Benin City weather in January

In January, Benin City sees average daytime highs of 33°C and overnight lows near 22°C, with 33 mm of rain across 8.9 wet days and about 11.7 hours of daylight. It is the 2nd-warmest and 11th-wettest month of the year here.

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 33°C through the month. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 35% of the time in January, and the air most often feels oppressive.

Daylight stretches from about 11 h 36 min at the start of January to 11 h 42 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, January is Benin City's 2nd-clearest and 6th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Benin City's year-round climate.

Daytime high
33°
2nd warmest
Overnight low
22°
5th coldest
Rainfall
33 mm
8.9 wet days
Daylight
11 h 42 min
6:57 AM – 6:37 PM
Cloud cover
55%
2nd clearest
Wind
6 km/h
6th windiest
Solar energy
5.26 kWh/m²
Travel score
3.5
out of 10

Benin City is capital city of Edo State, Nigeria.

Density
1,480/km²
people per km²
Founded
1899

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 33°C through the month.

A typical January day in Benin City reaches about 33°C in the afternoon and slips back to 22°C overnight — a 11°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 31°C and 35°C. Set against its neighbours, January runs about 1°C warmer than December and on par with February.

15°20°25°30°35°40°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
13322
23322
33322
43322
53322
63322
73322
83322
93322
103322
113322
123322
133322
143322
153322
163322
173322
183323
193323
203323
213323
223323
233323
243323
253323
263323
273323
283323
293323
303323
313323

How January really feels in Benin City

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
31
heat index over the day's high
Days feeling ≤ C
0
wind chill below the day's low

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

Benin City weather by month

How January compares with the rest of the year at a glance. January is the 2nd-warmest and 11th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan33° / 22°338.911.73.5
Feb33° / 24°5814.711.82.8
Mar32° / 24°14623.8122.5
Apr31° / 24°20525.612.12.6
May31° / 23°25628.712.32.6
Jun29° / 23°29529.312.42.8
Jul28° / 22°29329.912.33.2
Aug28° / 22°26628.312.23.5
Sep29° / 22°30929.2123.0
Oct30° / 23°26329.611.92.8
Nov31° / 23°9318.611.73.4
Dec32° / 22°288.611.64.1

Cloud cover in January

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 35% of the time in January.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 18% of January, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 48%. Skies tend to cloud over as the month goes on.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
16733
26634
36535
46337
56238
66139
76040
85941
95743
105644
115545
125446
135347
145248
155149
165050
175050
184852
194852
204753
214654
224654
234654
244555
254555
264555
274555
284654
294654
304654
314654

Chance of precipitation in January

Any precipitation

Benin City gets around 33 mm of rain over 8.9 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 29% and peaks near 44% on the wettest days. The odds climb toward the end of the month.

0%10%20%30%40%50%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
117
218
318
418
518
619
719
819
920
1021
1122
1223
1324
1425
1527
1628
1729
1830
1932
2033
2134
2236
2337
2438
2540
2641
2741
2842
2943
3043
3144

Humidity in January

DryComfortableHumidMuggyOppressiveMiserable

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

By dew point, January lands in the oppressive band about 50% of days. Sticky, muggy-or-worse air turns up on roughly 81% of them.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)Muggy (%)Oppressive (%)Miserable (%)
164822537
264822537
375922516
485922506
585921507
695921507
795920507
895920497
995919507
1095919498
1195919508
1295919509
13859185010
14859185011
15759185011
16758175112
17748175113
18648165214
19648165115
20647165116
21647155117
22547155118
23537145219
24537145021
25537145022
26536134923
27536134924
28536124925
29536124826
30436124827
31436124728

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
106calm
116calm
126calm
136calm
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 11 h 36 min at the start of January to 11 h 42 min by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days grow by about 6 minutes over January. Sunrise moves from 6:52 AM to 6:59 AM, and sunset from 6:30 PM to 6:43 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
111.66:526:30
211.66:526:30
311.66:526:31
411.66:536:31
511.66:536:32
611.66:536:32
711.66:546:33
811.66:546:33
911.76:556:34
1011.76:556:34
1111.76:556:35
1211.76:566:35
1311.76:566:36
1411.76:566:36
1511.76:566:36
1611.76:576:37
1711.76:576:37
1811.76:576:38
1911.76:576:38
2011.76:586:39
2111.76:586:39
2211.76:586:39
2311.76:586:40
2411.76:586:40
2511.76:596:40
2611.76:596:41
2711.76:596:41
2811.76:596:42
2911.76:596:42
3011.76:596:42
3111.76:596:43

Solar energy in January

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in January, about 5.26 kWh/m² — the sunniest month for solar.

