Pemba weather in January

In January, Pemba sees average daytime highs of 30°C and overnight lows near 25°C, with 252 mm of rain across 24.9 wet days and about 12.7 hours of daylight. It is the 3rd-warmest and 1st-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 10% of the time in January, and the air most often feels miserable.

Daylight stretches from about 12 h 48 min at the start of January to 12 h 36 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, January is Pemba's 12th-clearest and 10th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Pemba's year-round climate.

Daytime high: 30°; 3rd warmest
Overnight low: 25°; 12th coldest
Rainfall: 252 mm; 24.9 wet days
Daylight: 12 h 42 min; 5:07 AM – 5:48 PM
Cloud cover: 80%; 12th clearest
Wind: 10 km/h; 10th windiest
Solar energy: 5.7 kWh/m²
Travel score: 3.1; out of 10

Pemba is city in Mozambique.

Founded: 1904

Air quality: WHO Ambient Air Quality Database. Density & description: Wikidata (CC0), GeoNames.

← December Pemba year-round climate February →Best places to visit in January

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

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 Pemba reaches about 30°C in the afternoon and slips back to 25°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 32°C. Set against its neighbours, January runs on par with December and on par with February.

	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	17	18	19	20	21	22	23	24	25	26	27	28	29	30	31
Avg high (°C)	31	31	30	30	30	30	30	30	30	30	30	30	30	30	30	30	30	30	30	30	30	30	30	30	30	30	30	30	30	30	30
Avg low (°C)	25	25	25	25	25	25	25	25	25	25	25	25	25	25	25	25	25	25	25	25	25	25	25	25	25	25	25	25	25	25	25

	Avg high (°C)	Avg low (°C)
1	31	25
2	31	25
3	30	25
4	30	25
5	30	25
6	30	25
7	30	25
8	30	25
9	30	25
10	30	25
11	30	25
12	30	25
13	30	25
14	30	25
15	30	25
16	30	25
17	30	25
18	30	25
19	30	25
20	30	25
21	30	25
22	30	25
23	30	25
24	30	25
25	30	25
26	30	25
27	30	25
28	30	25
29	30	25
30	30	25
31	30	25

How January really feels in Pemba

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

heat index over the day's high

Days feeling ≤ 0°C

wind chill below the day's low

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

Pemba weather by month

How January compares with the rest of the year at a glance. January is the 3rd-warmest and 1st-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

Month	High / Low (°C)	Rainfall (mm)	Wet days	Daylight (hours)	Travel score
Jan	30° / 25°	252	24.9	12.7	3.1
Feb	30° / 25°	213	23.1	12.4	3.0
Mar	30° / 25°	206	24.7	12.1	3.3
Apr	30° / 24°	95	16.4	11.7	4.6
May	29° / 23°	23	6	11.4	6.4
Jun	28° / 21°	10	3.4	11.3	7.6
Jul	27° / 21°	9	2.9	11.3	7.9
Aug	28° / 21°	11	4.2	11.6	7.7
Sep	29° / 22°	11	3.4	11.9	7.0
Oct	30° / 23°	18	5.2	12.3	6.0
Nov	31° / 25°	42	9	12.6	4.9
Dec	31° / 25°	166	20	12.7	3.6

Cloud cover in January

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 10% of the time in January, the cloudiest month of the year.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 11% of January, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 78%.

	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	17	18	19	20	21	22	23	24	25	26	27	28	29	30	31
Clearer (%)	26	26	24	23	22	19	19	18	17	17	17	17	17	19	19	20	21	22	22	23	23	23	24	24	24	24	24	24	23	23	23
Cloudier (%)	74	74	76	77	78	81	81	82	83	83	83	83	83	81	81	80	79	78	78	77	77	77	76	76	76	76	76	76	77	77	77

	Clearer (%)	Cloudier (%)
1	26	74
2	26	74
3	24	76
4	23	77
5	22	78
6	19	81
7	19	81
8	18	82
9	17	83
10	17	83
11	17	83
12	17	83
13	17	83
14	19	81
15	19	81
16	20	80
17	21	79
18	22	78
19	22	78
20	23	77
21	23	77
22	23	77
23	24	76
24	24	76
25	24	76
26	24	76
27	24	76
28	24	76
29	23	77
30	23	77
31	23	77

Chance of precipitation in January

Any precipitation

Pemba gets around 252 mm of rain over 24.9 wet days in January, the wettest month. The line is the day-by-day chance of measurable precipitation.

