Zaria weather in January

In January, Zaria sees average daytime highs of 30°C and overnight lows near 16°C, with 0 mm of rain across 0 wet days and about 11.4 hours of daylight. It is the 8th-warmest and 12th-wettest month of the year here.

Highs climb over the month, from about 29°C in the first days to 31°C by the end. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 64% of the time in January, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 11 h 24 min at the start of January to 11 h 30 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, January is Zaria's 2nd-clearest and 1st-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Zaria's year-round climate.

Daytime high
30°
8th warmest
Overnight low
16°
1st coldest
Rainfall
0 mm
0 wet days
Daylight
11 h 24 min
6:56 AM – 6:21 PM
Cloud cover
31%
2nd clearest
Wind
14 km/h
1st windiest
Solar energy
6.12 kWh/m²
Travel score
6.7
out of 10

Zaria is city and local government area in Kaduna, Nigeria.

Density
1,741/km²
people per km²
Founded
1536

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

← DecemberZaria year-round climateFebruary →Best places to visit in January
JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec

Temperature in January

Average highAverage lowShaded bands: 10–90% of days

Highs climb over the month, from about 29°C in the first days to 31°C by the end.

A typical January day in Zaria reaches about 30°C in the afternoon and slips back to 16°C overnight — a 14°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 26°C and 33°C. Set against its neighbours, January runs on par with December and about 3°C cooler than February.

10°15°20°25°30°35°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
12915
22915
32915
42915
52915
62915
72915
82915
92915
102915
112915
122915
132915
142915
152915
163015
173015
183016
193016
203016
213016
223016
233016
243116
253116
263116
273116
283117
293117
303117
313117

How January really feels in Zaria

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 ≤ 0°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.

Zaria weather by month

How January compares with the rest of the year at a glance. January is the 8th-warmest and 12th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan30° / 16°0011.46.7
Feb33° / 18°10.111.64.8
Mar36° / 21°20.411.92.7
Apr36° / 24°194.112.22.1
May34° / 24°7913.412.52.9
Jun30° / 22°11016.612.64.0
Jul28° / 21°15022.812.64.1
Aug27° / 21°23325.912.43.9
Sep29° / 21°16922.912.13.9
Oct30° / 20°559.311.84.8
Nov31° / 17°00.111.55.5
Dec30° / 16°00.111.46.8

Cloud cover in January

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 64% 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 23%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
18218
28119
38020
48020
58020
67921
77921
87822
97723
107723
117624
127624
137624
147525
157525
167525
177525
187426
197426
207525
217525
227426
237426
247525
257525
267624
277624
287624
297624
307723
317822

Chance of precipitation in January

Any precipitation

Zaria gets around 0 mm of rain over 0 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 0% and peaks near 0% 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
180
190
200
210
220
230
240
250
260
270
280
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 (%)
1100
2100
3100
4100
5100
6100
7100
8100
9100
10100
11100
12100
13100
14100
15100
16100
17100
18100
19100
20100
21100
22100
23100
24100
25100
26100
27100
28100
29100
30100
31100

Wind in January

Winds average 14 km/h in January, the windiest month of the year.

Across January, daily wind ranges from about 13 km/h on the calmest days to 14 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

05101520151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
114light breeze
214light breeze
314light breeze
414light breeze
514light breeze
614light breeze
714light breeze
814light breeze
914light breeze
1014light breeze
1114light breeze
1214light breeze
1314light breeze
1414light breeze
1514light breeze
1614light breeze
1714light breeze
1814light breeze
1913light breeze
2013light breeze
2113light breeze
2213light breeze
2313light breeze
2413light breeze
2513light breeze
2613light breeze
2713light breeze
2813light breeze
2913light breeze
3013light breeze
3113light breeze