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 3.54 kWh/m² to a high of 5.26 kWh/m² in January across the year — January's 5.26 kWh/m² sits near the top of that range.

0246151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
15.3Bright
25.3Bright
35.3Bright
45.3Bright
55.3Bright
65.3Bright
75.3Bright
85.3Bright
95.3Bright
105.3Bright
115.3Bright
125.3Bright
135.3Bright
145.3Bright
155.3Bright
165.3Bright
175.3Bright
185.2Bright
195.2Bright
205.2Bright
215.2Bright
225.2Bright
235.2Bright
245.2Bright
255.2Bright
265.2Bright
275.2Bright
285.2Bright
295.2Bright
305.2Bright
315.2Bright
Planning a trip in January

Hazard calendar for Benin City

In seasonPeak

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

Benin City's rainy season runs March–October, when most of the year's rain falls.

Benin City sees seasonal dust haze (December–April), heaviest in February.

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

Is January a good time to visit Benin City?

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

3.5
Sightseeing
2nd-best month of the year
6.3
Beach & pool
2nd-best month of the year

January is a weaker month for outdoor sightseeing in Benin City. The water and warmth also suit a beach or pool day.

What to pack for Benin City in January

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

In January, Benin City sees daytime highs around 33°C and nights near 22°C. Pack light clothes. Worth having: rain gear and sun protection. About 9 days see rain.

light clothesrain gearsun protection

UV index in Benin City in January

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in January peaks around 8 (very high — sun protection essential). The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.

Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Benin City peaks around March 22 at about 12 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near December 21 at about 8 (very high).

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

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecVery highExtremeExtremeVery highMar 22UV 12Dec 21UV 8
UV index (midday)Level
Jan8Very high
Feb9Very high
Mar12Extreme
Apr12Extreme
May11Extreme
Jun11Extreme
Jul11Extreme
Aug9Very high
Sep12Extreme
Oct12Extreme
Nov10Very high
Dec8Very high

Air quality in Benin City 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 Benin City is worst in January — around 166 µg/m³ PM2.5 (very unhealthy), about 4.4× the cleanest month (August, 38 µg/m³).

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

0306090120150180JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecVery unhealthyUnhealthyPoorUnhealthyJan 16164 µg/m³Aug 1339 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan166Very unhealthy
Feb147Unhealthy
Mar85Unhealthy
Apr82Unhealthy
May65Unhealthy
Jun53Poor
Jul42Poor
Aug38Poor
Sep47Poor
Oct64Unhealthy
Nov76Unhealthy
Dec148Unhealthy
Location & terrain

Where is Benin City?

Benin City sits at 6.3°N, 5.6°E, 88 m above sea level, in Nigeria. The nearest listed city is Sapele, 50 km away.

UromiUbiajaWarriOwoOgwashi-Uku

Topography around Benin City

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Benin City has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 66 m around an average of 79 m above sea level; within 16 km, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 167 m; within 80 km, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 420 m.

The land around Benin City is covered by artificial surfaces (87%) within 3 km, trees (46%) and artificial surfaces (39%) within 16 km, and trees (76%) within 80 km.

3 km
66 m
16 km
167 m
80 km
420 m
treesshrubsgrasslandartificial surfaceswatermangroves
January weather nearby: Sapele 50 km · Agbor 64 km · Ekpoma 73 km · Uromi 88 km · Ubiaja 91 km · Warri 92 km · Owo 96 km · Ogwashi-Uku 101 km

Nigeria travel facts

Travel advisory
Level 3
Reconsider Travel
Power plugs
Type D / G
230 V · 50 Hz
Prices
≈ 13% of US
price level, 2025
GDP per capita
$1,224
2025
Happiness
4.8 / 10
World Happiness, 2025
Safe drinking water
30%
of population, 2024
Homicide rate
15.7
per 100k, 2023
Road deaths
20.7
per 100k/yr, 2019
Income group
Lower middle
World Bank
English
High
EF EPI 569
Religion
Muslim 54%other Christian 35%Roman Catholic 11%other 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 Benin City (6.3381°, 5.6258°, elevation 88 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).