Mbale weather in January

In January, Mbale sees average daytime highs of 25°C and overnight lows near 15°C, with 407 mm of rain across 24.6 wet days and about 11.9 hours of daylight. It is the 3rd-warmest and 9th-wettest month of the year here.

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 25°C through the month. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 13% of the time in January, and the air most often feels comfortable.

Daylight stretches from about 11 h 54 min at the start of January to 12 hours by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, January is Mbale's 2nd-clearest and 2nd-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Mbale's year-round climate.

Daytime high
25°
3rd warmest
Overnight low
15°
1st coldest
Rainfall
407 mm
24.6 wet days
Daylight
11 h 54 min
6:54 AM – 6:51 PM
Cloud cover
67%
2nd clearest
Wind
5 km/h
2nd windiest
Solar energy
5.59 kWh/m²
Travel score
4.5
out of 10

Mbale is City in Mbale District, Eastern Region, 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 25°C through the month.

A typical January day in Mbale reaches about 25°C in the afternoon and slips back to 15°C overnight — a 10°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 23°C and 27°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°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
12515
22515
32515
42515
52515
62515
72515
82515
92515
102515
112515
122515
132515
142515
152515
162515
172515
182515
192515
202515
212515
222515
232515
242515
252515
262615
272615
282615
292615
302615
312615

Mbale weather by month

How January compares with the rest of the year at a glance. January is the 3rd-warmest and 9th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan25° / 15°40724.611.94.5
Feb26° / 15°31921.9124.5
Mar25° / 16°67728.7123.9
Apr24° / 16°95029.8123.5
May24° / 16°85630.7123.6
Jun23° / 16°48227.212.14.0
Jul23° / 15°24923.512.14.6
Aug24° / 16°27626.1124.4
Sep24° / 15°47229.2123.8
Oct24° / 16°77330.7123.6
Nov24° / 15°91729.9123.5
Dec24° / 15°67628.411.94.0

Cloud cover in January

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 13% of the time in January.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 24% of January, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 63%. Skies tend to open up as the month goes on.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
13565
23565
33565
43565
53565
63565
73565
83565
93367
103367
113466
123466
133466
143565
153565
163565
173565
183664
193664
203763
213862
223961
234060
244060
254159
264159
274258
284258
294357
304258
314258

Chance of precipitation in January

Any precipitation

Mbale gets around 407 mm of rain over 24.6 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 80% and peaks near 84% on the wettest days. The odds ease toward the end of the month.

0%20%40%60%80%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
184
284
384
484
584
683
783
883
983
1082
1182
1282
1382
1482
1581
1681
1781
1880
1980
2079
2178
2278
2377
2476
2576
2675
2774
2874
2973
3073
3172

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 55% of days. It rarely turns muggy — the humid and sticky bands barely register.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)
1125236
2135235
3135235
4135235
5145234
6145333
7145333
8155332
9155332
10155332
11155431
12165430
13165430
14165529
15175528
16175528
17175627
18185626
19185725
20195724
21205624
22205723
23215623
24215722
25225622
26235621
27235621
28245620
29255520
30255619
31265519

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 11 h 54 min 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 6 minutes over January. Sunrise moves from 6:48 AM to 6:58 AM, and sunset from 6:45 PM to 6:55 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
111.96:486:45
211.96:496:45
311.96:496:46
411.96:506:46
511.96:506:46
611.96:506:47
711.96:516:47
811.96:516:48
911.96:526:48
1011.96:526:49
1111.96:526:49
1211.96:536:49
1311.96:536:50
1411.96:546:50
1511.96:546:51
1611.96:546:51
1711.96:556:51
1811.96:556:52
1911.96:556:52
2011.96:566:52
2111.96:566:53
2211.96:566:53
2311.96:566:53
2411.96:576:54
2511.96:576:54
2611.96:576:54
2712.06:576:54
2812.06:586:55
2912.06:586:55
3012.06:586:55
3112.06:586:55

Solar energy in January

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in January, about 5.59 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 4.16 kWh/m² to a high of 6.01 kWh/m² in February across the year — January's 5.59 kWh/m² sits near the top of that range.

0246151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
15.3Bright
25.3Bright
35.4Bright
45.4Bright
55.4Bright
65.4Bright
75.4Bright
85.4Bright
95.4Bright
105.5Bright
115.5Bright
125.5Bright
135.5Bright
145.5Bright
155.5Bright
165.5Bright
175.6Bright
185.6Bright
195.6Bright
205.7Bright
215.7Bright
225.7Bright
235.7Bright
245.8Bright
255.8Bright
265.8Bright
275.8Bright
285.9Bright
295.9Bright
305.9Bright
315.9Bright
Planning a trip in January

Is January a good time to visit Mbale?

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

4.5
Sightseeing
2nd-best month of the year
4.1
Beach & pool
2nd-best month of the year

January is a reasonable time to visit Mbale for sightseeing.

What to pack for Mbale in January

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

In January, Mbale sees daytime highs around 25°C and nights near 15°C. Pack rain gear. Worth having: light clothes and sun protection. About 25 days see rain.

rain gearlight clothessun protection

UV index in Mbale in January

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in January peaks around 14 (very high — sun protection essential). The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.

Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Mbale peaks around March 14 at about 15 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near June 18 at about 10 (extreme).

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

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecExtremeMar 14UV 15Jun 18UV 10
UV index (midday)Level
Jan14Extreme
Feb14Extreme
Mar15Extreme
Apr14Extreme
May12Extreme
Jun10Extreme
Jul11Extreme
Aug12Extreme
Sep13Extreme
Oct13Extreme
Nov11Extreme
Dec11Extreme

Air quality in Mbale 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 Mbale is worst in December — around 83 µg/m³ PM2.5 (unhealthy), and holds fairly steady the rest of the year.

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

0306090JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecUnhealthyDec 1883 µg/m³Aug 2270 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan82Unhealthy
Feb80Unhealthy
Mar79Unhealthy
Apr74Unhealthy
May73Unhealthy
Jun78Unhealthy
Jul74Unhealthy
Aug70Unhealthy
Sep71Unhealthy
Oct75Unhealthy
Nov81Unhealthy
Dec83Unhealthy
Location & terrain

Where is Mbale?

Mbale sits at 1.1°N, 34.2°E, 1,125 m above sea level, in Uganda. The nearest listed city is Nakaloke, 8.0 km away.

BusolweTororo

Topography around Mbale

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Mbale has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 127 m around an average of 1,127 m above sea level; within 16 km, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,280 m; within 80 km, extreme variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 3,259 m.

The land around Mbale is covered by trees (33%) and artificial surfaces (27%) within 3 km, shrubs (37%) and trees (28%) within 16 km, and cropland (33%), shrubs (22%) and grassland (20%) within 80 km.

3 km
127 m
16 km
1,280 m
80 km
3,259 m
treesshrubsgrasslandcroplandartificial surfaceswaterwetland
January weather nearby: Nakaloke 8.0 km · Manafwa 18 km · Budadiri 18 km · Sironko 18 km · Budaka 29 km · Butaleja 31 km · Busolwe 38 km · Tororo 43 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 Mbale (1.0821°, 34.175°, elevation 1,125 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).