Sunrise & sunset in January

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 11 h 24 min at the start of January to 11 h 30 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 6:51 AM to 6:57 AM, and sunset from 6:13 PM to 6:28 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
111.46:516:13
211.46:526:14
311.46:526:14
411.46:536:15
511.46:536:15
611.46:536:16
711.46:546:16
811.46:546:17
911.46:546:17
1011.46:556:18
1111.46:556:18
1211.46:556:19
1311.46:556:19
1411.46:566:20
1511.46:566:20
1611.46:566:21
1711.46:566:21
1811.46:566:22
1911.46:566:22
2011.46:576:23
2111.46:576:23
2211.46:576:24
2311.56:576:24
2411.56:576:25
2511.56:576:25
2611.56:576:26
2711.56:576:26
2811.56:576:26
2911.56:576:27
3011.56:576:27
3111.56:576:28

Solar energy in January

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in January, about 6.12 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 4.42 kWh/m² to a high of 7.04 kWh/m² in March across the year — January's 6.12 kWh/m² falls in the middle.

0246151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
16.0Bright
26.0Bright
36.0Bright
46.0Intense
56.0Intense
66.0Intense
76.0Intense
86.0Intense
96.0Intense
106.0Intense
116.1Intense
126.1Intense
136.1Intense
146.1Intense
156.1Intense
166.1Intense
176.1Intense
186.1Intense
196.2Intense
206.2Intense
216.2Intense
226.2Intense
236.2Intense
246.2Intense
256.3Intense
266.3Intense
276.3Intense
286.3Intense
296.3Intense
306.3Intense
316.4Intense
Planning a trip in January

Hazard calendar for Zaria

In seasonPeak

None of Zaria's seasonal hazards are active in January. The full-year calendar below shows when the rainy season, cyclone risk and dust haze do peak.

Zaria's monsoon runs June–September, when most of the year's rain falls.

Zaria sees seasonal dust haze (February–June), heaviest in April.

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

Is January a good time to visit Zaria?

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

6.7
Sightseeing
2nd-best month of the year
8.9
Beach & pool
2nd-best month of the year

January is a reasonable time to visit Zaria for sightseeing. The water and warmth also suit a beach or pool day.

What to pack for Zaria in January

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

In January, Zaria sees daytime highs around 30°C and nights near 16°C. Pack light clothes and sun protection.

light clothessun protection

UV index in Zaria 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 Zaria peaks around August 18 at about 13 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near December 21 at about 5 (high).

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

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecHighVery highExtremeVery highHighAug 18UV 13Dec 21UV 5
UV index (midday)Level
Jan6High
Feb6High
Mar10Extreme
Apr9Very high
May9Very high
Jun10Extreme
Jul11Extreme
Aug13Extreme
Sep12Extreme
Oct11Extreme
Nov9Very high
Dec5Moderate

Air quality in Zaria 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 Zaria is worst in February — around 127 µg/m³ PM2.5 (unhealthy), about 4.3× the cleanest month (July, 30 µg/m³).

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

0306090120150JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecUnhealthyPoorModeratePoorUnhealthyFeb 14126 µg/m³Jul 2230 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan119Unhealthy
Feb127Unhealthy
Mar118Unhealthy
Apr86Unhealthy
May52Poor
Jun41Poor
Jul30Moderate
Aug31Moderate
Sep48Poor
Oct79Unhealthy
Nov95Unhealthy
Dec114Unhealthy
Location & terrain

Where is Zaria?

Zaria sits at 11.1°N, 7.7°E, 644 m above sea level, in Nigeria. The nearest listed city is Soba, 39 km away.

AnchauMalumfashiGwarzoSofo-Birnin-Gwari

Topography around Zaria

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Zaria has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 68 m around an average of 633 m above sea level; within 16 km, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 197 m; within 80 km, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 355 m.

The land around Zaria is covered by artificial surfaces (63%) and cropland (20%) within 3 km, cropland (78%) within 16 km, and cropland (81%) within 80 km.

3 km
68 m
16 km
197 m
80 km
355 m
treesshrubsgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwater
← DecemberZaria year-round climateFebruary →Best places to visit in January
January weather nearby: Soba 39 km · Dutsen Wai 60 km · Funtua 64 km · Kaduna 72 km · Anchau 75 km · Malumfashi 76 km · Gwarzo 92 km · Sofo-Birnin-Gwari 103 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 Zaria (11.1113°, 7.7227°, elevation 644 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).