Atbara climate
Atbara (Sudan) has a hot desert climate (Köppen BWh). The average temperature over the year is 30 °C86 °F, and about 48 mm1.9 in of precipitation falls in an average year.
Temperature by month
Precipitation by month
Atbara climate table
| Month | High °C°F | Low °C°F | Mean °C°F | Precip. mmin |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 3085 | 1356 | 2171 | 00.0 |
| Feb | 3391 | 1560 | 2475 | 00.0 |
| Mar | 3697 | 1864 | 2781 | 00.0 |
| Apr | 40104 | 2272 | 3188 | 00.0 |
| May | 43109 | 2679 | 3494 | 30.1 |
| Jun | 44110 | 2883 | 3697 | 10.0 |
| Jul | 42107 | 2883 | 3595 | 120.5 |
| Aug | 40105 | 2882 | 3493 | 210.8 |
| Sep | 42107 | 2882 | 3594 | 70.3 |
| Oct | 39103 | 2577 | 3290 | 30.1 |
| Nov | 3594 | 2067 | 2781 | 00.0 |
| Dec | 3188 | 1560 | 2374 | 00.0 |
| Year | 44110 | 1356 | 3086 | 481.9 |
“Year” row: highest monthly high, lowest monthly low, annual mean and annual total.
| Month | Humid. | Cloud | Solar | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 32% | 10% | 5.7 | 11:10 |
| Feb | 26% | 9% | 6.4 | 11:33 |
| Mar | 18% | 10% | 7.2 | 11:00 |
| Apr | 16% | 12% | 7.7 | 12:31 |
| May | 16% | 21% | 7.5 | 12:57 |
| Jun | 15% | 25% | 7.5 | 13:11 |
| Jul | 26% | 38% | 7.1 | 13:05 |
| Aug | 35% | 46% | 6.8 | 12:43 |
| Sep | 27% | 35% | 6.6 | 12:13 |
| Oct | 27% | 16% | 6.3 | 11:42 |
| Nov | 31% | 4% | 5.7 | 11:17 |
| Dec | 35% | 9% | 5.3 | 11:04 |
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 Atbara is like
The warmest month is June, with an average high of 44 °C110 °F and a low of 28 °C83 °F. The coldest is January, when highs average 30 °C85 °F and lows 13 °C56 °F. There is a clear seasonal cycle, with 14.5 °C26.1 °F between the average temperature of the warmest and the coolest month.
It is very dry, with only 48 mm1.9 in of precipitation in an average year. The wettest three-month stretch is July–September, which brings 84% of the annual total. Months with less than 20 mm0.8 in on average: September–July. The wettest month is August (21 mm0.8 in), the driest is January (0 mm0.0 in).
Relative humidity ranges from 15% in June to 35% in August. The clearest skies (lowest average cloud amount, 4%) are typical of November. Average wind speed near the ground ranges from 10 km/h (6 mph) in September to 14 km/h (9 mph) in February. Daylight lasts from about 11.1 hours in December to 13.2 hours in June.
Best time to visit Atbara
Based on these averages, the most comfortable months for sightseeing and outdoor activities are January: average highs of 30 °C85 °F to 30 °C85 °F with 0 mm0.0 in to 0 mm0.0 in of precipitation per month.
The most challenging month is June, which is hot, with average highs of 44 °C110 °F.
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 Atbara
- Wetter months (July–September) — highs 40105 to 42 °C107 °F, lows around 28 °C82 °F, about 13 mm0.5 in of precipitation a month. Pack very light, breathable clothing, a sun hat and plenty of water.
- Drier months (October–June) — highs 3085 to 44 °C110 °F, lows 1356 to 28 °C83 °F, about 1 mm0.0 in of precipitation a month. Pack very light, breathable clothing, a sun hat and plenty of water.
How Atbara compares
Compared with Khartoum, about 285 km to the southwest, Atbara is on average 0.5 °C0.9 °F warmer and receives 66% less precipitation (48 mm1.9 in vs 139 mm5.5 in). The difference is largest in August (3.3 °C6 °F warmer).
Of the 18 places in Sudan covered by World Climates, Atbara is the warmest by annual mean temperature and the 17th wettest by annual precipitation. See all of them on the Sudan climate page.
Places in other countries with the most similar temperature and rainfall pattern: Arlit (Niger, BWh), Agadez (Niger, BWh) and Gao (Mali, BWh).
The same NASA POWER grid cell also contains Ad-Damir (pop. 103,941). Their long-term averages in this dataset are essentially the same as for Atbara, so they do not have separate pages.
Nearby places
- Khartoum 285 km · 30 °C85 °F · 139 mm5.5 in
- Kassala 359 km · 29 °C84 °F · 286 mm11 in
- Wad Medani 370 km · 30 °C85 °F · 359 mm14 in
- Al Manaqil 399 km · 30 °C85 °F · 302 mm12 in
- Port Sudan 401 km · 29 °C84 °F · 45 mm1.8 in
- Al Qadarif 434 km · 28 °C82 °F · 543 mm21 in
- Sennar 462 km · 29 °C84 °F · 464 mm18 in
- Singa 506 km · 29 °C84 °F · 458 mm18 in
Frequently asked questions
What is the warmest month in Atbara?
June is the warmest month in Atbara, with an average high of 44 °C (110 °F) and an average low of 28 °C (83 °F).
What is the coldest month in Atbara?
January is the coldest month, with an average high of 30 °C (85 °F) and an average low of 13 °C (56 °F).
When does it rain the most in Atbara?
August is the wettest month with about 21 mm (0.8 in) of precipitation; January is the driest with about 0 mm (0.0 in).
What is the best time to visit Atbara?
Judging by long-term averages, the most comfortable months are January.
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.