Day to day, the chance of measurable rain averages around 79% and peaks near 81% on the wettest days.

	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	17	18	19	20	21	22	23	24	25	26	27	28	29	30	31
Rain chance (%)	76	76	77	78	78	79	80	80	81	81	81	81	81	81	81	81	80	80	80	80	80	79	79	79	79	79	79	79	79	79	79

	Rain chance (%)
1	76
2	76
3	77
4	78
5	78
6	79
7	80
8	80
9	81
10	81
11	81
12	81
13	81
14	81
15	81
16	81
17	80
18	80
19	80
20	80
21	80
22	79
23	79
24	79
25	79
26	79
27	79
28	79
29	79
30	79
31	79

Humidity in January

DryComfortableHumidMuggyOppressiveMiserable

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

By dew point, January lands in the miserable band about 75% of days. Sticky, muggy-or-worse air turns up on roughly 100% of them.

	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	17	18	19	20	21	22	23	24	25	26	27	28	29	30	31
Oppressive (%)	27	27	27	27	27	27	26	26	26	26	26	26	26	25	25	25	24	24	24	24	23	23	23	23	23	23	23	23	23	23	23
Miserable (%)	73	73	73	73	73	73	74	74	74	74	74	74	74	75	75	75	76	76	76	76	77	77	77	77	77	77	77	77	77	77	77

	Oppressive (%)	Miserable (%)
1	27	73
2	27	73
3	27	73
4	27	73
5	27	73
6	27	73
7	26	74
8	26	74
9	26	74
10	26	74
11	26	74
12	26	74
13	26	74
14	25	75
15	25	75
16	25	75
17	24	76
18	24	76
19	24	76
20	24	76
21	23	77
22	23	77
23	23	77
24	23	77
25	23	77
26	23	77
27	23	77
28	23	77
29	23	77
30	23	77
31	23	77

Wind in January

Winds average 10 km/h in January.

Across January, daily wind ranges from about 9 km/h on the calmest days to 10 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	17	18	19	20	21	22	23	24	25	26	27	28	29	30	31
Wind speed (km/h)	10	10	10	10	10	10	10	10	10	10	10	10	10	10	10	10	10	10	10	10	10	10	10	10	10	9	9	9	9	9	9
Feels	calm	calm	calm	calm	calm	calm	calm	calm	calm	calm	calm	calm	calm	calm	calm	calm	calm	calm	calm	calm	calm	calm	calm	calm	calm	calm	calm	calm	calm	calm	calm

	Wind speed (km/h)	Feels
1	10	calm
2	10	calm
3	10	calm
4	10	calm
5	10	calm
6	10	calm
7	10	calm
8	10	calm
9	10	calm
10	10	calm
11	10	calm
12	10	calm
13	10	calm
14	10	calm
15	10	calm
16	10	calm
17	10	calm
18	10	calm
19	10	calm
20	10	calm
21	10	calm
22	10	calm
23	10	calm
24	10	calm
25	10	calm
26	9	calm
27	9	calm
28	9	calm
29	9	calm
30	9	calm
31	9	calm

Sunrise & sunset in January

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 12 h 48 min at the start of January to 12 h 36 min by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days shrink by about 12 minutes over January. Sunrise moves from 4:59 AM to 5:14 AM, and sunset from 5:44 PM to 5:49 PM.

	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	17	18	19	20	21	22	23	24	25	26	27	28	29	30	31
Daylight (h)	12.8	12.7	12.7	12.7	12.7	12.7	12.7	12.7	12.7	12.7	12.7	12.7	12.7	12.7	12.7	12.7	12.7	12.7	12.7	12.7	12.7	12.6	12.6	12.6	12.6	12.6	12.6	12.6	12.6	12.6	12.6
Sunrise (AM)	4:59	4:59	5:00	5:00	5:01	5:01	5:02	5:02	5:03	5:03	5:04	5:04	5:05	5:06	5:06	5:07	5:07	5:08	5:08	5:09	5:09	5:10	5:10	5:11	5:11	5:12	5:12	5:13	5:13	5:14	5:14
Sunset (PM)	5:44	5:44	5:44	5:45	5:45	5:45	5:46	5:46	5:46	5:47	5:47	5:47	5:47	5:47	5:48	5:48	5:48	5:48	5:48	5:48	5:48	5:49	5:49	5:49	5:49	5:49	5:49	5:49	5:49	5:49	5:49

