Bulawayo climate
Bulawayo (Zimbabwe) has a hot semi-arid climate (Köppen BSh). The average temperature over the year is 20 °C68 °F, and about 628 mm25 in of precipitation falls in an average year.
Temperature by month
Precipitation by month
Bulawayo climate table
| Month | High °C°F | Low °C°F | Mean °C°F | Precip. mmin |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 2984 | 1661 | 2373 | 1254.9 |
| Feb | 2883 | 1660 | 2272 | 1194.7 |
| Mar | 2882 | 1558 | 2170 | 793.1 |
| Apr | 2679 | 1254 | 1966 | 311.2 |
| May | 2476 | 948 | 1762 | 60.2 |
| Jun | 2272 | 744 | 1458 | 30.1 |
| Jul | 2271 | 643 | 1457 | 20.1 |
| Aug | 2679 | 847 | 1763 | 10.0 |
| Sep | 3086 | 1254 | 2170 | 70.3 |
| Oct | 3289 | 1559 | 2374 | 271.1 |
| Nov | 3187 | 1661 | 2474 | 833.3 |
| Dec | 2984 | 1762 | 2373 | 1445.7 |
| Year | 3289 | 643 | 2068 | 62825 |
“Year” row: highest monthly high, lowest monthly low, annual mean and annual total.
| Month | Humid. | Cloud | Solar | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 65% | 61% | 6.7 | 13:13 |
| Feb | 67% | 58% | 6.3 | 12:47 |
| Mar | 66% | 52% | 5.8 | 12:15 |
| Apr | 62% | 39% | 5.4 | 11:39 |
| May | 53% | 24% | 5.1 | 11:10 |
| Jun | 53% | 27% | 4.5 | 10:55 |
| Jul | 50% | 27% | 4.7 | 11:01 |
| Aug | 39% | 21% | 5.6 | 11:26 |
| Sep | 36% | 23% | 6.3 | 12:01 |
| Oct | 41% | 36% | 6.7 | 12:36 |
| Nov | 52% | 61% | 6.5 | 13:06 |
| Dec | 64% | 69% | 6.3 | 13:21 |
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 Bulawayo is like
The warmest month is November, with an average high of 31 °C87 °F and a low of 16 °C61 °F. The coldest is July, when highs average 22 °C71 °F and lows 6 °C43 °F. There is a clear seasonal cycle, with 9.7 °C17.5 °F between the average temperature of the warmest and the coolest month.
Annual precipitation is moderate at about 628 mm25 in. The wettest three-month stretch is December–February, which brings 62% of the annual total. Months with less than 20 mm0.8 in on average: May–September. The wettest month is December (144 mm5.7 in), the driest is August (1 mm0.0 in).
Relative humidity ranges from 36% in September to 67% in February. The clearest skies (lowest average cloud amount, 21%) are typical of August. Average wind speed near the ground ranges from 9 km/h (6 mph) in May to 14 km/h (9 mph) in October. Daylight lasts from about 10.9 hours in June to 13.3 hours in December.
Best time to visit Bulawayo
Based on these averages, the most comfortable months for sightseeing and outdoor activities are March–September: average highs of 22 °C71 °F to 30 °C86 °F with 1 mm0.0 in to 79 mm3.1 in of precipitation per month.
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 Bulawayo
- Wetter months (November–March) — highs 2882 to 31 °C87 °F, lows 1558 to 17 °C62 °F, about 110 mm4.3 in of precipitation a month. Pack light summer clothes such as T-shirts, shorts or light dresses, an extra layer for the cooler mornings and evenings and an umbrella or light rain jacket.
- Drier months (April–October) — highs 2271 to 32 °C89 °F, lows 643 to 15 °C59 °F, about 11 mm0.4 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 Bulawayo compares
Compared with Harare, about 366 km to the northeast, Bulawayo is on average 1.2 °C2.1 °F warmer and receives 20% less precipitation (628 mm25 in vs 789 mm31 in). The difference is largest in January (1.7 °C3.1 °F warmer).
Of the 7 places in Zimbabwe covered by World Climates, Bulawayo is the 3rd warmest by annual mean temperature and the 7th wettest by annual precipitation. See all of them on the Zimbabwe climate page.
Places in other countries with the most similar temperature and rainfall pattern: Tarija (Bolivia, BSh), Mokopane (South Africa, BSh) and San Salvador de Jujuy (Argentina, Cwa).
Nearby places
- Gweru 151 km · 19 °C66 °F · 696 mm27 in
- Francistown 159 km · 23 °C73 °F · 485 mm19 in
- Kwekwe 187 km · 21 °C69 °F · 690 mm27 in
- Kadoma 246 km · 21 °C70 °F · 710 mm28 in
- Chitungwiza 354 km · 19 °C66 °F · 789 mm31 in
- Harare 366 km · 19 °C65 °F · 789 mm31 in
- Thohoyandou 368 km · 22 °C71 °F · 586 mm23 in
- Livingstone 385 km · 23 °C74 °F · 613 mm24 in
Frequently asked questions
What is the warmest month in Bulawayo?
November is the warmest month in Bulawayo, with an average high of 31 °C (87 °F) and an average low of 16 °C (61 °F).
What is the coldest month in Bulawayo?
July is the coldest month, with an average high of 22 °C (71 °F) and an average low of 6 °C (43 °F).
When does it rain the most in Bulawayo?
December is the wettest month with about 144 mm (5.7 in) of precipitation; August is the driest with about 1 mm (0.0 in).
What is the best time to visit Bulawayo?
Judging by long-term averages, the most comfortable months are March–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 — 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.