São Tomé weather in January

In January, São Tomé sees average daytime highs of 27°C and overnight lows near 26°C, with 135 mm of rain across 23.6 wet days and about 12 hours of daylight. It is the 4th-warmest and 4th-wettest month of the year here.

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 27°C through the month. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 10% of the time in January, and the air most often feels oppressive.

Daylight stretches from about 12 hours at the start of January to 12 hours by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, January is São Tomé's 9th-clearest and 12th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see São Tomé's year-round climate.

Daytime high
27°
4th warmest
Overnight low
26°
8th coldest
Rainfall
135 mm
23.6 wet days
Daylight
12 hours
5:43 AM – 5:42 PM
Cloud cover
75%
9th clearest
Wind
12 km/h
12th windiest
Solar energy
5.11 kWh/m²
Travel score
4.3
out of 10

São Tomé is capital city of São Tomé and Príncipe.

Density
3,135/km²
people per km²
Founded
1485

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 27°C through the month.

A typical January day in São Tomé reaches about 27°C in the afternoon and slips back to 26°C overnight — a 2°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 27°C and 28°C. Set against its neighbours, January runs on par with December and on par with February.

20°23°25°28°30°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
12725
22725
32725
42725
52725
62725
72725
82725
92725
102725
112725
122726
132726
142726
152726
162726
172726
182726
192726
202726
212726
222726
232726
242726
252726
262726
272726
282726
292726
302726
312726

São Tomé weather by month

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

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan27° / 26°13523.6124.3
Feb28° / 26°11319.3124.6
Mar28° / 26°13320.5124.4
Apr28° / 26°13018.7124.8
May27° / 26°11917125.3
Jun25° / 24°234127.5
Jul24° / 24°82128.0
Aug24° / 24°142.6127.9
Sep25° / 24°467.8126.9
Oct26° / 25°15221.5124.9
Nov26° / 25°21025.7124.1
Dec27° / 25°17426.1124.1

Cloud cover in January

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 10% of the time in January.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 17% of January, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 72%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
12872
22773
32872
42872
52872
62971
73070
82971
92872
102872
112872
122872
132872
142872
152773
162773
172773
182773
192773
202773
212674
222674
232674
242674
252773
262773
272773
282773
292872
302872
312971

Chance of precipitation in January

Any precipitation

São Tomé gets around 135 mm of rain over 23.6 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 76% and peaks near 84% on the wettest days. The odds ease toward the end of the month.

0%20%40%60%80%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
184
283
383
482
582
681
780
880
979
1078
1177
1276
1376
1475
1574
1674
1773
1873
1973
2073
2173
2273
2373
2473
2574
2674
2774
2875
2975
3075
3175

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 91% of days. Sticky, muggy-or-worse air turns up on roughly 100% of them.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Oppressive (%)Miserable (%)
1991
2991
3991
4982
5982
6982
7973
8973
9964
10964
11955
12946
13946
14937
15928
16928
17919
189010
199010
208911
218911
228812
238812
248713
258713
268614
278515
288515
298416
308317
318218

Wind in January

Winds average 12 km/h in January, the calmest month.

Across January, daily wind ranges from about 12 km/h on the calmest days to 12 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

051015151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
112light breeze
212light breeze
312light breeze
412light breeze
512light breeze
612light breeze
712calm
812calm
912calm
1012calm
1112light breeze
1212light breeze
1312light breeze
1412light breeze
1512light breeze
1612light breeze
1712light breeze
1812light breeze
1912light breeze
2012light breeze
2112light breeze
2212light breeze
2312light breeze
2412light breeze
2512light breeze
2612light breeze
2712light breeze
2812light breeze
2912light breeze
3012light breeze
3112light breeze

Sunrise & sunset in January

DaylightNight

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

Days grow by about 0 minutes over January. Sunrise moves from 5:37 AM to 5:47 AM, and sunset from 5:36 PM to 5:46 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
112.05:375:36
212.05:375:36
312.05:385:37
412.05:385:37
512.05:395:37
612.05:395:38
712.05:395:38
812.05:405:39
912.05:405:39
1012.05:415:40
1112.05:415:40
1212.05:415:40
1312.05:425:41
1412.05:425:41
1512.05:435:41
1612.05:435:42
1712.05:435:42
1812.05:445:43
1912.05:445:43
2012.05:445:43
2112.05:445:43
2212.05:455:44
2312.05:455:44
2412.05:455:44
2512.05:465:45
2612.05:465:45
2712.05:465:45
2812.05:465:45
2912.05:465:46
3012.05:475:46
3112.05:475:46

Solar energy in January

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in January, about 5.11 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 4.89 kWh/m² to a high of 5.48 kWh/m² in March across the year — January's 5.11 kWh/m² falls in the middle.

