Burao weather in January

In January, Burao sees average daytime highs of 27°C and overnight lows near 15°C, with 0 mm of rain across 0.1 wet days and about 11.5 hours of daylight. It is the 11th-warmest and 12th-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 75% of the time in January, and the air most often feels dry.

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 Burao's 2nd-clearest and 7th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Burao's year-round climate.

Daytime high
27°
11th warmest
Overnight low
15°
1st coldest
Rainfall
0 mm
0.1 wet days
Daylight
11 h 30 min
6:22 AM – 5:52 PM
Cloud cover
23%
2nd clearest
Wind
15 km/h
7th windiest
Solar energy
6.37 kWh/m²
Travel score
8.7
out of 10

Burao is city in Somaliland.

Density
3,545/km²
people per km²
Founded
1750

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 Burao reaches about 27°C in the afternoon and slips back to 15°C overnight — a 12°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 25°C and 29°C. Set against its neighbours, January runs on par with December and about 2°C cooler than February.

10°15°20°25°30°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
12714
22714
32714
42714
52714
62714
72714
82714
92714
102714
112714
122715
132715
142715
152715
162715
172715
182715
192715
202715
212715
222715
232715
242715
252715
262815
272815
282815
292815
302815
312815

Burao weather by month

How January compares with the rest of the year at a glance. January is the 11th-warmest and 12th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan27° / 15°00.111.58.7
Feb29° / 16°10.211.77.5
Mar30° / 18°81.811.96.2
Apr30° / 20°358.112.25.4
May30° / 21°337.712.45.1
Jun31° / 21°30.512.55.7
Jul30° / 20°40.912.56.2
Aug31° / 21°30.912.35.9
Sep31° / 21°61.412.15.6
Oct29° / 19°245.811.86.3
Nov28° / 17°11211.68.0
Dec27° / 15°20.611.58.8

Cloud cover in January

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 75% of the time in January.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 11% of January, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 14%. Skies tend to cloud over as the month goes on.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
18911
28911
38911
48911
58911
68812
78812
88812
98713
108713
118713
128515
138515
148515
158515
168416
178416
188416
198416
208416
218416
228416
238416
248416
258515
268515
278515
288614
298614
308614
318614

Chance of precipitation in January

Any precipitation

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

0%10%20%30%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
11
21
30
40
50
60
70
80
90
100
110
120
130
140
150
161
171
181
191
201
211
221
231
241
251
261
271
281
291
301
311

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 70% of days. It rarely turns muggy — the humid and sticky bands barely register.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)
176195
275205
376204
475214
574224
673234
772244
872253
971263
1070273
1170273
1269283
1368293
1468293
1567303
1667303
1766313
1866313
1966313
2066313
2166313
2266313
2366313
2467303
2567303
2668293
2768293
2869283
2969283
3071272
3172262

Wind in January

Winds average 15 km/h in January.

Across January, daily wind ranges from about 14 km/h on the calmest days to 15 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

05101520151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
115light breeze
215light breeze
315light breeze
415light breeze
515light breeze
615light breeze
715light breeze
815light breeze
915light breeze
1015light breeze
1115light breeze
1215light breeze
1315light breeze
1415light breeze
1515light breeze
1615light breeze
1714light breeze
1814light breeze
1914light breeze
2014light breeze
2114light breeze
2214light breeze
2314light breeze
2414light breeze
2514light breeze
2614light breeze
2714light breeze
2814light breeze
2914light breeze
3014light breeze
3114light breeze

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 6:17 AM to 6:24 AM, and sunset from 5:45 PM to 5:59 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
111.56:175:45
211.56:185:45
311.56:185:46
411.56:195:46
511.56:195:47
611.56:195:47
711.56:205:48
811.56:205:48
911.56:205:49
1011.56:215:49
1111.56:215:50
1211.56:215:50
1311.56:215:51
1411.56:225:51
1511.56:225:52
1611.56:225:52
1711.56:225:53
1811.56:235:53
1911.56:235:54
2011.56:235:54
2111.56:235:54
2211.56:235:55
2311.56:235:55
2411.56:235:56
2511.56:245:56
2611.66:245:57
2711.66:245:57
2811.66:245:57
2911.66:245:58
3011.66:245:58
3111.66:245:59

Solar energy in January

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in January, about 6.37 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 5.35 kWh/m² to a high of 7.1 kWh/m² in March across the year — January's 6.37 kWh/m² falls in the middle.

