — January's 4.85 kWh/m² sits near the bottom.

0246151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
14.6Bright
24.6Bright
34.6Bright
44.6Bright
54.7Bright
64.7Bright
74.7Bright
84.7Bright
94.7Bright
104.8Bright
114.8Bright
124.8Bright
134.8Bright
144.8Bright
154.8Bright
164.9Bright
174.9Bright
184.9Bright
194.9Bright
205.0Bright
215.0Bright
225.0Bright
235.0Bright
245.0Bright
255.0Bright
265.1Bright
275.1Bright
285.1Bright
295.1Bright
305.2Bright
315.2Bright
Planning a trip in January

Hazard calendar for Nouadhibou

In seasonPeak

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

Nouadhibou sits in the Atlantic hurricane belt; the season peaks August–October.

Nouadhibou sees seasonal dust haze (May–October), heaviest in July.

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

Is January a good time to visit Nouadhibou?

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

8.5
Sightseeing
11th-best month of the year
4.9
Beach & pool
12th-best month of the year

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

What to pack for Nouadhibou in January

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

In January, Nouadhibou sees daytime highs around 21°C and nights near 16°C. Worth packing: sun protection and a windbreaker.

sun protectiona windbreaker

Sea temperature near Nouadhibou in January

The nearest coast averages about 18°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 September at about 23°C and coldest in January near 18°C.

It's comfortable for a long swim from Jul 6 to Nov 9 — about 4.2 months when the water holds above 20°C.

16°18°20°22°24°JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDeccoolrefreshingwarmcomfortable to swim
Sea temperature (°C)Comfort
Jan18Cool
Feb18Cool
Mar18Cool
Apr18Cool
May18Cool
Jun19Cool
Jul21Refreshing
Aug23Refreshing
Sep23Refreshing
Oct21Refreshing
Nov20Cool
Dec19Cool

UV index in Nouadhibou in January

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in January peaks around 6 — enough to warrant sun protection. The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.

Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Nouadhibou peaks around March 21 at about 10 (very high) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near December 19 at about 6 (high).

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

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecVery highHighMar 21UV 10Dec 19UV 6
UV index (midday)Level
Jan6High
Feb9Very high
Mar10Very high
Apr10Very high
May9Very high
Jun10Very high
Jul7Very high
Aug8Very high
Sep10Very high
Oct9Very high
Nov7High
Dec5High

Air quality in Nouadhibou 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 Nouadhibou is worst in January — around 68 µg/m³ PM2.5 (unhealthy), about 3.0× the cleanest month (May, 22 µg/m³).

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

020406080JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecUnhealthyPoorModeratePoorModeratePoorUnhealthyJan 1267 µg/m³May 922 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan68Unhealthy
Feb57Unhealthy
Mar43Poor
Apr23Moderate
May22Moderate
Jun34Moderate
Jul32Moderate
Aug35Moderate
Sep40Poor
Oct34Moderate
Nov35Poor
Dec64Unhealthy
Location & terrain

Where is Nouadhibou?

Nouadhibou sits at 20.9°N, 17.0°W, 16 m above sea level, in Mauritania. The nearest listed city is Akjoujt, 307 km away.

AkjoujtDakhlaTevragh ZeinaKsarDar NaimNouakchottAtarBoutilimitt

Topography around Nouadhibou

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Nouadhibou has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 21 m around an average of 7 m above sea level; within 16 km, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 29 m; within 80 km, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 71 m.

The land around Nouadhibou is covered by bare terrain (62%) and artificial surfaces (25%) within 3 km, water (77%) and bare terrain (21%) within 16 km, and water (53%) and bare terrain (47%) within 80 km.

3 km
21 m
16 km
29 m
80 km
71 m
grasslandartificial surfacesbare terrainwaterwetland
January weather nearby: Akjoujt 307 km · Dakhla 325 km · Tevragh Zeina 335 km · Ksar 336 km · Dar Naim 336 km · Nouakchott 336 km · Atar 418 km · Boutilimitt 451 km

Mauritania travel facts

Travel advisory
Level 3
Reconsider Travel
Power plugs
Type C / E / F
220 V · 50 Hz
Prices
≈ 31% of US
price level, 2025
GDP per capita
$2,198
2025
Happiness
4.5 / 10
World Happiness, 2025
Homicide rate
1
per 100k, 2020
Road deaths
25.6
per 100k/yr, 2019
Income group
Lower middle
World Bank
Religion
Muslim 100%

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 Nouadhibou (20.9419°, -17.0384°, elevation 16 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. 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).