Port Harcourt weather in January

In January, Port Harcourt sees average daytime highs of 32°C and overnight lows near 24°C, with 49 mm of rain across 13.2 wet days and about 11.8 hours of daylight. It is the 2nd-warmest and 12th-wettest month of the year here.

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 32°C through the month. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 25% of the time in January, and the air most often feels oppressive.

Daylight stretches from about 11 h 42 min at the start of January to 11 h 48 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, January is Port Harcourt's 2nd-clearest and 5th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Port Harcourt's year-round climate.

Daytime high
32°
2nd warmest
Overnight low
24°
6th coldest
Rainfall
49 mm
13.2 wet days
Daylight
11 h 48 min
6:49 AM – 6:34 PM
Cloud cover
62%
2nd clearest
Wind
7 km/h
5th windiest
Solar energy
5.21 kWh/m²
Travel score
3.7
out of 10

Port Harcourt is capital of Rivers State, Nigeria.

Density
5,889/km²
people per km²
Founded
1912

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 32°C through the month.

A typical January day in Port Harcourt reaches about 32°C in the afternoon and slips back to 24°C overnight — a 8°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 30°C and 34°C. Set against its neighbours, January runs on par with December and on par with February.

20°25°30°35°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
13223
23223
33223
43223
53223
63223
73223
83223
93223
103223
113223
123223
133223
143224
153224
163224
173224
183224
193224
203224
213224
223224
233224
243224
253224
263224
273224
283224
293224
303224
313224

How January really feels in Port Harcourt

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.

Port Harcourt weather by month

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

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan32° / 24°4913.211.83.7
Feb32° / 24°7917.911.83.0
Mar31° / 25°17727.2122.5
Apr31° / 25°23127.612.12.5
May30° / 24°28129.512.22.6
Jun29° / 24°34129.112.32.9
Jul28° / 23°32429.112.23.3
Aug28° / 23°26528.512.23.5
Sep28° / 23°32429.7122.9
Oct29° / 23°31530.811.92.7
Nov30° / 24°17726.611.82.9
Dec31° / 24°5415.511.73.9

Cloud cover in January

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 25% of the time in January.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 19% of January, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 56%. Skies tend to cloud over as the month goes on.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
15743
25743
35644
45545
55446
65347
75347
85248
95050
104951
114852
124753
134555
144555
154357
164357
174159
184060
193961
203961
213862
223763
233763
243763
253763
263664
273664
283862
293862
303862
313862

Chance of precipitation in January

Any precipitation

Port Harcourt gets around 49 mm of rain over 13.2 wet days in January, the driest month. The line is the day-by-day chance of measurable precipitation.

Day to day, the chance of measurable rain averages around 43% and peaks near 54% on the wettest days. The odds climb toward the end of the month.

0%20%40%60%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
132
232
332
432
533
633
734
835
936
1037
1138
1239
1340
1441
1542
1643
1744
1845
1946
2047
2148
2249
2350
2450
2551
2652
2752
2852
2953
3053
3154

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 53% of days. Sticky, muggy-or-worse air turns up on roughly 94% of them.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)Muggy (%)Oppressive (%)Miserable (%)
112366127
212376027
312376126
412476026
513485826
613485826
713485826
813495726
913495627
1013495627
1113495528
1213495429
1313485529
1413485430
1513485430
1613485430
1702375632
1802375632
1902375533
2002365534
2102365336
2202365237
2302365138
2401365139
2501364941
2601364842
2701364743
2801364645
2901254447
3001254348
3101254250

Wind in January

Winds average 7 km/h in January.

Across January, daily wind ranges from about 7 km/h on the calmest days to 7 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

0246810151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
17calm
27calm
37calm
47calm
57calm
67calm
77calm
87calm
97calm
107calm
117calm
127calm
137calm
147calm
157calm
167calm
177calm
187calm
197calm
207calm
217calm
227calm
237calm
247calm
257calm
267calm
277calm
287calm
297calm
307calm
317calm