0246151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
15.0Bright
25.0Bright
35.0Bright
45.0Bright
55.0Bright
65.0Bright
75.0Bright
85.0Bright
95.0Bright
105.0Bright
115.0Bright
125.1Bright
135.1Bright
145.1Bright
155.1Bright
165.1Bright
175.1Bright
185.1Bright
195.1Bright
205.1Bright
215.2Bright
225.2Bright
235.2Bright
245.2Bright
255.2Bright
265.2Bright
275.2Bright
285.3Bright
295.3Bright
305.3Bright
315.3Bright
Planning a trip in January

Hazard calendar for São Tomé

In seasonPeak

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

São Tomé's rainy season runs October–May, 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 São Tomé?

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

4.3
Sightseeing
10th-best month of the year
4.5
Beach & pool
10th-best month of the year

January is a reasonable time to visit São Tomé for sightseeing.

What to pack for São Tomé in January

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

In January, São Tomé sees daytime highs around 27°C and nights near 26°C. Pack light clothes and rain gear. Worth having: sun protection. About 24 days see rain.

light clothesrain gearsun protection

Sea temperature near São Tomé 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 offshore 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
Jan29Tropical
Feb29Tropical
Mar29Tropical
Apr29Tropical
May28Tropical
Jun27Warm
Jul26Warm
Aug26Warm
Sep26Warm
Oct27Warm
Nov28Warm
Dec28Tropical

UV index in São Tomé in January

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in January peaks around 11 (very high — sun protection essential). The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.

Under clear skies, the midday UV index in São Tomé peaks around March 21 at about 14 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near August 12 at about 9 (very high).

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

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecExtremeVery highExtremeMar 21UV 14Aug 12UV 9
UV index (midday)Level
Jan11Extreme
Feb12Extreme
Mar14Extreme
Apr13Extreme
May11Extreme
Jun9Very high
Jul9Very high
Aug8Very high
Sep12Extreme
Oct13Extreme
Nov12Extreme
Dec11Extreme

Air quality in São Tomé 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 São Tomé is worst in February — around 24 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 4.6× the cleanest month (October, 5 µg/m³).

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

0102030JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecModerateGoodModerateGoodModerateFeb 1023 µg/m³Oct 175 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan22Moderate
Feb24Moderate
Mar15Moderate
Apr11Good
May12Moderate
Jun16Moderate
Jul17Moderate
Aug13Moderate
Sep8Good
Oct5Good
Nov8Good
Dec15Moderate
Location & terrain

Where is São Tomé?

São Tomé sits at 0.3°N, 6.7°E, 140 m above sea level, in Sao Tome and Principe. The nearest listed city is Port-Gentil, 257 km away.

Topography around São Tomé

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around São Tomé has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 111 m around an average of 23 m above sea level; within 16 km, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,396 m; within 80 km, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,938 m.

The land around São Tomé is covered by water (43%), trees (31%) and artificial surfaces (24%) within 3 km, water (60%) and trees (36%) within 16 km, and water (90%) within 80 km.

3 km
111 m
16 km
1,396 m
80 km
1,938 m
treesgrasslandartificial surfaceswater
January weather nearby: Port-Gentil 257 km · Akanda 291 km · Libreville 303 km · Owendo 309 km · Ntoum 337 km · Bata 378 km · Lambaréné 407 km · Malabo 443 km

Sao Tome and Principe travel facts

Travel advisory
Level 3
Reconsider Travel
Power plugs
Type C / F
220 V · 50 Hz
Prices
≈ 61% of US
price level, 2025
GDP per capita
$4,084
2025
Safe drinking water
37%
of population, 2024
Homicide rate
3.2
per 100k, 2011
Road deaths
27.9
per 100k/yr, 2019
Income group
Lower middle
World Bank
Religion
Catholic 56%none 21%other 6%Adventist 4%

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 São Tomé (0.3376°, 6.7299°, elevation 140 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).