Bulawayo weather in January

In January, Bulawayo sees average daytime highs of 27°C and overnight lows near 17°C, with 133 mm of rain across 14.8 wet days and about 13.1 hours of daylight. It is the 5th-warmest and 2nd-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 26% of the time in January, and the air most often feels humid.

Daylight stretches from about 13 h 12 min at the start of January to 12 h 54 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, January is Bulawayo's 11th-clearest and 9th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Bulawayo's year-round climate.

Daytime high
27°
5th warmest
Overnight low
17°
12th coldest
Rainfall
133 mm
14.8 wet days
Daylight
13 h 06 min
5:42 AM – 6:48 PM
Cloud cover
63%
11th clearest
Wind
13 km/h
9th windiest
Solar energy
6.27 kWh/m²
Travel score
5.7
out of 10

Bulawayo is city in Zimbabwe.

Density
390/km²
people per km²
Founded
1840

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 Bulawayo reaches about 27°C in the afternoon and slips back to 17°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 31°C. Set against its neighbours, January runs on par with December and on par with February.

10°15°20°25°30°35°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
12717
22717
32717
42717
52717
62717
72717
82717
92717
102717
112717
122717
132717
142717
152717
162717
172717
182717
192717
202717
212717
222717
232717
242717
252717
262717
272717
282717
292717
302717
312717

Bulawayo weather by month

How January compares with the rest of the year at a glance. January is the 5th-warmest and 2nd-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan27° / 17°13314.813.15.7
Feb27° / 17°11011.712.76.1
Mar27° / 16°659.512.16.8
Apr25° / 13°23411.68.1
May24° / 10°61.311.19.1
Jun22° / 40.810.88.8
Jul21° / 30.710.98.7
Aug25° / 10.211.39.3
Sep28° / 13°51.411.97.8
Oct30° / 15°235.612.56.1
Nov29° / 17°8712.7135.2
Dec27° / 17°1481713.25.4

Cloud cover in January

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 26% of the time in January.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 19% of January, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 55%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
14060
24159
34159
44357
54357
64456
74555
84555
94555
104555
114555
124456
134555
144456
154456
164456
174555
184555
194456
204456
214654
224555
234555
244654
254654
264654
274654
284753
294753
304852
314852

Chance of precipitation in January

Any precipitation

Bulawayo gets around 133 mm of rain over 14.8 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 48% and peaks near 52% on the wettest days.

0%20%40%60%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
150
249
348
447
546
646
745
845
946
1046
1147
1247
1348
1449
1550
1650
1751
1851
1952
2052
2151
2251
2351
2450
2549
2649
2748
2847
2947
3046
3146

Humidity in January

DryComfortableHumidMuggyOppressiveMiserable

Most of January feels humid — the stacked bands show each day's mix of comfort levels, read off the dew point.

By dew point, January lands in the humid band about 45% of days. Sticky, muggy-or-worse air turns up on roughly 14% of them.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)Muggy (%)
114274811
215274711
315274711
416274611
517264611
617264511
718264512
818254412
919254412
1019254413
1119244413
1218244414
1318244414
1418234415
1517234515
1617234515
1717234515
1816234516
1916234516
2016234516
2116234516
2216244516
2315244516
2415254515
2515254415
2615254415
2715264415
2815264315
2915274315
3015274315
3115284215

Wind in January

Winds average 13 km/h in January.

Across January, daily wind ranges from about 12 km/h on the calmest days to 13 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

051015151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
112light breeze
212light breeze
312light breeze
412light breeze
512light breeze
613light breeze
713light breeze
813light breeze
913light breeze
1013light breeze
1113light breeze
1213light breeze
1313light breeze
1413light breeze
1513light breeze
1613light breeze
1713light breeze
1813light breeze
1913light breeze
2013light breeze
2113light breeze
2213light breeze
2313light breeze
2413light breeze
2513light breeze
2613light breeze
2713light breeze
2813light breeze
2913light breeze
3013light breeze
3113light breeze

Sunrise & sunset in January

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 13 h 12 min at the start of January to 12 h 54 min by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days shrink by about 18 minutes over January. Sunrise moves from 5:33 AM to 5:51 AM, and sunset from 6:45 PM to 6:47 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
113.25:336:45
213.25:336:45
313.25:346:45
413.25:356:46
513.25:356:46
613.25:366:46
713.25:366:47
813.25:376:47
913.25:386:47
1013.15:386:47
1113.15:396:47
1213.15:406:47
1313.15:406:48
1413.15:416:48
1513.15:416:48
1613.15:426:48
1713.15:436:48
1813.15:436:48
1913.15:446:48
2013.15:456:48
2113.05:456:48
2213.05:466:48
2313.05:476:48
2413.05:476:48
2513.05:486:48
2613.05:486:47
2713.05:496:47
2813.05:506:47
2912.95:506:47
3012.95:516:47
3112.95:516:47

Solar energy in January

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in January, about 6.27 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 4.38 kWh/m² to a high of 6.86 kWh/m² in October across the year — January's 6.27 kWh/m² falls in the middle.