Sunrise & sunset in January

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 11 h 42 min at the start of January to 11 h 48 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 6:43 AM to 6:52 AM, and sunset from 6:27 PM to 6:39 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
111.76:436:27
211.76:446:27
311.76:446:28
411.76:456:28
511.76:456:29
611.76:456:29
711.76:466:30
811.76:466:30
911.76:466:31
1011.76:476:31
1111.76:476:32
1211.76:476:32
1311.76:486:32
1411.76:486:33
1511.76:486:33
1611.86:496:34
1711.86:496:34
1811.86:496:35
1911.86:506:35
2011.86:506:35
2111.86:506:36
2211.86:506:36
2311.86:506:36
2411.86:516:37
2511.86:516:37
2611.86:516:38
2711.86:516:38
2811.86:516:38
2911.86:516:38
3011.86:516:39
3111.86:526:39

Solar energy in January

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in January, about 5.21 kWh/m² — the sunniest month for solar.

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 3.35 kWh/m² to a high of 5.21 kWh/m² in January across the year — January's 5.21 kWh/m² sits near the top of that range.

0246151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
15.2Bright
25.2Bright
35.2Bright
45.2Bright
55.2Bright
65.2Bright
75.2Bright
85.2Bright
95.2Bright
105.2Bright
115.2Bright
125.2Bright
135.2Bright
145.2Bright
155.2Bright
165.2Bright
175.2Bright
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 Port Harcourt

In seasonPeak

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

Port Harcourt sees seasonal dust haze (January–April), heaviest in February.

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

Is January a good time to visit Port Harcourt?

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

3.7
Sightseeing
2nd-best month of the year
5.9
Beach & pool
1st-best month of the year

January is a weaker month for outdoor sightseeing in Port Harcourt.

What to pack for Port Harcourt in January

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

In January, Port Harcourt sees daytime highs around 32°C and nights near 24°C. Pack light clothes. Worth having: rain gear and sun protection. About 13 days see rain.

light clothesrain gearsun protection

Sea temperature near Port Harcourt in January

The nearest coast averages about 28°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 46 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.

24°26°28°30°JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecwarmtropicalcomfortable to swim
Sea temperature (°C)Comfort
Jan28Tropical
Feb29Tropical
Mar29Tropical
Apr29Tropical
May29Tropical
Jun28Warm
Jul27Warm
Aug26Warm
Sep27Warm
Oct27Warm
Nov28Tropical
Dec28Tropical

UV index in Port Harcourt 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 Port Harcourt peaks around April 9 at about 13 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near January 1 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 highApr 9UV 13Jan 1UV 8
UV index (midday)Level
Jan8Very high
Feb10Extreme
Mar13Extreme
Apr13Extreme
May11Extreme
Jun10Extreme
Jul10Extreme
Aug10Very high
Sep12Extreme
Oct12Extreme
Nov10Very high
Dec8Very high

Air quality in Port Harcourt 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 Port Harcourt is worst in January — around 95 µg/m³ PM2.5 (unhealthy), about 3.7× the cleanest month (August, 25 µg/m³).

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

0306090120JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecUnhealthyPoorModeratePoorUnhealthyJan 1893 µg/m³Aug 2026 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan95Unhealthy
Feb84Unhealthy
Mar53Poor
Apr45Poor
May34Moderate
Jun32Moderate
Jul29Moderate
Aug25Moderate
Sep27Moderate
Oct33Moderate
Nov40Poor
Dec79Unhealthy
Location & terrain

Where is Port Harcourt?

Port Harcourt sits at 4.8°N, 7.0°E, 16 m above sea level, in Nigeria. The nearest listed city is Okrika, 9.0 km away.

Owerri

Topography around Port Harcourt

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Port Harcourt has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 18 m around an average of 7 m above sea level; within 16 km, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 38 m; within 80 km, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 131 m.

The land around Port Harcourt is covered by artificial surfaces (57%) and mangroves (21%) within 3 km, mangroves (35%) and artificial surfaces (29%) within 16 km, and trees (49%) and water (22%) within 80 km.

3 km
18 m
16 km
38 m
80 km
131 m
treesgrasslandartificial surfacesbare terrainwatermangroves
January weather nearby: Okrika 9.0 km · Buguma 17 km · Obonoma 26 km · Degema Hulk 29 km · Bonny 40 km · Elele 42 km · Aba 54 km · Owerri 79 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 Port Harcourt (4.7774°, 7.0134°, 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. 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).