Fort Portal weather in January

In January, Fort Portal sees average daytime highs of 28°C and overnight lows near 16°C, with 34 mm of rain across 6.7 wet days and about 12 hours of daylight. It is the 3rd-warmest and 12th-wettest month of the year here.

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 28°C through the month. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 18% of the time in January, and the air most often feels comfortable.

Daylight stretches from about 12 hours at the start of January to 12 hours by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, January is Fort Portal's 2nd-clearest and 2nd-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Fort Portal's year-round climate.

Daytime high
28°
3rd warmest
Overnight low
16°
7th coldest
Rainfall
34 mm
6.7 wet days
Daylight
12 hours
7:09 AM – 7:07 PM
Cloud cover
68%
2nd clearest
Wind
5 km/h
2nd windiest
Solar energy
5.77 kWh/m²
Travel score
6.5
out of 10

Fort Portal is town in Western Uganda.

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 28°C through the month.

A typical January day in Fort Portal reaches about 28°C in the afternoon and slips back to 16°C overnight — a 12°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 26°C and 30°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°35°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
12716
22716
32716
42716
52716
62716
72716
82716
92716
102716
112716
122716
132816
142816
152816
162816
172816
182816
192816
202816
212816
222816
232816
242816
252816
262816
272816
282816
292816
302916
312916

Fort Portal weather by month

How January compares with the rest of the year at a glance. January is the 3rd-warmest and 12th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan28° / 16°346.7126.5
Feb29° / 17°377125.6
Mar28° / 17°10817.2124.7
Apr27° / 17°16424.1124.1
May27° / 17°13421.6124.7
Jun27° / 16°10316.1125.4
Jul26° / 16°10416.9125.5
Aug26° / 16°16722.6124.7
Sep26° / 16°18625.8124.1
Oct26° / 16°23928.2123.8
Nov26° / 16°20425.7124.1
Dec26° / 16°8513.5125.9

Cloud cover in January

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 18% of the time in January.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 18% of January, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 64%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
13763
23763
33763
43862
53862
63763
73763
83664
93664
103664
113466
123367
133367
143367
153367
163367
173367
183367
193367
203466
213466
223565
233565
243565
253664
263763
273763
283862
293862
303862
313862

Chance of precipitation in January

Any precipitation

Fort Portal gets around 34 mm of rain over 6.7 wet days in January, the driest month. The line is the day-by-day chance of measurable precipitation.

Day to day, the chance of measurable rain averages around 22% and peaks near 24% on the wettest days.

0%10%20%30%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
124
224
323
423
523
622
722
822
922
1022
1122
1222
1322
1422
1522
1622
1722
1822
1922
2022
2122
2222
2322
2422
2522
2622
2722
2822
2922
3021
3121

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 43% of days. It rarely turns muggy — the humid and sticky bands barely register.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)Muggy (%)
11347390
21447381
31646381
41746371
51845371
61944361
72043361
82143361
92242351
102341351
112441351
122441341
132541341
142541331
152541331
162542331
172542331
182442331
192442331
202443321
212443321
222443321
232543311
242543311
252643301
262643301
272743291
282842291
292942281
303041281
313141271

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 5 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
235calm
245calm
255calm
265calm
275calm
285calm
295calm
305calm
315calm

Sunrise & sunset in January

DaylightNight

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

Days grow by about 0 minutes over January. Sunrise moves from 7:03 AM to 7:13 AM, and sunset from 7:01 PM to 7:11 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
112.07:037:01
212.07:047:01
312.07:047:02
412.07:057:02
512.07:057:03
612.07:057:03
712.07:067:04
812.07:067:04
912.07:077:04
1012.07:077:05
1112.07:077:05
1212.07:087:06
1312.07:087:06
1412.07:097:06
1512.07:097:07
1612.07:097:07
1712.07:107:08
1812.07:107:08
1912.07:107:08
2012.07:117:09
2112.07:117:09
2212.07:117:09
2312.07:117:09
2412.07:127:10
2512.07:127:10
2612.07:127:10
2712.07:127:10
2812.07:137:11
2912.07:137:11
3012.07:137:11
3112.07:137:11

Solar energy in January

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in January, about 5.77 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 5.14 kWh/m² to a high of 6.02 kWh/m² in February across the year — January's 5.77 kWh/m² sits near the top of that range.

