Makumbako weather in January

In January, Makumbako sees average daytime highs of 26°C and overnight lows near 17°C, with 189 mm of rain across 25.9 wet days and about 12.5 hours of daylight. It is the 7th-warmest and 1st-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 5% of the time in January, and the air most often feels humid.

Daylight stretches from about 12 h 30 min at the start of January to 12 h 24 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, January is Makumbako's 12th-clearest and 12th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Makumbako's year-round climate.

Daytime high
26°
7th warmest
Overnight low
17°
10th coldest
Rainfall
189 mm
25.9 wet days
Daylight
12 h 30 min
6:36 AM – 7:04 PM
Cloud cover
82%
12th clearest
Wind
7 km/h
12th windiest
Solar energy
5.56 kWh/m²
Travel score
4.1
out of 10

Makumbako is town in Njombe Region, Tanzania.

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 Makumbako reaches about 26°C in the afternoon and slips back to 17°C overnight — a 8°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 23°C and 28°C. Set against its neighbours, January runs about 1°C cooler than December and on par with February.

15°20°25°30°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
12618
22618
32618
42618
52618
62617
72617
82617
92617
102617
112617
122617
132617
142617
152617
162617
172617
182617
192617
202617
212617
222617
232617
242617
252617
262617
272617
282617
292617
302617
312617

Makumbako weather by month

How January compares with the rest of the year at a glance. January is the 7th-warmest and 1st-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan26° / 17°18925.912.54.1
Feb26° / 17°14822.412.34.2
Mar26° / 18°16023.112.14.6
Apr25° / 17°499.711.86.7
May25° / 16°51.211.68.6
Jun24° / 14°0011.59.0
Jul23° / 13°0011.59.0
Aug24° / 14°0011.79.1
Sep26° / 15°10.111.98.8
Oct28° / 16°112.612.27.6
Nov29° / 17°579.112.45.9
Dec27° / 18°16320.512.54.9

Cloud cover in January

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 5% of the time in January, the cloudiest month of the year.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 9% of January, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 86%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
12080
21981
31882
41783
51684
61585
71486
81486
91288
101288
111288
121189
131189
141189
151288
161288
171288
181387
191387
201486
211486
221486
231387
241387
251387
261387
271486
281387
291387
301387
311387

Chance of precipitation in January

Any precipitation

Makumbako gets around 189 mm of rain over 25.9 wet days in January, the wettest month. The line is the day-by-day chance of measurable precipitation.

Day to day, the chance of measurable rain averages around 83% and peaks near 84% on the wettest days.

0%20%40%60%80%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
179
280
380
481
581
682
782
883
983
1083
1184
1284
1384
1484
1584
1684
1784
1884
1984
2084
2184
2284
2384
2484
2584
2684
2784
2884
2984
3084
3184

Humidity in January

DryComfortableHumidMuggyOppressiveMiserable

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

By dew point, January lands in the humid band about 85% of days. It rarely turns muggy — the humid and sticky bands barely register.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)Muggy (%)
1417772
2416782
3316792
4316792
5316792
6215812
7215812
8214822
9213832
10213832
11112852
12111862
13111862
14110863
15110863
1619873
1719873
1819864
1918874
2018874
2118874
2218874
2318874
2418874
2518874
2608884
2708884
2808893
2909883
3009883
3109883

Wind in January

Winds average 7 km/h in January, the calmest month.