0246151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
16.3Intense
26.3Intense
36.3Intense
46.3Intense
56.3Intense
66.3Intense
76.3Intense
86.3Intense
96.3Intense
106.3Intense
116.3Intense
126.3Intense
136.3Intense
146.2Intense
156.2Intense
166.2Intense
176.2Intense
186.2Intense
196.2Intense
206.2Intense
216.2Intense
226.2Intense
236.2Intense
246.2Intense
256.2Intense
266.2Intense
276.2Intense
286.2Intense
296.2Intense
306.2Intense
316.2Intense
Planning a trip in January

Hazard calendar for Bulawayo

In seasonPeak

In January, Bulawayo sits inside its rainy season season. The full year is below, with each hazard's peak months called out.

Bulawayo's rainy season runs November–February, 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 Bulawayo?

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

5.7
Sightseeing
10th-best month of the year
5.9
Beach & pool
9th-best month of the year

January is a reasonable time to visit Bulawayo for sightseeing.

What to pack for Bulawayo in January

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

In January, Bulawayo sees daytime highs around 27°C and nights near 17°C. Pack light clothes, rain gear and sun protection. About 15 days see rain.

light clothesrain gearsun protection

UV index in Bulawayo in January

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in January peaks around 16 (very high — sun protection essential). The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.

Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Bulawayo peaks around January 18 at about 15 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near June 20 at about 7 (high).

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

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecExtremeVery highVery highExtremeJan 18UV 15Jun 20UV 7
UV index (midday)Level
Jan16Extreme
Feb14Extreme
Mar14Extreme
Apr10Very high
May8Very high
Jun7High
Jul7Very high
Aug9Very high
Sep10Very high
Oct11Extreme
Nov14Extreme
Dec14Extreme

Air quality in Bulawayo 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 Bulawayo is worst in June — around 28 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 4.2× the cleanest month (January, 7 µg/m³).

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

0102030JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecGoodModerateGoodJun 2228 µg/m³Jan 137 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan7Good
Feb9Good
Mar11Good
Apr16Moderate
May23Moderate
Jun28Moderate
Jul27Moderate
Aug28Moderate
Sep27Moderate
Oct20Moderate
Nov12Moderate
Dec8Good
Location & terrain

Where is Bulawayo?

Bulawayo sits at 20.1°S, 28.6°E, 1,348 m above sea level, in Zimbabwe. The nearest listed city is Gwanda, 98 km away.

GwandaGweruZvishavaneShurugwiFrancistownTutumeRedcliffTonota

Topography around Bulawayo

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Bulawayo has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 60 m around an average of 1,343 m above sea level; within 16 km, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 261 m; within 80 km, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 624 m.

The land around Bulawayo is covered by artificial surfaces (50%) and trees (26%) within 3 km, shrubs (38%) and grassland (21%) within 16 km, and shrubs (59%) and trees (24%) within 80 km.

3 km
60 m
16 km
261 m
80 km
624 m
treesshrubsgrasslandcroplandartificial surfaces
January weather nearby: Gwanda 98 km · Gweru 151 km · Zvishavane 156 km · Shurugwi 158 km · Francistown 159 km · Tutume 166 km · Redcliff 177 km · Tonota 185 km

Zimbabwe travel facts

Travel advisory
Level 2
Exercise Increased Caution
Power plugs
Type D / G
220 V · 50 Hz
Prices
≈ 56% of US
price level, 2025
GDP per capita
$3,021
2025
Happiness
3.3 / 10
World Happiness, 2025
Safe drinking water
25%
of population, 2024
Homicide rate
6.8
per 100k, 2022
Road deaths
41.2
per 100k/yr, 2019
Income group
Lower middle
World Bank
English
Very high
EF EPI 602
Religion
Apostolic Sect 40%Pentecostal 17%Protestant 14%none 8%

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 Bulawayo (-20.15°, 28.5833°, elevation 1,348 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).