Dar es Salaam weather in January

In January, Dar es Salaam sees average daytime highs of 30°C and overnight lows near 26°C, with 53 mm of rain across 10 wet days and about 12.4 hours of daylight. It is the 2nd-warmest and 7th-wettest month of the year here.

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 30°C through the month. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 34% of the time in January, and the air most often feels oppressive.

Daylight stretches from about 12 h 24 min at the start of January to 12 h 18 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, January is Dar es Salaam's 9th-clearest and 5th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Dar es Salaam's year-round climate.

Daytime high
30°
2nd warmest
Overnight low
26°
12th coldest
Rainfall
53 mm
10 wet days
Daylight
12 h 24 min
6:22 AM – 6:43 PM
Cloud cover
57%
9th clearest
Wind
15 km/h
5th windiest
Solar energy
6.24 kWh/m²
Travel score
5.0
out of 10

Dar es Salaam is largest city in Tanzania and capital of Dar es Salaam Region.

Density
3,865/km²
people per km²
Founded
1862

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 30°C through the month.

A typical January day in Dar es Salaam reaches about 30°C in the afternoon and slips back to 26°C overnight — a 4°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 29°C and 31°C. Set against its neighbours, January runs on par with December and on par with February.

20°25°30°35°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
13026
23026
33026
43026
53026
63026
73026
83026
93026
103026
113026
123026
133026
143026
153026
163026
173026
183026
193026
203026
213026
223026
233026
243026
253026
263026
273026
283026
293026
303026
313026

How January really feels in Dar es Salaam

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.

Dar es Salaam weather by month

How January compares with the rest of the year at a glance. January is the 2nd-warmest and 7th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan30° / 26°531012.45.0
Feb30° / 26°528.412.24.8
Mar30° / 25°15621.7123.8
Apr29° / 25°22926.311.93.5
May28° / 24°15220.411.75.0
Jun27° / 23°3911.411.66.4
Jul27° / 22°258.211.66.9
Aug27° / 22°258.611.87.0
Sep28° / 22°237.4127.1
Oct28° / 23°571112.25.9
Nov29° / 24°9217.512.34.7
Dec30° / 25°941812.44.4

Cloud cover in January

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 34% of the time in January.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 22% of January, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 44%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
16040
26040
36040
45941
55941
65842
75842
85743
95743
105644
115545
125545
135545
145545
155446
165446
175446
185446
195446
205446
215446
225446
235545
245545
255545
265545
275545
285545
295545
305545
315545

Chance of precipitation in January

Any precipitation

Dar es Salaam gets around 53 mm of rain over 10 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 32% and peaks near 39% on the wettest days. The odds ease toward the end of the month.

0%10%20%30%40%50%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
139
239
338
438
538
637
737
837
937
1037
1137
1236
1336
1435
1535
1634
1733
1832
1931
2030
2129
2229
2328
2427
2526
2626
2725
2824
2923
3023
3123

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 85% of days. Sticky, muggy-or-worse air turns up on roughly 100% of them.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Oppressive (%)Miserable (%)
17723
27822
37921
48020
58119
68218
78317
88317
98416
108416
118515
128515
138614
148614
158614
168614
178713
188713
198614
208614
218614
228614
238614
248614
258614
268713
278713
288713
298713
308713
318812

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
114light breeze
214light breeze
314light breeze
414light breeze
514light breeze
614light breeze
714light breeze
814light breeze
914light breeze
1014light breeze
1114light breeze
1214light breeze
1314light breeze
1414light breeze
1514light breeze
1615light breeze
1715light breeze
1815light breeze
1915light breeze
2015light breeze
2115light breeze
2215light breeze
2315light breeze
2415light breeze
2515light breeze
2615light breeze
2715light breeze
2815light breeze
2915light breeze
3015light breeze
3115light breeze

Sunrise & sunset in January

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 12 h 24 min at the start of January to 12 h 18 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 6:14 AM to 6:27 AM, and sunset from 6:38 PM to 6:45 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
112.46:146:38
212.46:156:38
312.46:156:39
412.46:166:39
512.46:166:39
612.46:176:40
712.46:176:40
812.46:186:40
912.46:186:41
1012.46:196:41
1112.46:196:41
1212.46:206:42
1312.46:206:42
1412.46:216:42
1512.46:216:43
1612.46:226:43
1712.46:226:43
1812.46:226:43
1912.36:236:44
2012.36:236:44
2112.36:246:44
2212.36:246:44
2312.36:246:44
2412.36:256:45
2512.36:256:45
2612.36:266:45
2712.36:266:45
2812.36:266:45
2912.36:276:45
3012.36:276:45
3112.36:276:45

Solar energy in January

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in January, about 6.24 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 4.67 kWh/m² to a high of 6.41 kWh/m² in October across the year — January's 6.24 kWh/m² falls in the middle.

