Bahir Dar climate
Bahir Dar (Ethiopia) has a tropical savanna (dry winter) climate (Köppen Aw). The average temperature over the year is 21 °C70 °F, and about 1,509 mm59 in of precipitation falls in an average year.
Temperature by month
Precipitation by month
Bahir Dar climate table
| Month | High °C°F | Low °C°F | Mean °C°F | Precip. mmin |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 2882 | 1355 | 2069 | 40.2 |
| Feb | 3086 | 1559 | 2373 | 100.4 |
| Mar | 3188 | 1762 | 2475 | 301.2 |
| Apr | 3187 | 1864 | 2475 | 592.3 |
| May | 2985 | 1864 | 2474 | 1355.3 |
| Jun | 2679 | 1662 | 2170 | 1987.8 |
| Jul | 2373 | 1660 | 1966 | 39416 |
| Aug | 2272 | 1660 | 1966 | 37015 |
| Sep | 2475 | 1660 | 2068 | 2007.9 |
| Oct | 2577 | 1457 | 2067 | 722.8 |
| Nov | 2578 | 1356 | 1967 | 281.1 |
| Dec | 2679 | 1254 | 1967 | 100.4 |
| Year | 3188 | 1254 | 2170 | 1,50959 |
“Year” row: highest monthly high, lowest monthly low, annual mean and annual total.
| Month | Humid. | Cloud | Solar | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 50% | 27% | 6.1 | 11:31 |
| Feb | 42% | 34% | 6.6 | 11:45 |
| Mar | 41% | 43% | 6.9 | 12:02 |
| Apr | 45% | 52% | 6.9 | 12:22 |
| May | 56% | 62% | 6.4 | 12:39 |
| Jun | 72% | 71% | 5.9 | 12:48 |
| Jul | 84% | 83% | 5.1 | 12:44 |
| Aug | 86% | 82% | 5.2 | 12:30 |
| Sep | 78% | 64% | 6.0 | 12:10 |
| Oct | 68% | 47% | 6.3 | 11:51 |
| Nov | 63% | 32% | 6.0 | 11:35 |
| Dec | 57% | 22% | 6.0 | 11:27 |
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 Bahir Dar is like
The warmest month is April, with an average high of 31 °C87 °F and a low of 18 °C64 °F. The coldest is August, when highs average 22 °C72 °F and lows 16 °C60 °F. Seasonal differences are small — just 5.2 °C9.5 °F between the warmest and the coolest month.
It is wet, with about 1,509 mm59 in of precipitation per year. The wettest three-month stretch is July–September, which brings 64% of the annual total. Months with less than 20 mm0.8 in on average: December–February. The wettest month is July (394 mm16 in), the driest is January (4 mm0.2 in).
Relative humidity ranges from 41% in March to 86% in August. The clearest skies (lowest average cloud amount, 22%) are typical of December. Average wind speed near the ground ranges from 5 km/h (3 mph) in September to 8 km/h (5 mph) in May. Daylight lasts from about 11.4 hours in December to 12.8 hours in June.
Best time to visit Bahir Dar
Based on these averages, the most comfortable months for sightseeing and outdoor activities are October–January: average highs of 25 °C77 °F to 28 °C82 °F with 4 mm0.2 in to 72 mm2.8 in of precipitation per month.
The most challenging month is July, which is very wet (394 mm16 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 Bahir Dar
- Wetter months (May–September) — highs 2272 to 29 °C85 °F, lows 1660 to 18 °C64 °F, about 259 mm10 in of precipitation a month. Pack light summer clothes such as T-shirts, shorts or light dresses and a good rain jacket or umbrella and quick-drying shoes.
- Drier months (October–April) — highs 2577 to 31 °C88 °F, lows 1254 to 18 °C64 °F, about 30 mm1.2 in of precipitation a month. Pack light summer clothes such as T-shirts, shorts or light dresses and an extra layer for the cooler mornings and evenings.
How Bahir Dar compares
Compared with Gonder, about 112 km to the north, Bahir Dar is on average 2.5 °C4.4 °F warmer and receives 6% more precipitation (1,509 mm59 in vs 1,417 mm56 in). The difference is largest in February (2.6 °C4.7 °F warmer).
Of the 27 places in Ethiopia covered by World Climates, Bahir Dar is the 8th warmest by annual mean temperature and the 5th 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 (seasons shifted for the other hemisphere where needed): Ceilândia (Brazil, Aw), Brasília (Brazil, Aw) and Valparaíso de Goiás (Brazil, Aw).
Nearby places
- Debre Tabor 74 km · 16 °C61 °F · 1,014 mm40 in
- Gonder 112 km · 19 °C65 °F · 1,417 mm56 in
- Debre Markos 143 km · 16 °C60 °F · 1,608 mm63 in
- Weldiya 241 km · 20 °C67 °F · 703 mm28 in
- Dessie 250 km · 16 °C60 °F · 953 mm38 in
- Kombolcha 263 km · 20 °C68 °F · 897 mm35 in
- Nekemte 294 km · 17 °C63 °F · 1,809 mm71 in
- Inda Silasē 295 km · 21 °C70 °F · 649 mm26 in
Frequently asked questions
What is the warmest month in Bahir Dar?
April is the warmest month in Bahir Dar, with an average high of 31 °C (87 °F) and an average low of 18 °C (64 °F).
What is the coldest month in Bahir Dar?
August is the coldest month, with an average high of 22 °C (72 °F) and an average low of 16 °C (60 °F).
When does it rain the most in Bahir Dar?
July is the wettest month with about 394 mm (15.5 in) of precipitation; January is the driest with about 4 mm (0.2 in).
What is the best time to visit Bahir Dar?
Judging by long-term averages, the most comfortable months are October–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.
The grid cell’s average elevation is 2,066 m, while Bahir Dar lies at about 1,799 m. Temperatures on this page were therefore adjusted by +1.7 °C3.1 °F using the standard lapse rate of 6.5 °C per 1,000 m.