Port Loko weather in January

In January, Port Loko sees average daytime highs of 32°C and overnight lows near 22°C, with 11 mm of rain across 2.7 wet days and about 11.5 hours of daylight. It is the 4th-warmest and 11th-wettest month of the year here.

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 32°C through the month. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 60% of the time in January, and the air most often feels oppressive.

Daylight stretches from about 11 h 30 min at the start of January to 11 h 36 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, January is Port Loko's 1st-clearest and 6th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Port Loko's year-round climate.

Daytime high
32°
4th warmest
Overnight low
22°
1st coldest
Rainfall
11 mm
2.7 wet days
Daylight
11 h 30 min
7:14 AM – 6:47 PM
Cloud cover
36%
1st clearest
Wind
6 km/h
6th windiest
Solar energy
5.48 kWh/m²
Travel score
4.7
out of 10

Port Loko is city.

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 32°C through the month.

A typical January day in Port Loko reaches about 32°C in the afternoon and slips back to 22°C overnight — a 10°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 31°C and 34°C. Set against its neighbours, January runs about 1°C warmer than December and about 1°C cooler than February.

20°25°30°35°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
13222
23222
33222
43222
53222
63222
73222
83222
93222
103222
113222
123222
133222
143222
153222
163222
173222
183222
193222
203322
213323
223323
233323
243323
253323
263323
273323
283323
293323
303323
313323

How January really feels in Port Loko

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.

Port Loko weather by month

How January compares with the rest of the year at a glance. January is the 4th-warmest and 11th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan32° / 22°112.711.54.7
Feb34° / 23°71.711.74.1
Mar34° / 24°21511.93.6
Apr33° / 25°568.912.23.5
May31° / 24°24624.912.42.9
Jun29° / 23°39429.512.52.8
Jul28° / 23°53930.212.53.1
Aug28° / 23°61030.112.33.3
Sep29° / 23°49429.612.12.9
Oct30° / 23°30229.911.82.8
Nov30° / 23°12921.711.63.6
Dec31° / 23°276.711.55.0

Cloud cover in January

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 60% 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 23%. Skies tend to open up as the month goes on.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
17525
27525
37426
47426
57426
67426
77426
87525
97426
107426
117426
127426
137327
147426
157426
167525
177525
187624
197723
207723
217822
227822
237921
247921
258119
268119
278218
288218
298218
308119
318119

Chance of precipitation in January

Any precipitation

Port Loko gets around 11 mm of rain over 2.7 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 9% and peaks near 9% on the wettest days.

0%10%20%30%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
19
29
39
49
59
69
78
88
98
108
118
128
139
149
159
169
179
189
199
209
219
229
239
249
259
269
278
288
298
307
317

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 59% of days. Sticky, muggy-or-worse air turns up on roughly 93% of them.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)Muggy (%)Oppressive (%)Miserable (%)
112625633
212626632
312626632
422627612
523628601
623628601
723629591
823629591
913630591
1012630601
1112531601
1212531601
1312532591
1412532591
1512433591
1612433591
1712434581
1812435571
1912335581
2012335572
2112336562
2212336562
2312336562
2412336562
2512336562
2612336562
2712336562
2812336562
2912336562
3011337562
3111337562

Wind in January

Winds average 6 km/h in January.

Across January, daily wind ranges from about 6 km/h on the calmest days to 7 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

0246810151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
16calm
26calm
36calm
46calm
56calm
66calm
76calm
86calm
96calm
106calm
116calm
126calm
136calm
146calm
156calm
166calm
176calm
186calm
196calm
206calm
216calm
226calm
236calm
246calm
256calm
266calm
276calm
286calm
296calm
306calm
317calm

Sunrise & sunset in January

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 11 h 30 min at the start of January to 11 h 36 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 7:09 AM to 7:16 AM, and sunset from 6:39 PM to 6:53 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
111.57:096:39
211.57:106:40
311.57:106:40
411.57:116:41
511.57:116:41
611.57:116:42
711.57:126:42
811.57:126:43
911.57:126:43
1011.57:136:44
1111.57:136:44
1211.57:136:45
1311.57:136:45
1411.57:146:46
1511.57:146:46
1611.57:146:47
1711.57:146:47
1811.57:156:48
1911.67:156:48
2011.67:156:48
2111.67:156:49
2211.67:156:49
2311.67:156:50
2411.67:166:50
2511.67:166:51
2611.67:166:51
2711.67:166:51
2811.67:166:52
2911.67:166:52
3011.67:166:53
3111.67:166:53

Solar energy in January

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in January, about 5.48 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 3.42 kWh/m² to a high of 6.03 kWh/m² in March across the year — January's 5.48 kWh/m² falls in the middle.

