Arusha weather in January

In January, Arusha sees average daytime highs of 26°C and overnight lows near 15°C, with 82 mm of rain across 10.6 wet days and about 12.2 hours of daylight. It is the 3rd-warmest and 5th-wettest month of the year here.

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 26°C through the month. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 24% of the time in January, and the air most often feels comfortable.

Daylight stretches from about 12 h 12 min at the start of January to 12 h 06 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, January is Arusha's 4th-clearest and 8th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Arusha's year-round climate.

Daytime high
26°
3rd warmest
Overnight low
15°
7th coldest
Rainfall
82 mm
10.6 wet days
Daylight
12 h 12 min
6:37 AM – 6:48 PM
Cloud cover
60%
4th clearest
Wind
5 km/h
8th windiest
Solar energy
6 kWh/m²
Travel score
6.6
out of 10

Arusha is city in Arusha Region, Tanzania.

Density
388/km²
people per km²
Founded
1948

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 26°C through the month.

A typical January day in Arusha reaches about 26°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 24°C and 28°C. Set against its neighbours, January runs about 1°C warmer than December and about 1°C cooler than February.

10°15°20°25°30°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
12515
22615
32615
42615
52615
62615
72615
82615
92615
102615
112615
122615
132615
142615
152615
162615
172614
182614
192614
202614
212614
222614
232614
242614
252614
262614
272714
282714
292714
302714
312714

Arusha weather by month

How January compares with the rest of the year at a glance. January is the 3rd-warmest and 5th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan26° / 15°8210.612.26.6
Feb27° / 15°738.912.16.5
Mar26° / 16°14316.7125.6
Apr24° / 16°14521.711.94.9
May22° / 14°5011.911.86.2
Jun21° / 12°72.311.87.3
Jul21° / 11°41.111.87.5
Aug22° / 11°41.111.97.8
Sep24° / 12°41.1128.3
Oct25° / 14°307.312.17.2
Nov25° / 15°10317.712.25.6
Dec25° / 15°10816.712.25.7

Cloud cover in January

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 24% of the time in January.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 26% of January, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 50%. Skies tend to open up as the month goes on.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
14852
24852
34852
44951
54951
64951
74852
84852
94753
104753
114852
124852
134852
144951
155050
165050
175050
185149
195149
205149
215248
225248
235248
245248
255248
265248
275248
285347
295347
305248
315248

Chance of precipitation in January

Any precipitation

Arusha gets around 82 mm of rain over 10.6 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 34% and peaks near 40% on the wettest days. The odds ease toward the end of the month.

0%10%20%30%40%50%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
140
240
339
439
539
639
739
839
939
1038
1138
1238
1337
1437
1536
1636
1735
1834
1934
2033
2132
2231
2330
2430
2529
2628
2727
2827
2926
3026
3126

Humidity in January

DryComfortableHumidMuggyOppressiveMiserable

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

By dew point, January lands in the comfortable band about 52% of days. It rarely turns muggy — the humid and sticky bands barely register.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)
1225820
2225820
3225820
4235720
5235720
6235720
7245620
8245719
9255619
10255619
11265519
12265519
13275518
14285418
15285517
16295516
17315316
18325315
19335215
20355015
21365014
22374914
23394813
24404713
25424612
26434512
27454412
28464311
29474211
30484111
31494011

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
236calm
246calm
256calm
266calm
276calm
286calm
296calm
306calm
316calm

Sunrise & sunset in January

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 12 h 12 min at the start of January to 12 h 06 min by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days shrink by about 6 minutes over January. Sunrise moves from 6:31 AM to 6:42 AM, and sunset from 6:42 PM to 6:51 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
112.26:316:42
212.26:316:43
312.26:326:43
412.26:326:43
512.26:336:44
612.26:336:44
712.26:336:45
812.26:346:45
912.26:346:45
1012.26:356:46
1112.26:356:46
1212.26:366:47
1312.26:366:47
1412.26:366:47
1512.26:376:48
1612.26:376:48
1712.26:386:48
1812.26:386:48
1912.26:386:49
2012.26:396:49
2112.26:396:49
2212.26:406:49
2312.26:406:50
2412.26:406:50
2512.26:416:50
2612.26:416:50
2712.26:416:50
2812.26:416:51
2912.26:426:51
3012.16:426:51
3112.16:426:51

Solar energy in January

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in January, about 6 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 4.54 kWh/m² to a high of 6.33 kWh/m² in February across the year — January's 6 kWh/m² sits near the top of that range.

