Masvingo weather in January

In January, Masvingo sees average daytime highs of 28°C and overnight lows near 18°C, with 127 mm of rain across 15.4 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 28°C through the month. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 27% 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 Masvingo's 11th-clearest and 5th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Masvingo's year-round climate.

Daytime high
28°
5th warmest
Overnight low
18°
12th coldest
Rainfall
127 mm
15.4 wet days
Daylight
13 h 06 min
5:33 AM – 6:39 PM
Cloud cover
62%
11th clearest
Wind
11 km/h
5th windiest
Solar energy
6.08 kWh/m²
Travel score
5.6
out of 10

Masvingo is formerly known as Fort Victoria until 1982, is a city in southeastern Zimbabwe and the capital of Masvingo Province.

Density
2,376/km²
people per km²
Founded
1890

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 Masvingo reaches about 28°C in the afternoon and slips back to 18°C overnight — a 9°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 23°C and 32°C. Set against its neighbours, January runs on par with December and on par with February.

15°20°25°30°35°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
12818
22818
32818
42818
52818
62818
72818
82818
92818
102818
112818
122818
132818
142818
152818
162818
172818
182818
192818
202818
212818
222818
232818
242818
252818
262818
272818
282818
292818
302818
312818

Masvingo 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
Jan28° / 18°12715.413.15.6
Feb27° / 18°10612.812.75.8
Mar27° / 17°8411.512.16.5
Apr26° / 14°27511.67.8
May24° / 11°92.211.18.9
Jun22° / 61.110.88.7
Jul22° / 71.710.98.5
Aug25° / 11°20.711.39.1
Sep28° / 14°51.211.97.8
Oct29° / 16°224.612.56.3
Nov29° / 18°9311.4135.3
Dec28° / 18°14516.113.25.3

Cloud cover in January

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 27% 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 55%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
14357
24357
34456
44456
54456
64456
74555
84555
94555
104555
114555
124555
134555
144456
154456
164456
174456
184555
194456
204456
214456
224456
234555
244555
254654
264753
274753
284852
294852
304852
314951

Chance of precipitation in January

Any precipitation

Masvingo gets around 127 mm of rain over 15.4 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 50% and peaks near 52% on the wettest days.

0%20%40%60%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
151
250
350
449
549
649
749
849
949
1049
1149
1250
1350
1451
1551
1651
1752
1852
1952
2052
2151
2251
2350
2450
2549
2648
2747
2847
2946
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 37% of days. Sticky, muggy-or-worse air turns up on roughly 35% of them.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)Muggy (%)
16214232
26214132
36214132
46214033
56223933
67223833
77223734
87223635
97223635
107223536
117223537
127223437
136223438
146213538
156213538
165213538
175213538
185213638
194213638
204213738
214213737
224223837
234223836
243233836
253233935
263243935
273243934
283243934
293253933
303253933
313253933

Wind in January

Winds average 11 km/h in January.

Across January, daily wind ranges from about 11 km/h on the calmest days to 11 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

051015151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
111calm
211calm
311calm
411calm
511calm
611calm
711calm
811calm
911calm
1011calm
1111calm
1211calm
1311calm
1411calm
1511calm
1611calm
1711calm
1811calm
1911calm
2011calm
2111calm
2211calm
2311calm
2411calm
2511calm
2611calm
2711calm
2811calm
2911calm
3011calm
3111calm

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 5:24 AM to 5:43 AM, and sunset from 6:36 PM to 6:37 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
113.25:246:36
213.25:256:36
313.25:256:36
413.25:266:37
513.25:266:37
613.25:276:37
713.25:286:37
813.25:286:38
913.25:296:38
1013.15:296:38
1113.15:306:38
1213.15:316:38
1313.15:316:38
1413.15:326:39
1513.15:336:39
1613.15:336:39
1713.15:346:39
1813.15:346:39
1913.15:356:39
2013.15:366:39
2113.05:366:39
2213.05:376:39
2313.05:386:39
2413.05:386:39
2513.05:396:39
2613.05:406:38
2713.05:406:38
2813.05:416:38
2912.95:416:38
3012.95:426:38
3112.95:436:37

Solar energy in January

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in January, about 6.08 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 4.18 kWh/m² to a high of 6.61 kWh/m² in October across the year — January's 6.08 kWh/m² falls in the middle.

0246151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
16.2Intense
26.2Intense
36.2Intense
46.1Intense
56.1Intense
66.1Intense
76.1Intense
86.1Intense
96.1Intense
106.1Intense
116.1Intense
126.0Intense
136.0Intense
146.0Intense
156.0Intense
166.0Intense
176.0Intense
186.0Intense
196.0Intense
206.0Intense
216.0Intense
226.0Intense
236.1Intense
246.1Intense
256.1Intense
266.1Intense
276.1Intense
286.1Intense
296.1Intense
306.1Intense
316.1Intense
Planning a trip in January

Hazard calendar for Masvingo

In seasonPeak

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

Masvingo's rainy season runs November–March, 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 Masvingo?

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

5.6
Sightseeing
10th-best month of the year
5.9
Beach & pool
10th-best month of the year

January is a reasonable time to visit Masvingo for sightseeing.

What to pack for Masvingo in January

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

In January, Masvingo sees daytime highs around 28°C and nights near 18°C. Pack light clothes, rain gear and sun protection. About 15 days see rain.

light clothesrain gearsun protection

UV index in Masvingo 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 Masvingo peaks around January 17 at about 15 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near June 18 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 17UV 15Jun 18UV 7
UV index (midday)Level
Jan16Extreme
Feb14Extreme
Mar14Extreme
Apr10Very high
May8Very high
Jun7High
Jul7Very high
Aug8Very high
Sep10Very high
Oct12Extreme
Nov14Extreme
Dec14Extreme

Air quality in Masvingo 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 Masvingo is worst in September — around 17 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 3.9× the cleanest month (December, 4 µg/m³).

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

01020JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecGoodModerateGoodSep 1617 µg/m³Dec 244 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan5Good
Feb6Good
Mar6Good
Apr7Good
May9Good
Jun10Good
Jul11Good
Aug13Moderate
Sep17Moderate
Oct13Moderate
Nov7Good
Dec4Good
Location & terrain

Where is Masvingo?

Masvingo sits at 20.1°S, 30.8°E, 1,091 m above sea level, in Zimbabwe. The nearest listed city is Zvishavane, 85 km away.

ZvishavaneShurugwiGweruChiredziRedcliffKwekweChipingeGwanda

Topography around Masvingo

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Masvingo has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 72 m around an average of 1,081 m above sea level; within 16 km, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 548 m; within 80 km, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,028 m.

The land around Masvingo is covered by grassland (41%) and artificial surfaces (24%) within 3 km, shrubs (45%), trees (26%) and grassland (22%) within 16 km, and shrubs (39%), trees (24%) and grassland (22%) within 80 km.

3 km
72 m
16 km
548 m
80 km
1,028 m
treesshrubsgrasslandcroplandartificial surfaceswater
January weather nearby: Zvishavane 85 km · Shurugwi 96 km · Gweru 126 km · Chiredzi 140 km · Redcliff 158 km · Kwekwe 165 km · Chipinge 188 km · Gwanda 213 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 Masvingo (-20.0637°, 30.8277°, elevation 1,091 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).