Gulu weather in January

In January, Gulu sees average daytime highs of 32°C and overnight lows near 21°C, with 18 mm of rain across 3.1 wet days and about 11.9 hours of daylight. It is the 2nd-warmest and 12th-wettest month of the year here.

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 32°C through the month. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 31% of the time in January, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 11 h 48 min at the start of January to 11 h 54 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, January is Gulu's 2nd-clearest and 2nd-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Gulu's year-round climate.

Daytime high
32°
2nd warmest
Overnight low
21°
10th coldest
Rainfall
18 mm
3.1 wet days
Daylight
11 h 54 min
7:04 AM – 6:56 PM
Cloud cover
57%
2nd clearest
Wind
9 km/h
2nd windiest
Solar energy
5.96 kWh/m²
Travel score
4.6
out of 10

Gulu is city in 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 32°C through the month.

A typical January day in Gulu reaches about 32°C in the afternoon and slips back to 21°C overnight — a 11°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 29°C and 34°C. Set against its neighbours, January runs about 2°C warmer than December and about 1°C cooler than February.

15°20°25°30°35°40°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
13120
23120
33220
43220
53220
63220
73220
83220
93220
103221
113221
123221
133221
143221
153221
163221
173221
183221
193221
203221
213221
223221
233221
243221
253221
263221
273221
283321
293321
303321
313321

How January really feels in Gulu

Once humidity and wind are folded in, January averages 14 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
14
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.

Gulu weather by month

How January compares with the rest of the year at a glance. January is the 2nd-warmest and 12th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan32° / 21°183.111.94.6
Feb33° / 21°184.111.93.9
Mar32° / 21°9812.6123.7
Apr29° / 20°1982212.13.7
May28° / 20°18424.112.14.0
Jun28° / 19°13419.412.24.9
Jul27° / 18°16022.512.14.6
Aug27° / 18°20024.712.14.4
Sep28° / 19°16320.1124.6
Oct29° / 19°1952111.94.3
Nov29° / 19°12113.911.94.8
Dec30° / 20°305.311.85.3

Cloud cover in January

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 31% 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 47%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
15446
25446
35446
45446
55248
65248
75248
85248
95248
105248
115149
125149
135149
145149
155248
165248
175248
185248
195248
205347
215347
225347
235446
245446
255446
265446
275446
285446
295446
305644
315644

Chance of precipitation in January

Any precipitation

Gulu gets around 18 mm of rain over 3.1 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 10% and peaks near 12% on the wettest days.

0%10%20%30%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
19
29
39
49
59
69
79
89
99
109
119
129
139
149
159
1610
1710
1810
1910
2010
2110
2211
2311
2411
2511
2611
2711
2811
2911
3012
3111

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 49% of days. It rarely turns muggy — the humid and sticky bands barely register.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)Muggy (%)
14528224
24628224
34727214
44827214
54826214
64926214
74926224
84925224
95025223
105025223
115025233
125025233
134924233
144924243
154924242
164925242
174925242
184925242
194925232
204925232
214926232
224925233
234925233
245025223
255124223
265024224
275223214
285223214
295223214
305222215
315322205

Wind in January

Winds average 9 km/h in January.

Across January, daily wind ranges from about 8 km/h on the calmest days to 9 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

051015151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
18calm
28calm
38calm
49calm
59calm
69calm
79calm
89calm
99calm
109calm
119calm
129calm
139calm
149calm
159calm
169calm
179calm
189calm
199calm
209calm
219calm
229calm
239calm
249calm
259calm
269calm
279calm
289calm
299calm
309calm
319calm

