Songea weather in January

In January, Songea sees average daytime highs of 27°C and overnight lows near 19°C, with 315 mm of rain across 27.1 wet days and about 12.6 hours of daylight. It is the 5th-warmest and 1st-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 4% of the time in January, and the air most often feels muggy.

Daylight stretches from about 12 h 36 min at the start of January to 12 h 30 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, January is Songea's 12th-clearest and 10th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Songea's year-round climate.

Daytime high
27°
5th warmest
Overnight low
19°
11th coldest
Rainfall
315 mm
27.1 wet days
Daylight
12 h 36 min
6:30 AM – 7:04 PM
Cloud cover
85%
12th clearest
Wind
6 km/h
10th windiest
Solar energy
5.31 kWh/m²
Travel score
3.8
out of 10

Songea is city in 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 27°C through the month.

A typical January day in Songea reaches about 27°C in the afternoon and slips back to 19°C overnight — a 8°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 about 1°C cooler than December and on par with February.

15°20°25°30°35°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
12819
22819
32819
42719
52719
62719
72719
82719
92719
102719
112719
122719
132719
142719
152719
162719
172719
182719
192719
202719
212719
222719
232719
242719
252719
262719
272719
282719
292719
302719
312719

Songea weather by month

How January compares with the rest of the year at a glance. January is the 5th-warmest and 1st-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan27° / 19°31527.112.63.8
Feb27° / 19°27024.512.43.8
Mar26° / 19°26228.112.13.8
Apr25° / 18°12920.611.85.0
May25° / 16°296.411.57.5
Jun24° / 14°41.311.48.5
Jul24° / 13°41.111.48.5
Aug25° / 14°51.511.68.3
Sep28° / 16°41.411.97.5
Oct30° / 18°22512.25.8
Nov30° / 19°719.212.54.8
Dec28° / 19°22421.412.64.3

Cloud cover in January

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 4% 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 88%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
11981
21882
31882
41585
51486
61486
71288
81288
91189
101189
111189
121189
131090
141090
151090
161288
171288
181288
191288
201288
211288
221288
231288
241288
251288
261288
271288
281189
291189
301090
311090

Chance of precipitation in January

Any precipitation

Songea gets around 315 mm of rain over 27.1 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 86% and peaks near 89% on the wettest days.

0%20%40%60%80%100%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
182
282
383
484
584
685
786
886
986
1087
1187
1286
1386
1486
1586
1686
1786
1887
1987
2087
2187
2287
2387
2487
2588
2688
2788
2888
2988
3089
3189

Humidity in January

DryComfortableHumidMuggyOppressiveMiserable

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

By dew point, January lands in the muggy band about 90% of days. Sticky, muggy-or-worse air turns up on roughly 90% of them.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)Muggy (%)
1131482
2031483
3031384
4021385
5021286
6021286
7021187
8011188
9011089
10011089
11011089
12011089
1301990
1401990
1501990
1600991
1700991
1800991
1900892
2000892
2100892
2200892
2300793
2400793
2500793
2600793
2700694
2800694
2900694
3000694
3100694

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 6 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
316calm

Sunrise & sunset in January

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 12 h 36 min at the start of January to 12 h 30 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 6:22 AM to 6:37 AM, and sunset from 6:59 PM to 7:05 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
112.66:226:59
212.66:236:59
312.66:237:00
412.66:247:00
512.66:247:00
612.66:257:01
712.66:257:01
812.66:267:01
912.66:267:02
1012.66:277:02
1112.66:277:02
1212.66:287:03
1312.66:287:03
1412.66:297:03
1512.66:297:03
1612.66:307:04
1712.66:307:04
1812.66:317:04
1912.56:317:04
2012.56:327:04
2112.56:327:04
2212.56:337:05
2312.56:337:05
2412.56:347:05
2512.56:347:05
2612.56:357:05
2712.56:357:05
2812.56:357:05
2912.56:367:05
3012.56:367:05
3112.56:377:05

Solar energy in January

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in January, about 5.31 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 4.51 kWh/m² to a high of 6.43 kWh/m² in October across the year — January's 5.31 kWh/m² falls in the middle.

0246151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
15.4Bright
25.4Bright
35.4Bright
45.4Bright
55.3Bright
65.3Bright
75.3Bright
85.3Bright
95.3Bright
105.3Bright
115.3Bright
125.3Bright
135.3Bright
145.3Bright
155.3Bright
165.3Bright
175.3Bright
185.3Bright
195.3Bright
205.3Bright
215.3Bright
225.3Bright
235.3Bright
245.3Bright
255.3Bright
265.3Bright
275.3Bright
285.3Bright
295.3Bright
305.3Bright
315.3Bright
Planning a trip in January

Hazard calendar for Songea

In seasonPeak

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

Songea'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 Songea?

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

3.8
Sightseeing
10th-best month of the year
4.0
Beach & pool
10th-best month of the year

January is a weaker month for outdoor sightseeing in Songea.

What to pack for Songea in January

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

In January, Songea sees daytime highs around 27°C and nights near 19°C. Pack light clothes and rain gear. Worth having: sun protection. About 27 days see rain.

light clothesrain gearsun protection

UV index in Songea 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 Songea peaks around February 16 at about 16 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near June 18 at about 9 (very high).

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

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecExtremeVery highExtremeFeb 16UV 16Jun 18UV 9
UV index (midday)Level
Jan15Extreme
Feb16Extreme
Mar15Extreme
Apr13Extreme
May10Very high
Jun9Very high
Jul10Very high
Aug11Extreme
Sep12Extreme
Oct14Extreme
Nov13Extreme
Dec13Extreme

Air quality in Songea 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 Songea is worst in September — around 28 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 3.8× the cleanest month (December, 7 µg/m³).

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

0102030JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecGoodModerateGoodSep 1827 µg/m³Dec 178 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan10Good
Feb10Good
Mar9Good
Apr8Good
May8Good
Jun8Good
Jul11Good
Aug19Moderate
Sep28Moderate
Oct23Moderate
Nov10Good
Dec7Good
Location & terrain

Where is Songea?

Songea sits at 10.7°S, 35.6°E, 1,113 m above sea level, in Tanzania. The nearest listed city is Maposeni, 29 km away.

MbingaMatiriMahanjeTingiMlangaliNjombe

Topography around Songea

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Songea has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 216 m around an average of 1,115 m above sea level; within 16 km, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 798 m; within 80 km, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,267 m.

The land around Songea is covered by artificial surfaces (40%) and trees (31%) within 3 km, cropland (37%) and trees (31%) within 16 km, and trees (52%) within 80 km.

3 km
216 m
16 km
798 m
80 km
1,267 m
treesshrubsgrasslandcroplandartificial surfaces
January weather nearby: Maposeni 29 km · Kigonsera 67 km · Mbinga 75 km · Matiri 82 km · Mahanje 90 km · Tingi 96 km · Mlangali 159 km · Njombe 177 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 Songea (-10.6833°, 35.65°, elevation 1,113 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).