Matmata weather in January

In January, Matmata sees average daytime highs of 16°C and overnight lows near 7°C, with 14 mm of rain across 2.6 wet days and about 10 hours of daylight. It is the 12th-warmest and 4th-wettest month of the year here.

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 16°C through the month. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 63% of the time in January, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 9 h 48 min at the start of January to 10 h 18 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, January is Matmata's 9th-clearest and 6th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Matmata's year-round climate.

Daytime high
16°
12th warmest
Overnight low
1st coldest
Rainfall
14 mm
2.6 wet days
Daylight
10 hours
7:29 AM – 5:29 PM
Cloud cover
33%
9th clearest
Wind
16 km/h
6th windiest
Solar energy
3.35 kWh/m²
Travel score
6.0
out of 10

Temperature in January

Average highAverage lowShaded bands: 10–90% of days

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 16°C through the month.

A typical January day in Matmata reaches about 16°C in the afternoon and slips back to 7°C overnight — a 8°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 12°C and 19°C. Set against its neighbours, January runs about 1°C cooler than December and about 2°C cooler than February.

10°15°20°25°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
1167
2167
3167
4167
5167
6157
7157
8157
9157
10157
11157
12157
13157
14157
15157
16157
17157
18157
19167
20167
21167
22167
23167
24167
25167
26167
27167
28167
29167
30167
31167

How January really feels in Matmata

Once humidity and wind are folded in, January averages 0 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
0
heat index over the day's high
Days feeling ≤ C
0
wind chill below the day's low

January sits comfortably in between — no days that feel dangerously hot or drop to a hard freeze once humidity and wind are folded in.

Matmata weather by month

How January compares with the rest of the year at a glance. January is the 12th-warmest and 4th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan16° / 142.6106.0
Feb17° / 122.210.87.1
Mar21° / 11°172.411.78.0
Apr25° / 14°122.412.88.6
May29° / 18°51.213.77.1
Jun33° / 21°10.214.24.8
Jul36° / 24°00.1142.9
Aug36° / 24°20.613.23.0
Sep32° / 22°142.412.25.0
Oct27° / 18°172.711.27.7
Nov21° / 13°132.510.38.1
Dec17° / 1639.86.7

Cloud cover in January

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 63% of the time in January.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 14% of January, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 23%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
17822
27921
37921
47921
57921
67822
77822
87723
97723
107723
117624
127624
137525
147624
157525
167525
177525
187426
197426
207426
217624
227624
237624
247723
257723
267723
277822
287822
297921
308020
318020

Chance of precipitation in January

Any precipitation

Matmata gets around 14 mm of rain over 2.6 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 9% and peaks near 11% on the wettest days.

0%10%20%30%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
17
27
37
47
57
67
77
87
98
108
118
129
139
1410
1510
1611
1711
1811
1911
2011
2111
2210
2310
2410
2510
2610
279
289
299
309
319

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 100% of days. It rarely turns muggy — the humid and sticky bands barely register.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)
1100
2100
3100
4100
5100
6100
7100
8100
9100
10100
11100
12100
13100
14100
15100
16100
17100
18100
19100
20100
21100
22100
23100
24100
25100
26100
27100
28100
29100
30100
31100

Wind in January

Winds average 16 km/h in January.

Across January, daily wind ranges from about 16 km/h on the calmest days to 17 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

05101520151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
117light breeze
217light breeze
316light breeze
416light breeze
516light breeze
616light breeze
716light breeze
816light breeze
916light breeze
1016light breeze
1116light breeze
1216light breeze
1316light breeze
1416light breeze
1516light breeze
1616light breeze
1716light breeze
1816light breeze
1916light breeze
2016light breeze
2116light breeze
2216light breeze
2316light breeze
2416light breeze
2516light breeze
2616light breeze
2716light breeze
2816light breeze
2916light breeze
3016light breeze
3116light breeze

Sunrise & sunset in January

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 9 h 48 min at the start of January to 10 h 18 min by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days grow by about 30 minutes over January. Sunrise moves from 7:29 AM to 7:24 AM, and sunset from 5:18 PM to 5:43 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
19.87:295:18
29.87:295:18
39.87:295:19
49.87:305:20
59.87:305:20
69.97:305:21
79.97:305:22
89.97:305:23
99.97:305:24
109.97:305:24
119.97:305:25
129.97:305:26
1310.07:305:27
1410.07:305:28
1510.07:295:29
1610.07:295:29
1710.07:295:30
1810.07:295:31
1910.17:295:32
2010.17:285:33
2110.17:285:34
2210.17:285:35
2310.17:275:36
2410.27:275:37
2510.27:275:38
2610.27:265:39
2710.27:265:40
2810.37:255:41
2910.37:255:41
3010.37:245:42
3110.37:245:43

Solar energy in January

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in January, about 3.35 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 2.96 kWh/m² to a high of 7.77 kWh/m² in July across the year — January's 3.35 kWh/m² sits near the bottom.