0246151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
15.8Bright
25.8Bright
35.8Bright
45.8Bright
55.8Bright
65.8Bright
75.8Bright
85.8Bright
95.8Bright
105.8Bright
115.9Bright
125.9Bright
135.9Bright
145.9Bright
155.9Bright
166.0Bright
176.0Bright
186.0Intense
196.0Intense
206.1Intense
216.1Intense
226.1Intense
236.2Intense
246.2Intense
256.2Intense
266.2Intense
276.3Intense
286.3Intense
296.3Intense
306.3Intense
316.3Intense
Planning a trip in January

Hazard calendar for Arusha

In seasonPeak

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

Arusha's rainy season runs November–April, 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 Arusha?

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

6.6
Sightseeing
6th-best month of the year
6.3
Beach & pool
4th-best month of the year

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

What to pack for Arusha in January

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

In January, Arusha sees daytime highs around 26°C and nights near 15°C. Pack sun protection. Worth having: light clothes and rain gear. About 11 days see rain.

sun protectionlight clothesrain gear

UV index in Arusha in January

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in January peaks around 15 (very high — sun protection essential). The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.

Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Arusha peaks around March 14 at about 16 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near June 19 at about 10 (extreme).

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

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecExtremeMar 14UV 16Jun 19UV 10
UV index (midday)Level
Jan15Extreme
Feb16Extreme
Mar16Extreme
Apr15Extreme
May12Extreme
Jun10Extreme
Jul11Extreme
Aug11Extreme
Sep14Extreme
Oct14Extreme
Nov14Extreme
Dec13Extreme

Air quality in Arusha 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 Arusha is worst in June — around 16 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 1.7× the cleanest month (November, 10 µg/m³).

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

01020JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecModerateGoodJun 2316 µg/m³Nov 1210 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan14Moderate
Feb13Moderate
Mar13Moderate
Apr12Moderate
May13Moderate
Jun16Moderate
Jul16Moderate
Aug13Moderate
Sep12Good
Oct11Good
Nov10Good
Dec13Moderate
Location & terrain

Where is Arusha?

Arusha sits at 3.4°S, 36.7°E, 1,415 m above sea level, in Tanzania. The nearest listed city is Usa River, 19 km away.

MoshiMto wa Mbu

Topography around Arusha

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Arusha has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 236 m around an average of 1,419 m above sea level; within 16 km, extreme variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 3,490 m; within 80 km, extreme variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 4,854 m.

The land around Arusha is covered by artificial surfaces (57%) and trees (36%) within 3 km, trees (30%), cropland (25%) and grassland (23%) within 16 km, and grassland (41%) and shrubs (32%) within 80 km.

3 km
236 m
16 km
3,490 m
80 km
4,854 m
treesshrubsgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwater
January weather nearby: Usa River 19 km · Kingori 35 km · Mbuguni 37 km · Merelani 39 km · Boma la Ngombe 52 km · Makuyuni 68 km · Moshi 72 km · Mto wa Mbu 93 km

Tanzania travel facts

Travel advisory
Level 3
Reconsider Travel
Power plugs
Type D / G
230 V · 50 Hz
Prices
≈ 29% of US
price level, 2025
GDP per capita
$1,319
2025
Happiness
3.9 / 10
World Happiness, 2025
Safe drinking water
31%
of population, 2024
Homicide rate
3.7
per 100k, 2020
Road deaths
31.1
per 100k/yr, 2019
Income group
Lower middle
World Bank
English
Low
EF EPI 479
Religion
Christian 63%Muslim 34%folk religion 1%

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 Arusha (-3.3667°, 36.6833°, elevation 1,415 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).