Kenema weather in January

In January, Kenema sees average daytime highs of 32°C and overnight lows near 21°C, with 15 mm of rain across 3.4 wet days and about 11.6 hours of daylight. It is the 3rd-warmest and 12th-wettest month of the year here.

Highs climb over the month, from about 32°C in the first days to 33°C by the end. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 56% of the time in January, and the air most often feels muggy.

Daylight stretches from about 11 h 30 min at the start of January to 11 h 42 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, January is Kenema's 1st-clearest and 6th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Kenema's year-round climate.

Daytime high
32°
3rd warmest
Overnight low
21°
1st coldest
Rainfall
15 mm
3.4 wet days
Daylight
11 h 36 min
7:06 AM – 6:42 PM
Cloud cover
40%
1st clearest
Wind
5 km/h
6th windiest
Solar energy
5.35 kWh/m²
Travel score
4.6
out of 10

Kenema is city in Sierra Leone.

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

Temperature in January

Average highAverage lowShaded bands: 10–90% of days

Highs climb over the month, from about 32°C in the first days to 33°C by the end.

A typical January day in Kenema reaches about 32°C in the afternoon and slips back to 21°C overnight — a 11°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 30°C and 35°C. Set against its neighbours, January runs about 2°C warmer than December and about 2°C cooler than February.

15°20°25°30°35°40°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
13121
23121
33221
43221
53221
63221
73221
83221
93221
103221
113221
123221
133221
143221
153221
163221
173221
183321
193321
203321
213321
223321
233321
243321
253321
263321
273322
283322
293322
303322
313322

How January really feels in Kenema

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.

Kenema weather by month

How January compares with the rest of the year at a glance. January is the 3rd-warmest and 12th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan32° / 21°153.411.64.6
Feb34° / 22°194.511.73.5
Mar34° / 23°5810.411.93.2
Apr32° / 23°11417.212.23.2
May30° / 23°22126.412.42.9
Jun29° / 22°2872812.43.1
Jul28° / 22°35528.312.43.5
Aug27° / 22°41328.912.33.5
Sep28° / 22°39528.9123.1
Oct29° / 22°22728.611.83.1
Nov29° / 22°9017.111.64.2
Dec30° / 21°215.111.65.4

Cloud cover in January

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 56% of the time in January, the clearest month of the year.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 17% of January, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 27%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
17426
27426
37426
47426
57327
67327
77327
87228
97228
107129
117129
127129
137030
147030
157030
167030
177129
187129
197228
207129
217228
227228
237327
247327
257426
267426
277525
287525
297426
307525
317525

Chance of precipitation in January

Any precipitation

Kenema gets around 15 mm of rain over 3.4 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 11% and peaks near 13% on the wettest days.

0%10%20%30%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
18
28
39
49
59
69
710
810
910
1010
1111
1211
1311
1412
1512
1612
1712
1812
1912
2012
2112
2212
2312
2412
2513
2613
2712
2812
2912
3012
3112

Humidity in January

DryComfortableHumidMuggyOppressiveMiserable

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

By dew point, January lands in the muggy band about 46% of days. Sticky, muggy-or-worse air turns up on roughly 76% of them.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)Muggy (%)Oppressive (%)
156124236
256124334
356134432
466134531
566134629
666134628
766144727
866144827
965144827
1065144827
1155144927
1254144927
1354154828
1454154828
1554154829
1654154829
1744154830
1844154730
1944154730
2044154631
2134154631
2234154532
2334164532
2434164433
2535164433
2635164333
2735174333
2825174333
2925184333
3025184232
3125194232

Wind in January

Winds average 5 km/h in January.

Across January, daily wind ranges from about 5 km/h on the calmest days to 6 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

0246810151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
15calm
25calm
35calm
45calm
55calm
65calm
75calm
85calm
95calm
105calm
115calm
125calm
135calm
145calm
155calm
165calm
175calm
185calm
195calm
205calm
215calm
225calm
235calm
245calm
255calm
265calm
275calm
285calm
295calm
306calm
316calm

