Goroka weather in January

In January, Goroka sees average daytime highs of 24°C and overnight lows near 16°C, with 425 mm of rain across 28.5 wet days and about 12.3 hours of daylight. It is the 4th-warmest and 1st-wettest month of the year here.

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 24°C through the month. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 1% of the time in January, and the air most often feels humid.

Daylight stretches from about 12 h 18 min at the start of January to 12 h 18 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, January is Goroka's 10th-clearest and 8th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Goroka's year-round climate.

Daytime high
24°
4th warmest
Overnight low
16°
11th coldest
Rainfall
425 mm
28.5 wet days
Daylight
12 h 18 min
6:18 AM – 6:37 PM
Cloud cover
94%
10th clearest
Wind
3 km/h
8th windiest
Solar energy
4.66 kWh/m²
Travel score
3.7
out of 10

Goroka is Capital city of Eastern Highlands, Papua New Guinea.

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 24°C through the month.

A typical January day in Goroka reaches about 24°C in the afternoon and slips back to 16°C overnight — a 8°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 22°C and 25°C. Set against its neighbours, January runs on par with December and on par with February.

10°15°20°25°30°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
12416
22416
32416
42416
52416
62416
72416
82416
92416
102416
112416
122416
132416
142416
152416
162416
172416
182416
192416
202416
212416
222416
232416
242416
252416
262416
272416
282416
292416
302416
312416

Goroka weather by month

How January compares with the rest of the year at a glance. January is the 4th-warmest and 1st-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan24° / 16°42528.512.33.7
Feb24° / 16°41326.712.23.6
Mar24° / 16°41729.6123.6
Apr23° / 15°25726.311.93.9
May24° / 15°1512211.74.8
Jun23° / 15°8816.711.75.5
Jul23° / 14°9616.611.75.5
Aug23° / 14°11218.111.85.4
Sep24° / 14°12919.5125.1
Oct24° / 15°16923.312.14.6
Nov24° / 15°23525.912.34.1
Dec24° / 16°32828.312.33.8

Cloud cover in January

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 1% of the time in January.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 2% of January, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 97%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
1397
2397
3397
4397
5496
6496
7595
8595
9595
10595
11595
12595
13595
14496
15397
16397
17397
18298
19298
20298
21298
22298
23298
24298
25298
26199
27199
28199
29199
30199
31199

Chance of precipitation in January

Any precipitation

Goroka gets around 425 mm of rain over 28.5 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 92% and peaks near 95% on the wettest days.

0%20%40%60%80%100%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
190
290
390
490
590
691
791
891
991
1092
1192
1292
1392
1492
1592
1692
1792
1892
1992
2092
2192
2292
2393
2493
2593
2693
2794
2894
2994
3095
3195

Humidity in January

DryComfortableHumidMuggyOppressiveMiserable

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

By dew point, January lands in the humid band about 90% of days. It rarely turns muggy — the humid and sticky bands barely register.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Comfortable (%)Humid (%)Muggy (%)
18902
28902
39892
49892
59892
69892
79901
89901
99901
109901
119901
129901
139901
149901
158911
168911
178911
188911
198911
208911
218911
228911
238911
248911
258911
268911
277921
287921
297921
307921
317921

Wind in January

Winds average 3 km/h in January.

Across January, daily wind ranges from about 3 km/h on the calmest days to 3 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

0246810151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
13calm
23calm
33calm
43calm
53calm
63calm
73calm
83calm
93calm
103calm
113calm
123calm
133calm
143calm
153calm
163calm
173calm
183calm
193calm
203calm
213calm
223calm
233calm
243calm
253calm
263calm
273calm
283calm
293calm
303calm
313calm

Sunrise & sunset in January

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 12 h 18 min at the start of January to 12 h 18 min by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days grow by about 0 minutes over January. Sunrise moves from 6:11 AM to 6:24 AM, and sunset from 6:32 PM to 6:40 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
112.36:116:32
212.36:126:32
312.36:126:33
412.36:136:33
512.36:136:34
612.36:146:34
712.36:146:34
812.36:156:35
912.36:156:35
1012.36:166:35
1112.36:166:36
1212.36:166:36
1312.36:176:36
1412.36:176:37
1512.36:186:37
1612.36:186:37
1712.36:196:38
1812.36:196:38
1912.36:196:38
2012.36:206:38
2112.36:206:38
2212.36:216:39
2312.36:216:39
2412.36:216:39
2512.36:226:39
2612.36:226:39
2712.36:236:39
2812.36:236:40
2912.36:236:40
3012.36:236:40
3112.36:246:40

Solar energy in January

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in January, about 4.66 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 4.37 kWh/m² to a high of 5.32 kWh/m² in October across the year — January's 4.66 kWh/m² falls in the middle.