01234151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
13.1Moderate
23.1Moderate
33.1Moderate
43.1Moderate
53.1Moderate
63.1Moderate
73.2Moderate
83.2Moderate
93.2Moderate
103.2Moderate
113.2Moderate
123.2Moderate
133.3Moderate
143.3Moderate
153.3Moderate
163.3Moderate
173.3Moderate
183.4Moderate
193.4Moderate
203.4Moderate
213.4Moderate
223.5Moderate
233.5Moderate
243.5Moderate
253.6Moderate
263.6Moderate
273.6Moderate
283.7Moderate
293.7Moderate
303.8Moderate
313.8Moderate
Planning a trip in January

Hazard calendar for Matmata

In seasonPeak

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

Matmata sees seasonal dust haze (March–July), heaviest in April.

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

Is January a good time to visit Matmata?

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

6.0
Sightseeing
8th-best month of the year
0.5
Beach & pool
12th-best month of the year

January is a reasonable time to visit Matmata for sightseeing.

What to pack for Matmata in January

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

In January, Matmata sees daytime highs around 16°C and nights near 7°C. Worth packing: a warm layer.

a warm layer

Sea temperature near Matmata in January

The nearest coast averages about 14°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 39 km away) is warmest in August at about 29°C and coldest in February near 14°C.

It's comfortable for a long swim from May 7 to Nov 24 — about 6.6 months when the water holds above 20°C.

10°15°20°25°30°JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecbracingcoolrefreshingwarmtropicalcomfortable to swim
Sea temperature (°C)Comfort
Jan14Bracing
Feb14Bracing
Mar15Cool
Apr18Cool
May21Refreshing
Jun24Warm
Jul27Warm
Aug29Tropical
Sep28Warm
Oct25Warm
Nov21Refreshing
Dec17Cool

UV index in Matmata in January

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in January peaks around 3. The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.

Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Matmata peaks around June 20 at about 10 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near December 23 at about 3 (moderate).

The index reaches 3 or more — the level where the WHO recommends sun protection — in 10 months of the year.

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecModerateHighVery highHighModerateJun 20UV 10Dec 23UV 3
UV index (midday)Level
Jan3Moderate
Feb5Moderate
Mar7High
Apr6High
May7High
Jun11Extreme
Jul10Very high
Aug9Very high
Sep8Very high
Oct7High
Nov4Moderate
Dec3Moderate

Air quality in Matmata 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 Matmata is worst in April — around 59 µg/m³ PM2.5 (unhealthy), about 1.9× the cleanest month (August, 31 µg/m³).

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

0204060JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecPoorUnhealthyPoorModeratePoorApr 1558 µg/m³Aug 1731 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan55Unhealthy
Feb46Poor
Mar51Poor
Apr59Unhealthy
May49Poor
Jun45Poor
Jul33Moderate
Aug31Moderate
Sep32Moderate
Oct34Moderate
Nov44Poor
Dec44Poor
Location & terrain

Where is Matmata?

Matmata sits at 33.5°N, 10.0°E, 0 m above sea level, in Tunisia. The nearest listed city is Mareth, 30 km away.

RhennouchMétouiaMedenine

Topography around Matmata

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Matmata has significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 303 m around an average of 362 m above sea level; within 16 km, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 502 m; within 80 km, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 682 m.

The land around Matmata is covered by grassland (65%) and bare terrain (28%) within 3 km, bare terrain (55%) and grassland (40%) within 16 km, and bare terrain (71%) within 80 km.

3 km
303 m
16 km
502 m
80 km
682 m
shrubsgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwater
January weather nearby: Mareth 30 km · Teboulbou 36 km · Chenini Nahal 37 km · Gabes 39 km · El Hamma 42 km · Rhennouch 45 km · Métouia 46 km · Medenine 54 km

Tunisia travel facts

Travel advisory
Level 2
Exercise Increased Caution
Power plugs
Type C / E
230 V · 50 Hz
Prices
≈ 29% of US
price level, 2025
GDP per capita
$4,657
2025
Happiness
4.8 / 10
World Happiness, 2025
Safe drinking water
65%
of population, 2024
Homicide rate
4.7
per 100k, 2020
Road deaths
16.5
per 100k/yr, 2019
Income group
Lower middle
World Bank
English
Low
EF EPI 498
Religion
Muslim 99%

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 Matmata (33.5444°, 9.9716°, elevation 0 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. 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).