Sunrise & sunset in January

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 11 h 30 min at the start of January to 11 h 42 min by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days grow by about 12 minutes over January. Sunrise moves from 7:01 AM to 7:08 AM, and sunset from 6:34 PM to 6:48 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
111.57:016:34
211.67:026:35
311.67:026:35
411.67:036:36
511.67:036:36
611.67:036:37
711.67:046:37
811.67:046:38
911.67:046:38
1011.67:056:39
1111.67:056:39
1211.67:056:40
1311.67:066:40
1411.67:066:41
1511.67:066:41
1611.67:066:42
1711.67:076:42
1811.67:076:43
1911.67:076:43
2011.67:076:43
2111.67:076:44
2211.67:086:44
2311.67:086:45
2411.67:086:45
2511.67:086:46
2611.67:086:46
2711.67:086:46
2811.67:086:47
2911.67:086:47
3011.67:086:47
3111.77:086:48

Solar energy in January

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in January, about 5.35 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 3.35 kWh/m² to a high of 5.64 kWh/m² in February across the year — January's 5.35 kWh/m² sits near the top of that range.

0246151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
15.2Bright
25.2Bright
35.2Bright
45.2Bright
55.3Bright
65.3Bright
75.3Bright
85.3Bright
95.3Bright
105.3Bright
115.3Bright
125.3Bright
135.3Bright
145.3Bright
155.3Bright
165.3Bright
175.3Bright
185.3Bright
195.3Bright
205.3Bright
215.4Bright
225.4Bright
235.4Bright
245.4Bright
255.4Bright
265.5Bright
275.5Bright
285.5Bright
295.5Bright
305.5Bright
315.5Bright
Planning a trip in January

Hazard calendar for Kenema

In seasonPeak

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

Kenema's monsoon runs May–October, when most of the year's rain falls.

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

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

Is January a good time to visit Kenema?

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

4.6
Sightseeing
2nd-best month of the year
7.6
Beach & pool
1st-best month of the year

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

What to pack for Kenema in January

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

In January, Kenema sees daytime highs around 32°C and nights near 21°C. Pack light clothes. Worth having: sun protection. About 3 days see rain.

light clothessun protection

UV index in Kenema in January

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in January peaks around 10 (very high — sun protection essential). The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.

Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Kenema peaks around August 23 at about 13 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near December 15 at about 8 (very high).

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

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecExtremeVery highAug 23UV 13Dec 15UV 8
UV index (midday)Level
Jan10Very high
Feb12Extreme
Mar13Extreme
Apr10Extreme
May12Extreme
Jun11Extreme
Jul11Extreme
Aug13Extreme
Sep13Extreme
Oct12Extreme
Nov9Very high
Dec8Very high

Air quality in Kenema 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 Kenema is worst in March — around 264 µg/m³ PM2.5 (very unhealthy), about 27.2× the cleanest month (August, 10 µg/m³).

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

0306090120150180210240270JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecUnhealthyVery unhealthyUnhealthyModerateGoodModeratePoorMar 19248 µg/m³Aug 2010 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan64Unhealthy
Feb69Unhealthy
Mar264Very unhealthy
Apr167Very unhealthy
May30Moderate
Jun17Moderate
Jul12Good
Aug10Good
Sep11Good
Oct16Moderate
Nov23Moderate
Dec44Poor
Location & terrain

Where is Kenema?

Kenema sits at 7.9°N, 11.2°W, 182 m above sea level, in Sierra Leone. The nearest listed city is Segbwema, 30 km away.

SegbwemaBoBumpeKoiduNjalaTubmanburgFoya KamaraMile 91

Topography around Kenema

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Kenema has significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 323 m around an average of 202 m above sea level; within 16 km, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 548 m; within 80 km, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 782 m.

The land around Kenema is covered by trees (42%) and artificial surfaces (39%) within 3 km, trees (70%) within 16 km, and trees (85%) within 80 km.

3 km
323 m
16 km
548 m
80 km
782 m
treesshrubsgrasslandartificial surfaceswater
January weather nearby: Segbwema 30 km · Bo 61 km · Bumpe 79 km · Koidu 89 km · Njala 99 km · Tubmanburg 119 km · Foya Kamara 121 km · Mile 91 130 km

Sierra Leone travel facts

Travel advisory
Level 2
Exercise Increased Caution
Power plugs
Type D / G
230 V · 50 Hz
Prices
≈ 24% of US
price level, 2025
GDP per capita
$846
2025
Happiness
3.3 / 10
World Happiness, 2025
Safe drinking water
11%
of population, 2024
Homicide rate
2.2
per 100k, 2020
Road deaths
33
per 100k/yr, 2019
Income group
Low
World Bank
Religion
Muslim 77%Christian 23%

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 Kenema (7.8769°, -11.1903°, elevation 182 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).