024151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
14.7Bright
24.7Bright
34.7Bright
44.7Bright
54.7Bright
64.7Bright
74.7Bright
84.7Bright
94.7Bright
104.6Bright
114.6Bright
124.6Bright
134.6Bright
144.6Bright
154.6Bright
164.6Bright
174.6Bright
184.6Bright
194.5Bright
204.5Bright
214.5Bright
224.5Bright
234.5Bright
244.5Bright
254.5Bright
264.5Bright
274.4Bright
284.4Bright
294.4Bright
304.4Bright
314.4Bright
Planning a trip in January

Hazard calendar for Goroka

In seasonPeak

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

Goroka's rainy season runs November–April, when most of the year's rain falls.

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

Is January a good time to visit Goroka?

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

3.7
Sightseeing
10th-best month of the year
3.1
Beach & pool
10th-best month of the year

January is a weaker month for outdoor sightseeing in Goroka.

What to pack for Goroka in January

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

In January, Goroka sees daytime highs around 24°C and nights near 16°C. Pack rain gear. Worth having: light clothes and sun protection. About 29 days see rain.

rain gearlight clothessun protection

UV index in Goroka in January

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in January peaks around 17 (very high — sun protection essential). The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.

Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Goroka peaks around March 11 at about 18 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near June 20 at about 12 (extreme).

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

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecExtremeMar 11UV 18Jun 20UV 12
UV index (midday)Level
Jan17Extreme
Feb17Extreme
Mar18Extreme
Apr16Extreme
May13Extreme
Jun11Extreme
Jul12Extreme
Aug13Extreme
Sep15Extreme
Oct15Extreme
Nov15Extreme
Dec15Extreme

Air quality in Goroka 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 Goroka is worst in July — around 41 µg/m³ PM2.5 (poor), about 6.5× the cleanest month (January, 6 µg/m³).

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

0204060JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecGoodModerateModerateGoodJul 1839 µg/m³Jan 246 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan6Good
Feb6Good
Mar7Good
Apr7Good
May9Good
Jun19Moderate
Jul41Poor
Aug27Moderate
Sep19Moderate
Oct13Moderate
Nov10Good
Dec7Good
Location & terrain

Where is Goroka?

Goroka sits at 6.1°S, 145.4°E, 1,574 m above sea level, in Papua New Guinea. The nearest listed city is Madang, 106 km away.

MadangMount HagenBuloloMendiLaeWewakDaruPort Moresby

Topography around Goroka

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Goroka has significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 335 m around an average of 1,549 m above sea level; within 16 km, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 2,179 m; within 80 km, extreme variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 4,443 m.

The land around Goroka is covered by trees (71%) within 3 km, trees (76%) and grassland (23%) within 16 km, and trees (84%) within 80 km.

3 km
335 m
16 km
2,179 m
80 km
4,443 m
treesgrasslandartificial surfaces
January weather nearby: Madang 106 km · Mount Hagen 130 km · Bulolo 186 km · Mendi 191 km · Lae 191 km · Wewak 342 km · Daru 410 km · Port Moresby 424 km

Papua New Guinea travel facts

Travel advisory
Level 3
Reconsider Travel
Power plugs
Type I
240 V · 50 Hz
Prices
≈ 58% of US
price level, 2025
GDP per capita
$3,020
2025
Homicide rate
9.3
per 100k, 2010
Road deaths
12.6
per 100k/yr, 2019
Income group
Lower middle
World Bank
Religion
Protestant 64%Roman Catholic 26%other Christian 5%non-Christian 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 Goroka (-6.085°, 145.3867°, elevation 1,574 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).