Ziguinchor weather in January

In January, Ziguinchor sees average daytime highs of 34°C and overnight lows near 19°C, with 1 mm of rain across 0.1 wet days and about 11.3 hours of daylight. It is the 7th-warmest and 10th-wettest month of the year here.

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 34°C through the month. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 54% of the time in January, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 11 h 18 min at the start of January to 11 h 24 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, January is Ziguinchor's 5th-clearest and 2nd-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Ziguinchor's year-round climate.

Daytime high
34°
7th warmest
Overnight low
19°
1st coldest
Rainfall
1 mm
0.1 wet days
Daylight
11 h 18 min
7:34 AM – 6:54 PM
Cloud cover
39%
5th clearest
Wind
11 km/h
2nd windiest
Solar energy
5.56 kWh/m²
Travel score
3.8
out of 10

Ziguinchor is city and regional capital in Senegal.

Density
6,551/km²
people per km²

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 34°C through the month.

A typical January day in Ziguinchor reaches about 34°C in the afternoon and slips back to 19°C overnight — a 15°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 31°C and 36°C. Set against its neighbours, January runs on par with December and about 2°C cooler than February.

15°20°25°30°35°40°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
13419
23419
33419
43419
53419
63419
73419
83419
93419
103419
113419
123419
133419
143419
153419
163419
173419
183419
193419
203419
213419
223419
233419
243420
253520
263520
273520
283520
293520
303520
313520

How January really feels in Ziguinchor

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.

Ziguinchor weather by month

How January compares with the rest of the year at a glance. January is the 7th-warmest and 10th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan34° / 19°10.111.33.8
Feb36° / 20°10.111.62.5
Mar38° / 22°0011.91.5
Apr38° / 22°0012.31.4
May37° / 23°20.312.62.1
Jun34° / 25°517.212.73.0
Jul31° / 25°27723.512.73.0
Aug30° / 24°39127.812.42.8
Sep31° / 24°30725.512.12.7
Oct33° / 25°12818.411.73.0
Nov34° / 23°162.811.43.4
Dec34° / 20°10.311.33.7

Cloud cover in January

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 54% of the time in January.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 15% of January, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 31%. Skies tend to open up as the month goes on.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
16337
26337
36436
46436
56436
66436
76436
86634
96634
106733
116832
126931
136931
147030
157030
167030
177129
187129
197228
207228
217327
227228
237228
247228
257228
267228
277228
287129
297129
307129
317129

Chance of precipitation in January

Any precipitation

Ziguinchor gets around 1 mm of rain over 0.1 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 0% and peaks near 1% on the wettest days.

0%10%20%30%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
10
20
31
41
51
61
71
81
91
101
111
121
131
141
151
161
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 76% of days. It rarely turns muggy — the humid and sticky bands barely register.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)Muggy (%)
1751663
2751663
3761563
4781552
5781552
6781552
7781552
8791551
9791551
10791551
11791551
12781651
13781651
14771751
15771751
16781741
17781741
18761851
19761851
20761851
21771751
22761761
23751762
24751672
25751672
26751582
27751582
28731593
29731593
30741493
317314103

Wind in January

Winds average 11 km/h in January.

Across January, daily wind ranges from about 10 km/h on the calmest days to 11 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

051015151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
110calm
211calm
311calm
411calm
511calm
611calm
711calm
811calm
911calm
1011calm
1111calm
1211calm
1311calm
1411calm
1511calm
1611calm
1711calm
1811calm
1911calm
2011calm
2111calm
2211calm
2311calm
2411calm
2511calm
2611calm
2711calm
2811calm
2911calm
3011calm
3111calm

Sunrise & sunset in January

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 11 h 18 min at the start of January to 11 h 24 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 7:30 AM to 7:35 AM, and sunset from 6:46 PM to 7:02 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
111.37:306:46
211.37:306:47
311.37:316:47
411.37:316:48
511.37:316:49
611.37:326:49
711.37:326:50
811.37:326:50
911.37:336:51
1011.37:336:51
1111.37:336:52
1211.37:336:52
1311.37:346:53
1411.37:346:53
1511.37:346:54
1611.37:346:54
1711.37:346:55
1811.37:356:55
1911.47:356:56
2011.47:356:56
2111.47:356:57
2211.47:356:58
2311.47:356:58
2411.47:356:58
2511.47:356:59
2611.47:356:59
2711.47:357:00
2811.47:357:00
2911.47:357:01
3011.47:357:01
3111.47:357:02

Solar energy in January

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in January, about 5.56 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 4.19 kWh/m² to a high of 7.13 kWh/m² in April across the year — January's 5.56 kWh/m² falls in the middle.