	Daylight (h)	Sunrise (AM)	Sunset (PM)
1	12.8	4:59	5:44
2	12.7	4:59	5:44
3	12.7	5:00	5:44
4	12.7	5:00	5:45
5	12.7	5:01	5:45
6	12.7	5:01	5:45
7	12.7	5:02	5:46
8	12.7	5:02	5:46
9	12.7	5:03	5:46
10	12.7	5:03	5:47
11	12.7	5:04	5:47
12	12.7	5:04	5:47
13	12.7	5:05	5:47
14	12.7	5:06	5:47
15	12.7	5:06	5:48
16	12.7	5:07	5:48
17	12.7	5:07	5:48
18	12.7	5:08	5:48
19	12.7	5:08	5:48
20	12.7	5:09	5:48
21	12.7	5:09	5:48
22	12.6	5:10	5:49
23	12.6	5:10	5:49
24	12.6	5:11	5:49
25	12.6	5:11	5:49
26	12.6	5:12	5:49
27	12.6	5:12	5:49
28	12.6	5:13	5:49
29	12.6	5:13	5:49
30	12.6	5:14	5:49
31	12.6	5:14	5:49

Solar energy in January

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in January, about 5.7 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 4.55 kWh/m² to a high of 6.91 kWh/m² in November across the year — January's 5.7 kWh/m² falls in the middle.

	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	17	18	19	20	21	22	23	24	25	26	27	28	29	30	31
Solar energy (kWh/m²)	5.9	5.9	5.8	5.8	5.8	5.8	5.8	5.7	5.7	5.7	5.7	5.7	5.7	5.7	5.7	5.7	5.7	5.7	5.7	5.7	5.7	5.7	5.7	5.7	5.7	5.7	5.7	5.7	5.7	5.7	5.7
Level	Bright	Bright	Bright	Bright	Bright	Bright	Bright	Bright	Bright	Bright	Bright	Bright	Bright	Bright	Bright	Bright	Bright	Bright	Bright	Bright	Bright	Bright	Bright	Bright	Bright	Bright	Bright	Bright	Bright	Bright	Bright

	Solar energy (kWh/m²)	Level
1	5.9	Bright
2	5.9	Bright
3	5.8	Bright
4	5.8	Bright
5	5.8	Bright
6	5.8	Bright
7	5.8	Bright
8	5.7	Bright
9	5.7	Bright
10	5.7	Bright
11	5.7	Bright
12	5.7	Bright
13	5.7	Bright
14	5.7	Bright
15	5.7	Bright
16	5.7	Bright
17	5.7	Bright
18	5.7	Bright
19	5.7	Bright
20	5.7	Bright
21	5.7	Bright
22	5.7	Bright
23	5.7	Bright
24	5.7	Bright
25	5.7	Bright
26	5.7	Bright
27	5.7	Bright
28	5.7	Bright
29	5.7	Bright
30	5.7	Bright
31	5.7	Bright

Planning a trip in January

Hazard calendar for Pemba

In seasonPeak

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

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

Pemba's monsoon runs December–March, when most of the year's rain falls.

Cyclone

Monsoon

Jan

Feb

Mar

Apr

May

Jun

Jul

Aug

Sep

Oct

Nov

Dec

Is January a good time to visit Pemba?

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

3.1

Sightseeing

11th-best month of the year

4.4

Beach & pool

11th-best month of the year

January is a weaker month for outdoor sightseeing in Pemba.

What to pack for Pemba in January

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

In January, Pemba sees daytime highs around 30°C and nights near 25°C. Pack light clothes and rain gear. Worth having: sun protection. About 25 days see rain.

light clothesrain gearsun protection

Sea temperature near Pemba in January

The nearest coast averages about 29°C in January — the other half of the beach question. The full-year curve and swim-comfort zones are below.

The sea at the nearest coast (about 16 km away) is warmest in March at about 29°C and coldest in August near 26°C.

