Arba Minch climate
Arba Minch (Ethiopia) has a tropical savanna (dry winter) climate (Köppen Aw). The average temperature over the year is 24 °C74 °F, and about 1,173 mm46 in of precipitation falls in an average year.
Temperature by month
Precipitation by month
Arba Minch climate table
| Month | High °C°F | Low °C°F | Mean °C°F | Precip. mmin |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 3188 | 1965 | 2577 | 210.8 |
| Feb | 3391 | 2068 | 2679 | 251.0 |
| Mar | 3290 | 2069 | 2679 | 893.5 |
| Apr | 2984 | 1967 | 2475 | 2007.9 |
| May | 2780 | 1966 | 2373 | 1716.7 |
| Jun | 2679 | 1864 | 2271 | 913.6 |
| Jul | 2679 | 1763 | 2271 | 843.3 |
| Aug | 2780 | 1763 | 2272 | 983.8 |
| Sep | 2882 | 1865 | 2373 | 973.8 |
| Oct | 2781 | 1966 | 2373 | 1355.3 |
| Nov | 2883 | 1865 | 2374 | 1024.0 |
| Dec | 2985 | 1864 | 2474 | 602.4 |
| Year | 3391 | 1763 | 2474 | 1,17346 |
“Year” row: highest monthly high, lowest monthly low, annual mean and annual total.
| Month | Humid. | Cloud | Solar | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 46% | 47% | 6.1 | 11:48 |
| Feb | 42% | 54% | 6.5 | 11:55 |
| Mar | 50% | 65% | 6.4 | 12:04 |
| Apr | 69% | 76% | 6.0 | 12:15 |
| May | 77% | 75% | 5.7 | 12:24 |
| Jun | 76% | 78% | 5.1 | 12:28 |
| Jul | 73% | 84% | 4.6 | 12:26 |
| Aug | 70% | 83% | 4.9 | 12:19 |
| Sep | 67% | 79% | 5.5 | 12:09 |
| Oct | 70% | 69% | 5.9 | 11:59 |
| Nov | 65% | 53% | 5.9 | 11:50 |
| Dec | 55% | 40% | 6.0 | 11:46 |
Humid. = average relative humidity at 2 m; cloud = average cloud amount; solar = average daily solar energy reaching the ground in kWh/m² (all-sky); daylight in hours:minutes, calculated for the 15th of each month.
What the climate of Arba Minch is like
The warmest month is March, with an average high of 32 °C90 °F and a low of 20 °C69 °F. The coldest is July, when highs average 26 °C79 °F and lows 17 °C63 °F. Seasonal differences are small — just 4.6 °C8.4 °F between the warmest and the coolest month.
It is wet, with about 1,173 mm46 in of precipitation per year. The wettest three-month stretch is April–June, which brings 39% of the annual total. The wettest month is April (200 mm7.9 in), the driest is January (21 mm0.8 in).
Relative humidity ranges from 42% in February to 77% in May. The clearest skies (lowest average cloud amount, 40%) are typical of December. Average wind speed near the ground ranges from 5 km/h (3 mph) in October to 7 km/h (4 mph) in August.
Best time to visit Arba Minch
Based on these averages, the most comfortable months for sightseeing and outdoor activities are June–September and November and December: average highs of 26 °C79 °F to 29 °C85 °F with 60 mm2.4 in to 102 mm4.0 in of precipitation per month.
The most challenging month is April, which is very wet (200 mm7.9 in).
Comfort score: months are ranked by how close they come to an average high of 21–28 °C (70–82 °F), lows above 5 °C (41 °F), little precipitation and moderate humidity. The best-ranked months of each place are recommended, even where none meets all of these. These are general rules of thumb applied to long-term averages.
What to pack for Arba Minch
- Wetter months (April and May, October and November) — highs 2780 to 29 °C84 °F, lows 1865 to 19 °C67 °F, about 152 mm6.0 in of precipitation a month. Pack light summer clothes such as T-shirts, shorts or light dresses and an umbrella or light rain jacket.
- Drier months (December–March, June–September) — highs 2679 to 33 °C91 °F, lows 1763 to 20 °C69 °F, about 70 mm2.8 in of precipitation a month. Pack light summer clothes such as T-shirts, shorts or light dresses.
How Arba Minch compares
Compared with Sodo, about 95 km to the north, Arba Minch is on average 5.8 °C10.5 °F warmer and receives 24% less precipitation (1,173 mm46 in vs 1,538 mm61 in). The difference is largest in December (6.6 °C11.9 °F warmer).
Of the 27 places in Ethiopia covered by World Climates, Arba Minch is the 4th warmest by annual mean temperature and the 10th wettest by annual precipitation. See all of them on the Ethiopia climate page.
Places in other countries with the most similar temperature and rainfall pattern: Masindi (Uganda, Aw), Hoima (Uganda, Aw) and Mbale (Uganda, Am).
Nearby places
- Sodo 95 km · 18 °C64 °F · 1,538 mm61 in
- Dila 95 km · 21 °C70 °F · 1,503 mm59 in
- Awasa 153 km · 20 °C68 °F · 1,432 mm56 in
- Hosaina 172 km · 17 °C63 °F · 1,305 mm51 in
- Jimma 199 km · 19 °C67 °F · 1,738 mm68 in
- Asela 276 km · 16 °C60 °F · 935 mm37 in
- Nazrēt 338 km · 22 °C71 °F · 698 mm27 in
- Bishoftu 341 km · 19 °C65 °F · 1,082 mm43 in
Frequently asked questions
What is the warmest month in Arba Minch?
March is the warmest month in Arba Minch, with an average high of 32 °C (90 °F) and an average low of 20 °C (69 °F).
What is the coldest month in Arba Minch?
July is the coldest month, with an average high of 26 °C (79 °F) and an average low of 17 °C (63 °F).
When does it rain the most in Arba Minch?
April is the wettest month with about 200 mm (7.9 in) of precipitation; January is the driest with about 21 mm (0.8 in).
What is the best time to visit Arba Minch?
Judging by long-term averages, the most comfortable months are June–September and November and December.
About this data
All figures are 25-year averages (January 2001 – December 2025) from the NASA POWER project. Temperature, humidity, wind and precipitation come from the MERRA-2 reanalysis (precipitation is the bias-corrected MERRA-2 product), cloud and solar values from CERES satellite data. They describe a grid cell of roughly 50–70 km, not a single weather station, so they can differ from airport records — most of all on coasts, in mountains and for rainfall. Average highs and lows are the monthly mean temperature plus/minus half of the average daily temperature range. Counts of rainy days are not part of this dataset.
The grid cell’s average elevation is 1,601 m, while Arba Minch lies at about 1,269 m. Temperatures on this page were therefore adjusted by +2.2 °C3.9 °F using the standard lapse rate of 6.5 °C per 1,000 m.