Butembo climate
Butembo (DR Congo) has a tropical rainforest climate (Köppen Af). The average temperature over the year is 19 °C66 °F, and about 1,532 mm60 in of precipitation falls in an average year.
Temperature by month
Precipitation by month
Butembo climate table
| Month | High °C°F | Low °C°F | Mean °C°F | Precip. mmin |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 2374 | 1559 | 1967 | 783.1 |
| Feb | 2476 | 1560 | 2068 | 873.4 |
| Mar | 2474 | 1660 | 2067 | 1586.2 |
| Apr | 2373 | 1660 | 1966 | 1505.9 |
| May | 2272 | 1560 | 1966 | 1315.2 |
| Jun | 2272 | 1559 | 1965 | 1024.0 |
| Jul | 2373 | 1558 | 1965 | 873.4 |
| Aug | 2373 | 1559 | 1966 | 1385.4 |
| Sep | 2373 | 1560 | 1966 | 1626.4 |
| Oct | 2272 | 1560 | 1966 | 1766.9 |
| Nov | 2271 | 1559 | 1965 | 1646.5 |
| Dec | 2373 | 1559 | 1966 | 1003.9 |
| Year | 2476 | 1558 | 1966 | 1,53260 |
“Year” row: highest monthly high, lowest monthly low, annual mean and annual total.
| Month | Humid. | Cloud | Solar | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 74% | 75% | 5.3 | 12:07 |
| Feb | 72% | 81% | 5.4 | 12:07 |
| Mar | 77% | 88% | 5.2 | 12:07 |
| Apr | 80% | 88% | 5.2 | 12:07 |
| May | 81% | 84% | 5.1 | 12:07 |
| Jun | 77% | 80% | 4.6 | 12:08 |
| Jul | 74% | 78% | 4.5 | 12:08 |
| Aug | 76% | 85% | 4.6 | 12:07 |
| Sep | 78% | 84% | 5.1 | 12:07 |
| Oct | 80% | 88% | 5.0 | 12:07 |
| Nov | 81% | 85% | 4.8 | 12:07 |
| Dec | 78% | 78% | 4.9 | 12:07 |
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 Butembo is like
The warmest month is February, with an average high of 24 °C76 °F and a low of 15 °C60 °F. The coldest is November, when highs average 22 °C71 °F and lows 15 °C59 °F. Temperatures barely change through the year: the warmest and the coolest month differ by only 1.3 °C2.4 °F.
It is wet, with about 1,532 mm60 in of precipitation per year. The wettest three-month stretch is September–November, which brings 33% of the annual total. The wettest month is October (176 mm6.9 in), the driest is January (78 mm3.1 in).
Relative humidity ranges from 72% in February to 81% in November. The clearest skies (lowest average cloud amount, 75%) are typical of January. Average wind speed near the ground ranges from 3 km/h (2 mph) in September to 4 km/h (3 mph) in January.
Best time to visit Butembo
Based on these averages, the most comfortable months for sightseeing and outdoor activities are December–February and July: average highs of 23 °C73 °F to 24 °C76 °F with 78 mm3.1 in to 100 mm3.9 in of precipitation per month.
The most challenging month is October, which is very wet (176 mm6.9 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 Butembo
- Wetter months (March–May, August–November) — highs 2271 to 24 °C74 °F, lows 1559 to 16 °C60 °F, about 154 mm6.1 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 (December–February, June and July) — highs 2272 to 24 °C76 °F, lows around 15 °C58 °F, about 91 mm3.6 in of precipitation a month. Pack light layers — T-shirts plus a light sweater or jacket and an umbrella or light rain jacket.
How Butembo compares
Compared with Bunia, about 190 km to the northeast, Butembo is on average 3 °C5.3 °F cooler and receives 36% more precipitation (1,532 mm60 in vs 1,128 mm44 in). The difference is largest in February (4.2 °C7.6 °F cooler).
Of the 36 places in the DR Congo covered by World Climates, Butembo is the 36th warmest by annual mean temperature and the 12th wettest by annual precipitation. See all of them on the DR Congo climate page.
Places in other countries with the most similar temperature and rainfall pattern (seasons shifted for the other hemisphere where needed): Kitale (Kenya, Cfb), Nakuru (Kenya, Csb) and Pereira (Colombia, Af).
Nearby places
- Beni 44 km · 22 °C72 °F · 1,585 mm62 in
- Kasese 88 km · 24 °C76 °F · 1,198 mm47 in
- Ibanda 137 km · 21 °C69 °F · 1,243 mm49 in
- Mbarara 172 km · 21 °C70 °F · 1,092 mm43 in
- Bunia 190 km · 22 °C71 °F · 1,128 mm44 in
- Nyagatare 197 km · 21 °C71 °F · 1,137 mm45 in
- Gisenyi 205 km · 21 °C70 °F · 1,692 mm67 in
- Mubende 238 km · 21 °C70 °F · 1,251 mm49 in
Frequently asked questions
What is the warmest month in Butembo?
February is the warmest month in Butembo, with an average high of 24 °C (76 °F) and an average low of 15 °C (60 °F).
What is the coldest month in Butembo?
November is the coldest month, with an average high of 22 °C (71 °F) and an average low of 15 °C (59 °F).
When does it rain the most in Butembo?
October is the wettest month with about 176 mm (6.9 in) of precipitation; January is the driest with about 78 mm (3.1 in).
What is the best time to visit Butembo?
Judging by long-term averages, the most comfortable months are December–February and July.
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 1,530 m, while Butembo lies at about 1,736 m. Temperatures on this page were therefore adjusted by −1.3 °C2.4 °F using the standard lapse rate of 6.5 °C per 1,000 m.