0246151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
15.6Bright
25.6Bright
35.6Bright
45.6Bright
55.7Bright
65.7Bright
75.7Bright
85.7Bright
95.7Bright
105.7Bright
115.7Bright
125.7Bright
135.7Bright
145.7Bright
155.7Bright
165.8Bright
175.8Bright
185.8Bright
195.8Bright
205.8Bright
215.8Bright
225.8Bright
235.9Bright
245.9Bright
255.9Bright
265.9Bright
275.9Bright
285.9Bright
296.0Bright
306.0Bright
316.0Bright
Planning a trip in January

Hazard calendar for Fort Portal

In seasonPeak

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

Fort Portal's rainy season runs August–November, 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 Fort Portal?

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

6.5
Sightseeing
1st-best month of the year
7.0
Beach & pool
2nd-best month of the year

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

What to pack for Fort Portal in January

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

In January, Fort Portal sees daytime highs around 28°C and nights near 16°C. Pack light clothes. Worth having: sun protection. About 7 days see rain.

light clothessun protection

UV index in Fort Portal in January

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in January peaks around 11 (very high — sun protection essential). The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.

Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Fort Portal peaks around March 16 at about 15 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near June 22 at about 10 (extreme).

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

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecExtremeMar 16UV 15Jun 22UV 10
UV index (midday)Level
Jan11Extreme
Feb14Extreme
Mar15Extreme
Apr14Extreme
May12Extreme
Jun10Extreme
Jul10Extreme
Aug12Extreme
Sep13Extreme
Oct14Extreme
Nov11Extreme
Dec10Extreme

Air quality in Fort Portal 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 Fort Portal is worst in February — around 66 µg/m³ PM2.5 (unhealthy), about 2.6× the cleanest month (April, 26 µg/m³).

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

020406080JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecUnhealthyPoorModeratePoorModeratePoorFeb 966 µg/m³Apr 2226 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan64Unhealthy
Feb66Unhealthy
Mar39Poor
Apr26Moderate
May27Moderate
Jun35Poor
Jul42Poor
Aug33Moderate
Sep28Moderate
Oct26Moderate
Nov28Moderate
Dec44Poor
Location & terrain

Where is Fort Portal?

Fort Portal sits at 0.7°N, 30.3°E, 1,518 m above sea level, in Uganda. The nearest listed city is Buhesi, 12 km away.

KyenjojoKatokeRwamwanja Refugee Camp

Topography around Fort Portal

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Fort Portal has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 114 m around an average of 1,527 m above sea level; within 16 km, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,902 m; within 80 km, extreme variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 4,373 m.

The land around Fort Portal is covered by trees (64%) within 3 km, trees (60%) within 16 km, and trees (62%) and grassland (21%) within 80 km.

3 km
114 m
16 km
1,902 m
80 km
4,373 m
treesshrubsgrasslandcroplandartificial surfaceswaterwetland
January weather nearby: Buhesi 12 km · Bundibugyo 24 km · Nyahuka 31 km · Kyarusozi 32 km · Rwiimi 32 km · Kyenjojo 39 km · Katoke 47 km · Rwamwanja Refugee Camp 55 km

Uganda travel facts

Travel advisory
Level 4
Do Not Travel
Power plugs
Type G
240 V · 50 Hz
Prices
≈ 35% of US
price level, 2025
GDP per capita
$1,206
2025
Happiness
4.5 / 10
World Happiness, 2025
Safe drinking water
18%
of population, 2024
Homicide rate
9
per 100k, 2023
Road deaths
29.4
per 100k/yr, 2019
Income group
Low
World Bank
English
Moderate
EF EPI 518
Religion
Protestant 45%Roman Catholic 39%Muslim 14%other 2%

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 Fort Portal (0.6617°, 30.2748°, elevation 1,518 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).