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

	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec
Sea temperature (°C)	29	29	29	29	28	27	26	26	26	27	28	29
Comfort	Tropical	Tropical	Tropical	Tropical	Tropical	Warm	Warm	Warm	Warm	Warm	Warm	Tropical

	Sea temperature (°C)	Comfort
Jan	29	Tropical
Feb	29	Tropical
Mar	29	Tropical
Apr	29	Tropical
May	28	Tropical
Jun	27	Warm
Jul	26	Warm
Aug	26	Warm
Sep	26	Warm
Oct	27	Warm
Nov	28	Warm
Dec	29	Tropical

UV index in Pemba in January

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in January peaks around 15 (very high — sun protection essential). The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.

Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Pemba peaks around February 11 at about 15 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near June 21 at about 9 (very high).

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

	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec
UV index (midday)	15	15	14	12	10	9	9	10	12	13	12	14
Level	Extreme	Extreme	Extreme	Extreme	Very high	Very high	Very high	Extreme	Extreme	Extreme	Extreme	Extreme

	UV index (midday)	Level
Jan	15	Extreme
Feb	15	Extreme
Mar	14	Extreme
Apr	12	Extreme
May	10	Very high
Jun	9	Very high
Jul	9	Very high
Aug	10	Extreme
Sep	12	Extreme
Oct	13	Extreme
Nov	12	Extreme
Dec	14	Extreme

Location & terrain

Where is Pemba?

Pemba sits at 13.0°S, 40.5°E, 50 m above sea level, in Mozambique. The nearest listed city is Macomia, 92 km away.

Topography around Pemba

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Pemba has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 105 m around an average of 24 m above sea level; within 16 km, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 142 m; within 80 km, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 672 m.

The land around Pemba is covered by water (41%) and artificial surfaces (37%) within 3 km, water (55%) and grassland (24%) within 16 km, and water (36%) and trees (32%) within 80 km.

3 km

105 m

water 41%

16 km

142 m

water 55%

80 km

672 m

water 36%

treesshrubsgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwaterwetlandmangroves

← December Pemba year-round climate February →Best places to visit in January

January weather nearby: Macomia 92 km · Chiúre 92 km · Namapa-erati 111 km · Montepuez 165 km · Nacala 178 km · Mueda 180 km · Mocímboa da Praia 181 km · Mocímboa 185 km

Mozambique travel facts

Travel advisory: Level 2; Exercise Increased Caution
Power plugs: Type C / F / M; 220 V · 50 Hz
Prices: ≈ 37% of US; price level, 2025
GDP per capita: $627; 2025
Happiness: 5.3 / 10; World Happiness, 2025
Safe drinking water: 28%; of population, 2024
Homicide rate: 3.6; per 100k, 2011
Road deaths: 30; per 100k/yr, 2019
Income group: Low; World Bank
English: Low; EF EPI 465
Religion

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 Pemba (-12.974°, 40.5177°, elevation 50 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).

	Avg high (°C)	Avg low (°C)
1	31	25
2	31	25
3	30	25
4	30	25
5	30	25
6	30	25
7	30	25
8	30	25
9	30	25
10	30	25
11	30	25
12	30	25
13	30	25
14	30	25
15	30	25
16	30	25
17	30	25
18	30	25
19	30	25
20	30	25
21	30	25
22	30	25
23	30	25
24	30	25
25	30	25
26	30	25
27	30	25
28	30	25
29	30	25
30	30	25
31	30	25

	Clearer (%)	Cloudier (%)
1	26	74
2	26	74
3	24	76
4	23	77
5	22	78
6	19	81
7	19	81
8	18	82
9	17	83
10	17	83
11	17	83
12	17	83
13	17	83
14	19	81
15	19	81
16	20	80
17	21	79
18	22	78
19	22	78
20	23	77
21	23	77
22	23	77
23	24	76
24	24	76
25	24	76
26	24	76
27	24	76
28	24	76
29	23	77
30	23	77
31	23	77

	Rain chance (%)
1	76
2	76
3	77
4	78
5	78
6	79
7	80
8	80
9	81
10	81
11	81
12	81
13	81
14	81
15	81
16	81
17	80
18	80
19	80
20	80
21	80
22	79
23	79
24	79
25	79
26	79
27	79
28	79
29	79
30	79
31	79