0246151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
16.2Intense
26.2Intense
36.3Intense
46.3Intense
56.3Intense
66.3Intense
76.3Intense
86.3Intense
96.3Intense
106.3Intense
116.3Intense
126.3Intense
136.3Intense
146.3Intense
156.3Intense
166.3Intense
176.3Intense
186.4Intense
196.4Intense
206.4Intense
216.4Intense
226.4Intense
236.4Intense
246.5Intense
256.5Intense
266.5Intense
276.5Intense
286.6Intense
296.6Intense
306.6Intense
316.6Intense
Planning a trip in January

Hazard calendar for Burao

In seasonPeak

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

Burao sees seasonal dust haze (June–August), heaviest in July.

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

Is January a good time to visit Burao?

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

8.7
Sightseeing
2nd-best month of the year
8.7
Beach & pool
2nd-best month of the year

January is one of the better times to visit Burao for general sightseeing. The water and warmth also suit a beach or pool day.

What to pack for Burao in January

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

In January, Burao sees daytime highs around 27°C and nights near 15°C. Pack light clothes and sun protection.

light clothessun protection

UV index in Burao in January

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in January peaks around 13 (very high — sun protection essential). The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.

Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Burao peaks around March 22 at about 15 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near November 22 at about 10 (extreme).

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

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecExtremeMar 22UV 15Nov 22UV 10
UV index (midday)Level
Jan13Extreme
Feb14Extreme
Mar15Extreme
Apr15Extreme
May14Extreme
Jun12Extreme
Jul11Extreme
Aug14Extreme
Sep13Extreme
Oct13Extreme
Nov10Extreme
Dec10Extreme

Air quality in Burao 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 Burao is worst in July — around 44 µg/m³ PM2.5 (poor), about 4.1× the cleanest month (November, 11 µg/m³).

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

0204060JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecModeratePoorModerateGoodJul 1642 µg/m³Nov 1611 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan14Moderate
Feb17Moderate
Mar14Moderate
Apr13Moderate
May15Moderate
Jun34Moderate
Jul44Poor
Aug32Moderate
Sep20Moderate
Oct12Moderate
Nov11Good
Dec12Good
Location & terrain

Where is Burao?

Burao sits at 9.5°N, 45.5°E, 1,041 m above sea level, in Somalia. The nearest listed city is Berbera, 117 km away.

BerberaHargeysaGebileyLaascaanoodCeerigaaboRuqiBakiTog Wajaale

Topography around Burao

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Burao has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 33 m around an average of 1,041 m above sea level; within 16 km, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 150 m; within 80 km, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,659 m.

The land around Burao is covered by artificial surfaces (36%), bare terrain (32%) and grassland (22%) within 3 km, grassland (67%) and bare terrain (20%) within 16 km, and grassland (49%), shrubs (31%) and bare terrain (20%) within 80 km.

3 km
33 m
16 km
150 m
80 km
1,659 m
treesshrubsgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrain
January weather nearby: Berbera 117 km · Hargeysa 161 km · Gebiley 210 km · Laascaanood 232 km · Ceerigaabo 235 km · Ruqi 236 km · Baki 239 km · Tog Wajaale 241 km

Somalia travel facts

Travel advisory
Level 4
Do Not Travel
Power plugs
Type C / G
220 V · 50 Hz
Prices
≈ 52% of US
price level, 2025
GDP per capita
$661
2025
Happiness
4.5 / 10
World Happiness, 2025
Road deaths
27.4
per 100k/yr, 2019
Income group
Low
World Bank
English
Very low
EF EPI 399
Religion
Muslim 100%ethnic religionist 0%

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 Burao (9.5221°, 45.5336°, elevation 1,041 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).