Victoria Falls weather in January

In January, Victoria Falls sees average daytime highs of 29°C and overnight lows near 20°C, with 197 mm of rain across 20.5 wet days and about 13 hours of daylight. It is the 6th-warmest and 1st-wettest month of the year here.

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 29°C through the month. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 17% of the time in January, and the air most often feels muggy.

Daylight stretches from about 13 h 06 min at the start of January to 12 h 48 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, January is Victoria Falls's 12th-clearest and 10th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Victoria Falls's year-round climate.

Daytime high
29°
6th warmest
Overnight low
20°
10th coldest
Rainfall
197 mm
20.5 wet days
Daylight
13 hours
5:57 AM – 6:55 PM
Cloud cover
72%
12th clearest
Wind
9 km/h
10th windiest
Solar energy
5.97 kWh/m²
Travel score
4.1
out of 10

Victoria Falls is town in the province of Matabeleland North, Zimbabwe.

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 29°C through the month.

A typical January day in Victoria Falls reaches about 29°C in the afternoon and slips back to 20°C overnight — a 9°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 25°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)
12920
22920
32920
42920
52920
62920
72920
82920
92920
102920
112920
122920
132920
142920
152920
162920
172920
182920
192920
202920
212920
222920
232920
242920
252920
262920
272920
282920
292920
302920
312920

How January really feels in Victoria Falls

Once humidity and wind are folded in, January averages 0 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
0
heat index over the day's high
Days feeling ≤ C
0
wind chill below the day's low

January sits comfortably in between — no days that feel dangerously hot or drop to a hard freeze once humidity and wind are folded in.

Victoria Falls weather by month

How January compares with the rest of the year at a glance. January is the 6th-warmest and 1st-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan29° / 20°19720.5134.1
Feb29° / 20°15116.712.64.4
Mar29° / 19°8012.712.15.2
Apr29° / 16°173.511.66.9
May27° / 13°20.511.28.6
Jun25° / 10°10.210.99.4
Jul25° / 10°00119.5
Aug28° / 12°0011.48.3
Sep32° / 16°20.511.95.5
Oct34° / 20°102.912.43.8
Nov32° / 20°8013.712.83.5
Dec30° / 20°16919.813.13.9

Cloud cover in January

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 17% of the time in January, the cloudiest month of the year.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 13% of January, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 70%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
13268
23367
33268
43268
53367
63367
73367
83268
93268
103268
113268
123169
133070
143070
152971
162971
172872
182872
192872
202872
212872
222773
232773
242872
252872
262971
273070
283070
293169
303169
313268

Chance of precipitation in January

Any precipitation

Victoria Falls gets around 197 mm of rain over 20.5 wet days in January, the wettest month. The line is the day-by-day chance of measurable precipitation.

Day to day, the chance of measurable rain averages around 66% and peaks near 70% on the wettest days.

0%20%40%60%80%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
163
262
362
462
562
662
762
863
963
1064
1165
1266
1367
1468
1568
1669
1769
1869
1970
2070
2169
2269
2369
2469
2568
2668
2767
2867
2966
3066
3165

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 73% of days. Sticky, muggy-or-worse air turns up on roughly 74% of them.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)Muggy (%)Oppressive (%)
11723690
21823680
31923670
41923670
511022670
611022670
711021680
811020681
911020681
1011019691
1111018701
121918711
131917721
141916731
150816751
160816751
170715771
180715771
190715771
200615781
210615781
220615781
230516781
240516781
250516781
260517771
270517771
280517771
290518761
301518751
311418761

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
19calm
29calm
39calm
49calm
59calm
69calm
79calm
89calm
99calm
109calm
119calm
129calm
139calm
149calm
159calm
169calm
179calm
189calm
199calm
209calm
219calm
229calm
238calm
248calm
258calm
268calm
278calm
288calm
298calm
308calm
318calm