	Oppressive (%)	Miserable (%)
1	27	73
2	27	73
3	27	73
4	27	73
5	27	73
6	27	73
7	26	74
8	26	74
9	26	74
10	26	74
11	26	74
12	26	74
13	26	74
14	25	75
15	25	75
16	25	75
17	24	76
18	24	76
19	24	76
20	24	76
21	23	77
22	23	77
23	23	77
24	23	77
25	23	77
26	23	77
27	23	77
28	23	77
29	23	77
30	23	77
31	23	77

	Avg high (°C)	Avg low (°C)
1	31	25
2	31	25
3	30	25
4	30	25
5	30	25
6	30	25
7	30	25
8	30	25
9	30	25
10	30	25
11	30	25
12	30	25
13	30	25
14	30	25
15	30	25
16	30	25
17	30	25
18	30	25
19	30	25
20	30	25
21	30	25
22	30	25
23	30	25
24	30	25
25	30	25
26	30	25
27	30	25
28	30	25
29	30	25
30	30	25
31	30	25

	Clearer (%)	Cloudier (%)
1	26	74
2	26	74
3	24	76
4	23	77
5	22	78
6	19	81
7	19	81
8	18	82
9	17	83
10	17	83
11	17	83
12	17	83
13	17	83
14	19	81
15	19	81
16	20	80
17	21	79
18	22	78
19	22	78
20	23	77
21	23	77
22	23	77
23	24	76
24	24	76
25	24	76
26	24	76
27	24	76
28	24	76
29	23	77
30	23	77
31	23	77

	Rain chance (%)
1	76
2	76
3	77
4	78
5	78
6	79
7	80
8	80
9	81
10	81
11	81
12	81
13	81
14	81
15	81
16	81
17	80
18	80
19	80
20	80
21	80
22	79
23	79
24	79
25	79
26	79
27	79
28	79
29	79
30	79
31	79

	Oppressive (%)	Miserable (%)
1	27	73
2	27	73
3	27	73
4	27	73
5	27	73
6	27	73
7	26	74
8	26	74
9	26	74
10	26	74
11	26	74
12	26	74
13	26	74
14	25	75
15	25	75
16	25	75
17	24	76
18	24	76
19	24	76
20	24	76
21	23	77
22	23	77
23	23	77
24	23	77
25	23	77
26	23	77
27	23	77
28	23	77
29	23	77
30	23	77
31	23	77

	Avg high (°C)	Avg low (°C)
1	31	25
2	31	25
3	30	25
4	30	25
5	30	25
6	30	25
7	30	25
8	30	25
9	30	25
10	30	25
11	30	25
12	30	25
13	30	25
14	30	25
15	30	25
16	30	25
17	30	25
18	30	25
19	30	25
20	30	25
21	30	25
22	30	25
23	30	25
24	30	25
25	30	25
26	30	25
27	30	25
28	30	25
29	30	25
30	30	25
31	30	25

	Clearer (%)	Cloudier (%)
1	26	74
2	26	74
3	24	76
4	23	77
5	22	78
6	19	81
7	19	81
8	18	82
9	17	83
10	17	83
11	17	83
12	17	83
13	17	83
14	19	81
15	19	81
16	20	80
17	21	79
18	22	78
19	22	78
20	23	77
21	23	77
22	23	77
23	24	76
24	24	76
25	24	76
26	24	76
27	24	76
28	24	76
29	23	77
30	23	77
31	23	77

	Rain chance (%)
1	76
2	76
3	77
4	78
5	78
6	79
7	80
8	80
9	81
10	81
11	81
12	81
13	81
14	81
15	81
16	81
17	80
18	80
19	80
20	80
21	80
22	79
23	79
24	79
25	79
26	79
27	79
28	79
29	79
30	79
31	79

	Oppressive (%)	Miserable (%)
1	27	73
2	27	73
3	27	73
4	27	73
5	27	73
6	27	73
7	26	74
8	26	74
9	26	74
10	26	74
11	26	74
12	26	74
13	26	74
14	25	75
15	25	75
16	25	75
17	24	76
18	24	76
19	24	76
20	24	76
21	23	77
22	23	77
23	23	77
24	23	77
25	23	77
26	23	77
27	23	77
28	23	77
29	23	77
30	23	77
31	23	77