Jinja weather in January

In January, Jinja sees average daytime highs of 27°C and overnight lows near 19°C, with 117 mm of rain across 18.5 wet days and about 12 hours of daylight. It is the 2nd-warmest and 10th-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 22% of the time in January, and the air most often feels muggy.

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 Jinja's 2nd-clearest and 5th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Jinja's year-round climate.

Daytime high
27°
2nd warmest
Overnight low
19°
8th coldest
Rainfall
117 mm
18.5 wet days
Daylight
12 hours
6:57 AM – 6:56 PM
Cloud cover
64%
2nd clearest
Wind
6 km/h
5th windiest
Solar energy
5.77 kWh/m²
Travel score
5.2
out of 10

Jinja is City in Jinja District, Eastern Region, Uganda.

Founded
1907

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 Jinja 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 warmer than December and on par with February.

15°20°25°30°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
12719
22719
32719
42719
52719
62719
72719
82719
92719
102719
112719
122719
132719
142719
152719
162719
172719
182719
192719
202719
212719
222719
232719
242719
252719
262719
272719
282819
292820
302820
312820

Jinja weather by month

How January compares with the rest of the year at a glance. January is the 2nd-warmest and 10th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan27° / 19°11718.5125.2
Feb28° / 20°10317.1125.0
Mar27° / 20°17824124.3
Apr26° / 20°24028.1123.6
May26° / 20°21528.5123.8
Jun26° / 19°14223.7124.5
Jul26° / 18°11620.6125.0
Aug26° / 19°13823.1124.7
Sep26° / 19°15124.9124.2
Oct26° / 19°19127.3123.9
Nov26° / 19°20226.3123.9
Dec26° / 19°15322.4124.7

Cloud cover in January

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 22% of the time in January.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 20% of January, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 58%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
13961
23961
33961
43961
53961
63961
73961
83961
93961
103862
113862
123862
133862
144060
154060
164060
174159
184159
194357
204357
214456
224456
234456
244555
254654
264753
274852
284951
294951
304951
315050

Chance of precipitation in January

Any precipitation

Jinja gets around 117 mm of rain over 18.5 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 59% and peaks near 61% on the wettest days.

0%20%40%60%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
160
260
359
459
559
659
759
860
960
1060
1160
1261
1361
1461
1561
1661
1761
1861
1961
2060
2160
2260
2359
2459
2558
2658
2757
2856
2956
3055
3155

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 83% of days. Sticky, muggy-or-worse air turns up on roughly 85% of them.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)Muggy (%)Oppressive (%)
1028891
2028891
3029881
4039871
5039871
6039871
70410851
80410851
90410851
101410841
111410841
121411831
131411831
141411831
151411831
161411831
171412821
181412821
191312831
201313821
211313812
221313812
231313812
240313822
250313822
260214822
270214822
280214822
290214813
300314803
310314803

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 7 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
287calm
297calm
307calm
317calm

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 6:51 AM to 7:01 AM, and sunset from 6:50 PM to 7:00 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
112.06:516:50
212.06:526:50
312.06:526:50
412.06:526:51
512.06:536:51
612.06:536:52
712.06:546:52
812.06:546:53
912.06:556:53
1012.06:556:53
1112.06:556:54
1212.06:566:54
1312.06:566:55
1412.06:566:55
1512.06:576:55
1612.06:576:56
1712.06:576:56
1812.06:586:56
1912.06:586:57
2012.06:586:57
2112.06:596:57
2212.06:596:58
2312.06:596:58
2412.07:006:58
2512.07:006:59
2612.07:006:59
2712.07:006:59
2812.07:016:59
2912.07:017:00
3012.07:017:00
3112.07:017:00

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 4.83 kWh/m² to a high of 6.07 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
55.6Bright
65.6Bright
75.6Bright
85.7Bright
95.7Bright
105.7Bright
115.7Bright
125.7Bright
135.7Bright
145.7Bright
155.8Bright
165.8Bright
175.8Bright
185.8Bright
195.8Bright
205.8Bright
215.8Bright
225.9Bright
235.9Bright
245.9Bright
255.9Bright
265.9Bright
276.0Bright
286.0Bright
296.0Bright
306.0Bright
316.0Intense
Planning a trip in January

Is January a good time to visit Jinja?

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

5.2
Sightseeing
1st-best month of the year
5.4
Beach & pool
2nd-best month of the year

January is a reasonable time to visit Jinja for sightseeing.

What to pack for Jinja in January

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

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

light clothesrain gearsun protection

UV index in Jinja in January

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in January peaks around 13 (very high — sun protection essential). The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.

Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Jinja peaks around March 17 at about 15 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near June 17 at about 10 (very high).

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

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecExtremeExtremeMar 17UV 15Jun 17UV 10
UV index (midday)Level
Jan13Extreme
Feb14Extreme
Mar15Extreme
Apr14Extreme
May12Extreme
Jun10Very high
Jul11Extreme
Aug12Extreme
Sep12Extreme
Oct14Extreme
Nov11Extreme
Dec12Extreme

Air quality in Jinja 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 Jinja is worst in January — around 50 µg/m³ PM2.5 (poor), about 1.7× the cleanest month (April, 29 µg/m³).

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

0204060JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecPoorModeratePoorModeratePoorJan 1749 µg/m³Apr 1829 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan50Poor
Feb43Poor
Mar33Moderate
Apr29Moderate
May31Moderate
Jun39Poor
Jul41Poor
Aug39Poor
Sep34Moderate
Oct33Moderate
Nov36Poor
Dec41Poor
Location & terrain

Where is Jinja?

Jinja sits at 0.4°N, 33.2°E, 1,187 m above sea level, in Uganda. The nearest listed city is Njeru, 3.0 km away.

Topography around Jinja

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Jinja has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 140 m around an average of 1,165 m above sea level; within 16 km, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 289 m; within 80 km, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 332 m.

The land around Jinja is covered by trees (38%) and artificial surfaces (25%) within 3 km, trees (46%) and water (23%) within 16 km, and trees (33%), water (30%) and shrubs (20%) within 80 km.

3 km
140 m
16 km
289 m
80 km
332 m
treesshrubsgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwaterwetland
January weather nearby: Njeru 3.0 km · Bugembe 6.0 km · Kakira 12 km · Magamaga 18 km · Buwenge 24 km · Buikwe 24 km · Lugazi 31 km · Mayuge 31 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 Jinja (0.439°, 33.2032°, elevation 1,187 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).