0246151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
15.3Bright
25.3Bright
35.3Bright
45.3Bright
55.4Bright
65.4Bright
75.4Bright
85.4Bright
95.4Bright
105.4Bright
115.4Bright
125.4Bright
135.4Bright
145.4Bright
155.5Bright
165.5Bright
175.5Bright
185.5Bright
195.5Bright
205.5Bright
215.5Bright
225.5Bright
235.5Bright
245.6Bright
255.6Bright
265.6Bright
275.6Bright
285.6Bright
295.7Bright
305.7Bright
315.7Bright
Planning a trip in January

Hazard calendar for Port Loko

In seasonPeak

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

Port Loko's monsoon runs June–October, when most of the year's rain falls.

Port Loko 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 Port Loko?

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

4.7
Sightseeing
2nd-best month of the year
7.8
Beach & pool
1st-best month of the year

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

What to pack for Port Loko in January

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

In January, Port Loko sees daytime highs around 32°C and nights near 22°C. Pack light clothes. Worth having: sun protection.

light clothessun protection

Sea temperature near Port Loko in January

The nearest coast averages about 28°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 66 km away) is warmest in November at about 29°C and coldest in August near 27°C.

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

26°28°30°JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecwarmtropicalcomfortable to swim
Sea temperature (°C)Comfort
Jan28Warm
Feb27Warm
Mar27Warm
Apr28Warm
May28Tropical
Jun28Tropical
Jul28Warm
Aug27Warm
Sep27Warm
Oct28Tropical
Nov29Tropical
Dec29Tropical

UV index in Port Loko in January

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in January peaks around 9 (very high — sun protection essential). The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.

Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Port Loko peaks around August 20 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.

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecVery highExtremeVery highAug 20UV 13Dec 15UV 8
UV index (midday)Level
Jan9Very high
Feb12Extreme
Mar13Extreme
Apr11Extreme
May12Extreme
Jun12Extreme
Jul11Extreme
Aug13Extreme
Sep12Extreme
Oct11Extreme
Nov9Very high
Dec8Very high

Air quality in Port Loko 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 Port Loko is worst in April — around 267 µg/m³ PM2.5 (very unhealthy), about 19.2× the cleanest month (August, 14 µg/m³).

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

0306090120150180210240270JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecUnhealthyVery unhealthyModerateUnhealthyApr 15244 µg/m³Aug 1614 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan96Unhealthy
Feb97Unhealthy
Mar93Unhealthy
Apr267Very unhealthy
May55Poor
Jun25Moderate
Jul16Moderate
Aug14Moderate
Sep17Moderate
Oct24Moderate
Nov35Poor
Dec67Unhealthy
Location & terrain

Where is Port Loko?

Port Loko sits at 8.8°N, 12.8°W, 51 m above sea level, in Sierra Leone. The nearest listed city is Lunsar, 29 km away.

LunsarWaterlooFreetownGoderichMile 91ForécariahMakeniNjala

Topography around Port Loko

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Port Loko has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 65 m around an average of 31 m above sea level; within 16 km, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 120 m; within 80 km, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 885 m.

The land around Port Loko is covered by trees (60%) and grassland (22%) within 3 km, trees (59%) and grassland (27%) within 16 km, and trees (44%) and grassland (21%) within 80 km.

3 km
65 m
16 km
120 m
80 km
885 m
treesshrubsgrasslandartificial surfaceswaterwetlandmangroves
January weather nearby: Lunsar 29 km · Waterloo 57 km · Freetown 58 km · Goderich 67 km · Mile 91 71 km · Forécariah 81 km · Makeni 83 km · Njala 104 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 Port Loko (8.7661°, -12.787°, elevation 51 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).