Sunrise & sunset in January

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 13 h 06 min at the start of January to 12 h 48 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 5:48 AM to 6:06 AM, and sunset from 6:52 PM to 6:54 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
113.15:486:52
213.15:496:52
313.05:496:52
413.05:506:53
513.05:506:53
613.05:516:53
713.05:526:53
813.05:526:54
913.05:536:54
1013.05:536:54
1113.05:546:54
1213.05:556:54
1313.05:556:55
1413.05:566:55
1513.05:566:55
1613.05:576:55
1713.05:586:55
1812.95:586:55
1912.95:596:55
2012.95:596:55
2112.96:006:55
2212.96:016:55
2312.96:016:55
2412.96:026:55
2512.96:026:55
2612.96:036:55
2712.96:036:55
2812.86:046:55
2912.86:056:55
3012.86:056:54
3112.86:066:54

Solar energy in January

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in January, about 5.97 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 4.7 kWh/m² to a high of 7.2 kWh/m² in October across the year — January's 5.97 kWh/m² falls in the middle.

0246151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
16.1Intense
26.1Intense
36.1Intense
46.1Intense
56.1Intense
66.1Intense
76.1Intense
86.1Intense
96.1Intense
106.0Intense
116.0Intense
126.0Intense
136.0Intense
146.0Bright
156.0Bright
166.0Bright
176.0Bright
185.9Bright
195.9Bright
205.9Bright
215.9Bright
225.9Bright
235.9Bright
245.9Bright
255.9Bright
265.9Bright
275.9Bright
285.9Bright
295.9Bright
305.9Bright
315.9Bright
Planning a trip in January

Hazard calendar for Victoria Falls

In seasonPeak

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

Victoria Falls's monsoon runs December–February, when most of the year's rain falls.

Monsoon
Jan
Feb
Mar
Apr
May
Jun
Jul
Aug
Sep
Oct
Nov
Dec

Is January a good time to visit Victoria Falls?

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

4.1
Sightseeing
9th-best month of the year
5.2
Beach & pool
12th-best month of the year

January is a reasonable time to visit Victoria Falls for sightseeing.

What to pack for Victoria Falls in January

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

In January, Victoria Falls sees daytime highs around 29°C and nights near 20°C. Pack light clothes and rain gear. Worth having: sun protection. About 21 days see rain.

light clothesrain gearsun protection

UV index in Victoria Falls 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 Victoria Falls peaks around January 18 at about 16 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near June 23 at about 8 (very high).

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

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecExtremeVery highExtremeJan 18UV 16Jun 23UV 8
UV index (midday)Level
Jan16Extreme
Feb14Extreme
Mar13Extreme
Apr10Extreme
May9Very high
Jun8Very high
Jul8Very high
Aug9Very high
Sep10Very high
Oct10Extreme
Nov14Extreme
Dec13Extreme

Air quality in Victoria Falls 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 Victoria Falls is worst in September — around 29 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 5.0× the cleanest month (April, 6 µg/m³).

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

0102030JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecGoodModerateGoodSep 1828 µg/m³Apr 136 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan7Good
Feb7Good
Mar7Good
Apr6Good
May8Good
Jun11Good
Jul12Good
Aug19Moderate
Sep29Moderate
Oct23Moderate
Nov10Good
Dec6Good
Location & terrain

Where is Victoria Falls?

Victoria Falls sits at 17.9°S, 25.8°E, 961 m above sea level, in Zimbabwe. The nearest listed city is Livingstone, 10 km away.

KasaneHwangeKalomoMaambaChoma

Topography around Victoria Falls

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Victoria Falls has significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 251 m around an average of 923 m above sea level; within 16 km, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 394 m; within 80 km, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 767 m.

The land around Victoria Falls is covered by trees (40%) and shrubs (32%) within 3 km, trees (40%) and shrubs (36%) within 16 km, and shrubs (43%), grassland (30%) and trees (22%) within 80 km.

3 km
251 m
16 km
394 m
80 km
767 m
treesshrubsgrasslandcroplandartificial surfaceswaterwetland
January weather nearby: Livingstone 10 km · Kasane 72 km · Hwange 85 km · Kalomo 122 km · Maamba 153 km · Sesheke 170 km · Katima Mulilo 171 km · Choma 175 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 Victoria Falls (-17.9328°, 25.8307°, elevation 961 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).