Bukoba climate

Tanzania · 1.33°S, 31.81°E · elevation 1,149 m · population 144,938

Warmest month
February
high 26 °C79 °F
Coldest month
July
low 21 °C70 °F
Wettest month
April
190 mm7.5 in
Best time to visit
January and June–September
by our comfort score
Annual precipitation
1,324 mm52 in
July driest
Year average
24 °C74 °F
tropical savanna (dry winter) (Aw)

Bukoba (Tanzania) has a tropical savanna (dry winter) climate (Köppen Aw). The average temperature over the year is 24 °C74 °F, and about 1,324 mm52 in of precipitation falls in an average year.

Temperature by month

Average highAverage low
20°25°30°70°80°JFMAMJJASOND26°79°21°70°January: high 26 °C / 79 °F, low 22 °C / 72 °FFebruary: high 26 °C / 79 °F, low 23 °C / 73 °FMarch: high 26 °C / 78 °F, low 22 °C / 72 °FApril: high 25 °C / 76 °F, low 22 °C / 72 °FMay: high 24 °C / 76 °F, low 22 °C / 72 °FJune: high 25 °C / 76 °F, low 22 °C / 71 °FJuly: high 25 °C / 76 °F, low 21 °C / 70 °FAugust: high 25 °C / 77 °F, low 22 °C / 71 °FSeptember: high 26 °C / 78 °F, low 22 °C / 72 °FOctober: high 25 °C / 77 °F, low 22 °C / 71 °FNovember: high 24 °C / 76 °F, low 21 °C / 71 °FDecember: high 25 °C / 77 °F, low 22 °C / 71 °F

Precipitation by month

Precipitation per month (mminches)
0501001502000246JJanuary: 89 mm / 3.5 inFFebruary: 107 mm / 4.2 inMMarch: 170 mm / 6.7 inAApril: 190 mm / 7.5 inMMay: 142 mm / 5.6 inJJune: 34 mm / 1.3 inJJuly: 24 mm / 0.9 inAAugust: 49 mm / 1.9 inSSeptember: 98 mm / 3.9 inOOctober: 141 mm / 5.6 inNNovember: 167 mm / 6.6 inDDecember: 112 mm / 4.4 in1907.5

Bukoba climate table

Monthly averages, 2001–2025
MonthHigh °C°FLow °C°FMean °C°FPrecip. mmin
Jan267922722475893.5
Feb2679237325761074.2
Mar2678227224751706.7
Apr2576227223741907.5
May2476227223741425.6
Jun257622712373341.3
Jul257621702373240.9
Aug257722712474491.9
Sep267822722475983.9
Oct2577227124741415.6
Nov2476217123731676.6
Dec2577227123741124.4
Year2679217024741,32452

“Year” row: highest monthly high, lowest monthly low, annual mean and annual total.

Humidity, cloud, sun and daylight
MonthHumid.CloudSolarDaylight
Jan66%73%4.812:11
Feb64%74%5.312:09
Mar69%80%4.912:07
Apr74%82%4.712:05
May72%72%4.812:03
Jun66%59%5.112:03
Jul62%53%5.312:03
Aug62%63%5.112:04
Sep65%69%5.112:06
Oct69%76%5.012:09
Nov73%80%4.612:11
Dec70%77%4.512:12

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 Bukoba is like

The warmest month is February, with an average high of 26 °C79 °F and a low of 23 °C73 °F. The coldest is July, when highs average 25 °C76 °F and lows 21 °C70 °F. Temperatures barely change through the year: the warmest and the coolest month differ by only 1.8 °C3.2 °F.

It is wet, with about 1,324 mm52 in of precipitation per year. The wettest three-month stretch is March–May, which brings 38% of the annual total. The wettest month is April (190 mm7.5 in), the driest is July (24 mm0.9 in).

Relative humidity ranges from 62% in July to 74% in April. The clearest skies (lowest average cloud amount, 53%) are typical of July. Average wind speed near the ground ranges from 7 km/h (4 mph) in November to 12 km/h (7 mph) in July.

Best time to visit Bukoba

Based on these averages, the most comfortable months for sightseeing and outdoor activities are January and June–September. Average highs then reach 25 °C76 °F to 26 °C79 °F. Precipitation is 24 mm0.9 in to 98 mm3.9 in per month.

The most challenging month is April, which is very wet (190 mm7.5 in).

Comfort score: months are ranked by how close they come to an ideal. That means 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 Bukoba

  • Wetter months (March–May, October–December) — highs 2476 to 26 °C78 °F, lows 2171 to 22 °C72 °F, about 154 mm6.1 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 (January and February, June–September) — highs 2576 to 26 °C79 °F, lows 2170 to 23 °C73 °F, about 67 mm2.6 in of precipitation a month. Pack light summer clothes such as T-shirts, shorts or light dresses.

How Bukoba compares

The nearest larger place is Mbarara, about 153 km to the northwest. Compared with it, Bukoba is on average 2.7 °C4.8 °F warmer. It receives 21% more precipitation (1,324 mm52 in vs 1,092 mm43 in). The difference is largest in May (3.1 °C5.5 °F warmer).

World Climates covers 34 places in Tanzania. By annual mean temperature, Bukoba is the 14th warmest of them. By annual precipitation, it is the 7th wettest. See all of them on the Tanzania climate page.

Some places in other countries have a very similar pattern of temperature and rainfall (with seasons shifted for the other hemisphere). The closest matches are Piedecuesta (Colombia, Aw), Bucaramanga (Colombia, Aw) and Ébolowa (Cameroon, Aw).

Nearby places

All places in Tanzania

Frequently asked questions

What is the warmest month in Bukoba?

February is the warmest month in Bukoba. Its average high is 26 °C (79 °F) and its average low is 23 °C (73 °F).

What is the coldest month in Bukoba?

July is the coldest month. Its average high is 25 °C (76 °F) and its average low is 21 °C (70 °F).

When does it rain the most in Bukoba?

April is the wettest month with about 190 mm (7.5 in) of precipitation. July is the driest with about 24 mm (0.9 in).

What is the best time to visit Bukoba?

Judging by long-term averages, the most comfortable months are January and June–September.

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. The gaps are largest 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.

Sources and method