Across January, daily wind ranges from about 7 km/h on the calmest days to 8 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

0246810151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
18calm
28calm
38calm
48calm
58calm
68calm
78calm
88calm
98calm
108calm
118calm
127calm
137calm
147calm
157calm
167calm
177calm
187calm
197calm
207calm
217calm
227calm
237calm
247calm
257calm
267calm
277calm
287calm
297calm
307calm
317calm

Sunrise & sunset in January

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 12 h 30 min at the start of January to 12 h 24 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 6:29 AM to 6:42 AM, and sunset from 6:59 PM to 7:06 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
112.56:296:59
212.56:296:59
312.56:307:00
412.56:307:00
512.56:317:01
612.56:317:01
712.56:327:01
812.56:327:02
912.56:337:02
1012.56:337:02
1112.56:347:03
1212.56:347:03
1312.56:357:03
1412.56:357:03
1512.56:367:04
1612.56:367:04
1712.56:367:04
1812.56:377:04
1912.56:377:05
2012.46:387:05
2112.46:387:05
2212.46:397:05
2312.46:397:05
2412.46:407:05
2512.46:407:05
2612.46:407:05
2712.46:417:06
2812.46:417:06
2912.46:427:06
3012.46:427:06
3112.46:427:06

Solar energy in January

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in January, about 5.56 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 5.28 kWh/m² to a high of 7.05 kWh/m² in October across the year — January's 5.56 kWh/m² falls in the middle.

0246151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
15.6Bright
25.6Bright
35.6Bright
45.6Bright
55.6Bright
65.5Bright
75.5Bright
85.5Bright
95.5Bright
105.5Bright
115.5Bright
125.5Bright
135.5Bright
145.5Bright
155.5Bright
165.5Bright
175.5Bright
185.5Bright
195.5Bright
205.5Bright
215.6Bright
225.6Bright
235.6Bright
245.6Bright
255.6Bright
265.6Bright
275.6Bright
285.6Bright
295.6Bright
305.6Bright
315.6Bright
Planning a trip in January

Hazard calendar for Makumbako

In seasonPeak

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

Makumbako's monsoon runs December–March, when most of the year's rain falls.

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

Is January a good time to visit Makumbako?

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

4.1
Sightseeing
12th-best month of the year
3.9
Beach & pool
12th-best month of the year

January is a reasonable time to visit Makumbako for sightseeing.

What to pack for Makumbako in January

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

In January, Makumbako sees daytime highs around 26°C and nights near 17°C. Pack rain gear. Worth having: light clothes and sun protection. About 26 days see rain.

rain gearlight clothessun protection

UV index in Makumbako 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 Makumbako peaks around March 10 at about 16 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near June 17 at about 10 (extreme).

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

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecExtremeMar 10UV 16Jun 17UV 10
UV index (midday)Level
Jan15Extreme
Feb16Extreme
Mar16Extreme
Apr14Extreme
May11Extreme
Jun10Extreme
Jul11Extreme
Aug12Extreme
Sep13Extreme
Oct15Extreme
Nov14Extreme
Dec13Extreme

Air quality in Makumbako 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 Makumbako is worst in October — around 21 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 3.0× the cleanest month (May, 7 µg/m³).

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

0102030JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecGoodModerateGoodOct 1620 µg/m³May 157 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan11Good
Feb11Good
Mar10Good
Apr8Good
May7Good
Jun8Good
Jul11Good
Aug14Moderate
Sep17Moderate
Oct21Moderate
Nov17Moderate
Dec10Good
Location & terrain

Where is Makumbako?

Makumbako sits at 8.8°S, 34.8°E, 1,651 m above sea level, in Tanzania. The nearest listed city is Mtwango, 19 km away.

MafingaChimalaIgurusi

Topography around Makumbako

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Makumbako has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 155 m around an average of 1,653 m above sea level; within 16 km, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 534 m; within 80 km, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 2,220 m.

The land around Makumbako is covered by cropland (43%) and artificial surfaces (37%) within 3 km, cropland (51%) and shrubs (30%) within 16 km, and shrubs (30%), trees (26%) and grassland (22%) within 80 km.

3 km
155 m
16 km
534 m
80 km
2,220 m
treesshrubsgrasslandcroplandartificial surfaces
January weather nearby: Mtwango 19 km · Ilembula 28 km · Rujewa 52 km · Njombe 56 km · Urunda 63 km · Mafinga 79 km · Chimala 89 km · Igurusi 108 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 Makumbako (-8.85°, 34.8333°, elevation 1,651 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).