Sunrise & sunset in January

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 11 h 48 min at the start of January to 11 h 54 min by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days grow by about 6 minutes over January. Sunrise moves from 6:59 AM to 7:08 AM, and sunset from 6:49 PM to 7:01 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
111.86:596:49
211.86:596:50
311.87:006:50
411.87:006:51
511.87:006:51
611.87:016:52
711.87:016:52
811.87:026:52
911.87:026:53
1011.87:026:53
1111.87:036:54
1211.97:036:54
1311.97:036:55
1411.97:046:55
1511.97:046:55
1611.97:046:56
1711.97:056:56
1811.97:056:57
1911.97:056:57
2011.97:066:57
2111.97:066:58
2211.97:066:58
2311.97:066:58
2411.97:076:59
2511.97:076:59
2611.97:076:59
2711.97:076:59
2811.97:077:00
2911.97:077:00
3011.97:087:00
3111.97:087:01

Solar energy in January

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in January, about 5.96 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 5.26 kWh/m² to a high of 6.18 kWh/m² in February across the year — January's 5.96 kWh/m² falls in the middle.

0246151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
15.8Bright
25.8Bright
35.8Bright
45.9Bright
55.9Bright
65.9Bright
75.9Bright
85.9Bright
95.9Bright
105.9Bright
115.9Bright
125.9Bright
135.9Bright
145.9Bright
156.0Bright
166.0Bright
176.0Bright
186.0Bright
196.0Bright
206.0Intense
216.0Intense
226.0Intense
236.0Intense
246.0Intense
256.1Intense
266.1Intense
276.1Intense
286.1Intense
296.1Intense
306.1Intense
316.1Intense
Planning a trip in January

Is January a good time to visit Gulu?

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

4.6
Sightseeing
4th-best month of the year
7.4
Beach & pool
2nd-best month of the year

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

What to pack for Gulu in January

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

In January, Gulu sees daytime highs around 32°C and nights near 21°C. Pack light clothes. Worth having: sun protection. About 3 days see rain.

light clothessun protection

UV index in Gulu in January

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in January peaks around 12 (very high — sun protection essential). The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.

Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Gulu peaks around March 15 at about 15 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near June 21 at about 10 (extreme).

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

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecExtremeMar 15UV 15Jun 21UV 10
UV index (midday)Level
Jan12Extreme
Feb14Extreme
Mar16Extreme
Apr14Extreme
May12Extreme
Jun10Extreme
Jul11Extreme
Aug12Extreme
Sep13Extreme
Oct14Extreme
Nov11Extreme
Dec11Extreme

Air quality in Gulu 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 Gulu is worst in January — around 108 µg/m³ PM2.5 (unhealthy), about 7.7× the cleanest month (April, 14 µg/m³).

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

0306090120JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecUnhealthyModerateJan 15102 µg/m³Apr 1914 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan108Unhealthy
Feb51Poor
Mar19Moderate
Apr14Moderate
May16Moderate
Jun24Moderate
Jul25Moderate
Aug20Moderate
Sep17Moderate
Oct17Moderate
Nov25Moderate
Dec66Unhealthy
Location & terrain

Where is Gulu?

Gulu sits at 2.8°N, 32.3°E, 1,104 m above sea level, in Uganda. The nearest listed city is Opit, 27 km away.

AnakaKitgumAdjumaniLiraApacKiryandongo Refugee CampPakwach

Topography around Gulu

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Gulu has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 89 m around an average of 1,096 m above sea level; within 16 km, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 209 m; within 80 km, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 751 m.

The land around Gulu is covered by trees (32%), artificial surfaces (32%) and shrubs (20%) within 3 km, shrubs (32%), cropland (29%) and grassland (21%) within 16 km, and grassland (39%) and cropland (27%) within 80 km.

3 km
89 m
16 km
209 m
80 km
751 m
treesshrubsgrasslandcroplandartificial surfaceswetland
January weather nearby: Opit 27 km · Anaka 44 km · Kitgum 86 km · Adjumani 88 km · Lira 89 km · Apac 93 km · Kiryandongo Refugee Camp 94 km · Pakwach 95 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 Gulu (2.7746°, 32.299°, elevation 1,104 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).