0246151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
15.4Bright
25.4Bright
35.4Bright
45.4Bright
55.4Bright
65.4Bright
75.4Bright
85.4Bright
95.4Bright
105.5Bright
115.5Bright
125.5Bright
135.5Bright
145.5Bright
155.5Bright
165.6Bright
175.6Bright
185.6Bright
195.6Bright
205.6Bright
215.7Bright
225.7Bright
235.7Bright
245.7Bright
255.7Bright
265.7Bright
275.7Bright
285.7Bright
295.8Bright
305.8Bright
315.8Bright
Planning a trip in January

Hazard calendar for Ziguinchor

In seasonPeak

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

Ziguinchor sits in the Atlantic hurricane belt; the season peaks August–October.

Ziguinchor's monsoon runs July–September, when most of the year's rain falls.

Ziguinchor sees seasonal dust haze (February–July), heaviest in June.

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

Is January a good time to visit Ziguinchor?

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

3.8
Sightseeing
1st-best month of the year
7.5
Beach & pool
1st-best month of the year

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

What to pack for Ziguinchor in January

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

In January, Ziguinchor sees daytime highs around 34°C and nights near 19°C. Pack light clothes. Worth having: sun protection.

light clothessun protection

Sea temperature near Ziguinchor in January

The nearest coast averages about 24°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 50 km away) is warmest in October at about 29°C and coldest in January near 24°C.

The water stays above 20°C all year — warm enough for a swim any month.

22°24°26°28°30°JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecrefreshingwarmtropicalcomfortable to swim
Sea temperature (°C)Comfort
Jan24Refreshing
Feb24Refreshing
Mar25Warm
Apr25Warm
May26Warm
Jun28Warm
Jul28Tropical
Aug28Warm
Sep28Tropical
Oct29Tropical
Nov29Tropical
Dec26Warm

UV index in Ziguinchor in January

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in January peaks around 8 — enough to warrant sun protection. The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.

Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Ziguinchor peaks around March 17 at about 13 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near December 19 at about 7 (very high).

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

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecVery highExtremeVery highMar 17UV 13Dec 19UV 7
UV index (midday)Level
Jan8Very high
Feb11Extreme
Mar13Extreme
Apr11Extreme
May11Extreme
Jun11Extreme
Jul12Extreme
Aug13Extreme
Sep12Extreme
Oct11Extreme
Nov9Very high
Dec7High

Air quality in Ziguinchor 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 Ziguinchor is worst in February — around 100 µg/m³ PM2.5 (unhealthy), about 5.2× the cleanest month (August, 19 µg/m³).

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

0306090120JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecUnhealthyPoorModeratePoorUnhealthyFeb 1698 µg/m³Aug 2020 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan81Unhealthy
Feb100Unhealthy
Mar84Unhealthy
Apr57Unhealthy
May49Poor
Jun55Poor
Jul31Moderate
Aug19Moderate
Sep23Moderate
Oct42Poor
Nov56Unhealthy
Dec74Unhealthy
Location & terrain

Where is Ziguinchor?

Ziguinchor sits at 12.6°N, 16.3°W, 19 m above sea level, in Senegal. The nearest listed city is Bignona, 27 km away.

GoudompSédhiouGunjurNema KunkuBrikamaLaminSanyang

Topography around Ziguinchor

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Ziguinchor has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 31 m around an average of 12 m above sea level; within 16 km, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 50 m; within 80 km, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 57 m.

The land around Ziguinchor is covered by artificial surfaces (55%) within 3 km, trees (37%) within 16 km, and trees (33%) and water (27%) within 80 km.

3 km
31 m
16 km
50 m
80 km
57 m
treesshrubsgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwaterwetlandmangroves
January weather nearby: Bignona 27 km · Goudomp 44 km · Sédhiou 79 km · Gunjur 86 km · Nema Kunku 87 km · Brikama 88 km · Lamin 89 km · Sanyang 94 km

Senegal travel facts

Travel advisory
Level 1
Exercise Normal Precautions
Power plugs
Type C / D / E / K
230 V · 50 Hz
Prices
≈ 36% of US
price level, 2025
GDP per capita
$1,955
2025
Happiness
4.8 / 10
World Happiness, 2025
Safe drinking water
27%
of population, 2024
Homicide rate
0.3
per 100k, 2015
Road deaths
23.5
per 100k/yr, 2019
Income group
Lower middle
World Bank
English
Very low
EF EPI 442
Religion
Muslim 97%Christian 3%

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 Ziguinchor (12.568°, -16.2733°, elevation 19 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. Tropical-cyclone seasons are the published climatological basin seasons (NOAA National Hurricane Center / regional warning centres). 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).