0246151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
16.2Intense
26.2Intense
36.2Intense
46.2Intense
56.2Intense
66.2Intense
76.2Intense
86.2Intense
96.2Intense
106.2Intense
116.2Intense
126.2Intense
136.2Intense
146.2Intense
156.2Intense
166.2Intense
176.2Intense
186.2Intense
196.2Intense
206.2Intense
216.3Intense
226.3Intense
236.3Intense
246.3Intense
256.3Intense
266.3Intense
276.3Intense
286.3Intense
296.3Intense
306.3Intense
316.4Intense
Planning a trip in January

Hazard calendar for Dar es Salaam

In seasonPeak

In January, Dar es Salaam sits inside its cyclone season. The full year is below, with each hazard's peak months called out.

Dar es Salaam sits in the South Indian Ocean cyclone belt; the season peaks January–March.

Dar es Salaam's rainy season runs March–May, when most of the year's rain falls.

Cyclone
Rainy season
Jan
Feb
Mar
Apr
May
Jun
Jul
Aug
Sep
Oct
Nov
Dec

Is January a good time to visit Dar es Salaam?

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

5.0
Sightseeing
6th-best month of the year
6.8
Beach & pool
5th-best month of the year

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

What to pack for Dar es Salaam in January

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

In January, Dar es Salaam sees daytime highs around 30°C and nights near 26°C. Pack light clothes and sun protection. Worth having: rain gear. About 10 days see rain.

light clothessun protectionrain gear

Sea temperature near Dar es Salaam 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 13 km away) is warmest in March at about 29°C and coldest in August near 25°C.

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

24°26°28°30°JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecrefreshingwarmtropicalcomfortable to swim
Sea temperature (°C)Comfort
Jan28Tropical
Feb29Tropical
Mar29Tropical
Apr29Tropical
May28Warm
Jun27Warm
Jul26Warm
Aug25Warm
Sep26Warm
Oct27Warm
Nov28Warm
Dec29Tropical

UV index in Dar es Salaam 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 Dar es Salaam peaks around March 15 at about 14 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near June 17 at about 10 (very high).

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

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecExtremeVery highExtremeMar 15UV 14Jun 17UV 10
UV index (midday)Level
Jan13Extreme
Feb14Extreme
Mar15Extreme
Apr13Extreme
May10Extreme
Jun9Very high
Jul10Extreme
Aug10Extreme
Sep12Extreme
Oct13Extreme
Nov12Extreme
Dec12Extreme

Air quality in Dar es Salaam 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 Dar es Salaam is worst in July — around 22 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), and holds fairly steady the rest of the year.

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

0102030JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecModerateJul 1522 µg/m³Nov 1515 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan21Moderate
Feb20Moderate
Mar18Moderate
Apr16Moderate
May18Moderate
Jun21Moderate
Jul22Moderate
Aug20Moderate
Sep19Moderate
Oct17Moderate
Nov15Moderate
Dec17Moderate
Location & terrain

Where is Dar es Salaam?

Dar es Salaam sits at 6.8°S, 39.3°E, 24 m above sea level, in Tanzania. The nearest listed city is Magomeni, 3.0 km away.

Topography around Dar es Salaam

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Dar es Salaam has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 43 m around an average of 16 m above sea level; within 16 km, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 162 m; within 80 km, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 449 m.

The land around Dar es Salaam is covered by artificial surfaces (77%) within 3 km, artificial surfaces (37%) and water (30%) within 16 km, and water (47%), grassland (26%) and trees (20%) within 80 km.

3 km
43 m
16 km
162 m
80 km
449 m
treesshrubsgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwatermangroves
January weather nearby: Magomeni 3.0 km · Mwandege 17 km · Vikindu 21 km · Mkuranga 33 km · Mapinga 33 km · Kibaha 39 km · Sokoni 53 km · Bagamoyo 59 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 Dar es Salaam (-6.8235°, 39.2695°, elevation 24 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).