Bishoftu climate
Bishoftu (Ethiopia) has a subtropical highland (dry winter) climate (Köppen Cwb). The average temperature over the year is 19 °C65 °F, and about 1,082 mm43 in of precipitation falls in an average year.
Temperature by month
Precipitation by month
Bishoftu climate table
| Month | High °C°F | Low °C°F | Mean °C°F | Precip. mmin |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 2679 | 1049 | 1864 | 120.5 |
| Feb | 2781 | 1152 | 1967 | 271.1 |
| Mar | 2882 | 1355 | 2068 | 562.2 |
| Apr | 2780 | 1356 | 2068 | 903.5 |
| May | 2781 | 1457 | 2169 | 893.5 |
| Jun | 2679 | 1458 | 2068 | 1164.6 |
| Jul | 2373 | 1457 | 1865 | 2399.4 |
| Aug | 2272 | 1457 | 1864 | 2469.7 |
| Sep | 2373 | 1355 | 1864 | 1455.7 |
| Oct | 2475 | 1050 | 1762 | 341.3 |
| Nov | 2476 | 948 | 1762 | 160.6 |
| Dec | 2576 | 847 | 1762 | 130.5 |
| Year | 2882 | 847 | 1965 | 1,08243 |
“Year” row: highest monthly high, lowest monthly low, annual mean and annual total.
| Month | Humid. | Cloud | Solar | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 55% | 35% | 6.2 | 11:40 |
| Feb | 51% | 40% | 6.7 | 11:50 |
| Mar | 55% | 51% | 6.7 | 12:03 |
| Apr | 65% | 65% | 6.3 | 12:19 |
| May | 63% | 65% | 6.2 | 12:31 |
| Jun | 68% | 73% | 5.6 | 12:38 |
| Jul | 80% | 81% | 4.7 | 12:35 |
| Aug | 83% | 81% | 4.8 | 12:24 |
| Sep | 80% | 70% | 5.5 | 12:09 |
| Oct | 70% | 46% | 6.4 | 11:55 |
| Nov | 63% | 36% | 6.2 | 11:43 |
| Dec | 59% | 29% | 6.1 | 11:37 |
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 Bishoftu is like
The warmest month is May, with an average high of 27 °C81 °F and a low of 14 °C57 °F. The coldest is November, when highs average 24 °C76 °F and lows 9 °C48 °F. Seasonal differences are small — just 4 °C7.2 °F between the warmest and the coolest month.
It is wet, with about 1,082 mm43 in of precipitation per year. The wettest three-month stretch is July–September, which brings 58% of the annual total. Months with less than 20 mm0.8 in on average: November–January. The wettest month is August (246 mm9.7 in), the driest is January (12 mm0.5 in).
Relative humidity ranges from 51% in February to 83% in August. The clearest skies (lowest average cloud amount, 29%) are typical of December. Average wind speed near the ground ranges from 5 km/h (3 mph) in August to 9 km/h (6 mph) in February. Daylight lasts from about 11.6 hours in December to 12.6 hours in June.
Best time to visit Bishoftu
Based on these averages, the most comfortable months for sightseeing and outdoor activities are October–May: average highs of 24 °C75 °F to 28 °C82 °F with 12 mm0.5 in to 90 mm3.5 in of precipitation per month.
The most challenging month is August, which is very wet (246 mm9.7 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 Bishoftu
- Wetter months (June–September) — highs 2272 to 26 °C79 °F, lows 1355 to 14 °C58 °F, about 187 mm7.3 in of precipitation a month. Pack light layers — T-shirts plus a light sweater or jacket and an umbrella or light rain jacket.
- Drier months (October–May) — highs 2475 to 28 °C82 °F, lows 847 to 14 °C57 °F, about 42 mm1.7 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 Bishoftu compares
Compared with Nazrēt, about 39 km to the southeast, Bishoftu is on average 3 °C5.4 °F cooler and receives 55% more precipitation (1,082 mm43 in vs 698 mm27 in). The difference is largest in October (4 °C7.2 °F cooler).
Of the 27 places in Ethiopia covered by World Climates, Bishoftu is the 17th warmest by annual mean temperature and the 12th 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): Barbacena (Brazil, Cwb), Conselheiro Lafaiete (Brazil, Cwb) and Tehuacán (Mexico, Cwb).
The same NASA POWER grid cell also contains Sebeta (pop. 102,300). Their long-term averages in this dataset are essentially the same as for Bishoftu, so they do not have separate pages.
Nearby places
- Nazrēt 39 km · 22 °C71 °F · 698 mm27 in
- Addis Ababa 40 km · 16 °C60 °F · 1,082 mm43 in
- Asela 91 km · 16 °C60 °F · 935 mm37 in
- Debre Birhan 120 km · 13 °C55 °F · 792 mm31 in
- Hosaina 182 km · 17 °C63 °F · 1,305 mm51 in
- Awasa 196 km · 20 °C68 °F · 1,432 mm56 in
- Debre Markos 224 km · 16 °C60 °F · 1,608 mm63 in
- Sodo 249 km · 18 °C64 °F · 1,538 mm61 in
Frequently asked questions
What is the warmest month in Bishoftu?
May is the warmest month in Bishoftu, with an average high of 27 °C (81 °F) and an average low of 14 °C (57 °F).
What is the coldest month in Bishoftu?
November is the coldest month, with an average high of 24 °C (76 °F) and an average low of 9 °C (48 °F).
When does it rain the most in Bishoftu?
August is the wettest month with about 246 mm (9.7 in) of precipitation; January is the driest with about 12 mm (0.5 in).
What is the best time to visit Bishoftu?
Judging by long-term averages, the most comfortable months are October–May.
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 2,350 m, while Bishoftu lies at about 1,978 m. Temperatures on this page were therefore adjusted by +2.4 °C4.3 °F using the standard lapse rate of 6.5 °C per 1,000 m.