Dar es Salaam climate
Dar es Salaam (Tanzania) has a tropical savanna (dry winter) climate (Köppen Aw). The average temperature over the year is 27 °C80 °F, and about 1,131 mm45 in of precipitation falls in an average year.
Temperature by month
Precipitation by month
Dar es Salaam climate table
| Month | High °C°F | Low °C°F | Mean °C°F | Precip. mmin |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 3086 | 2679 | 2882 | 903.5 |
| Feb | 3086 | 2679 | 2883 | 803.2 |
| Mar | 3086 | 2679 | 2883 | 1556.1 |
| Apr | 2984 | 2679 | 2882 | 25810 |
| May | 2883 | 2577 | 2780 | 1515.9 |
| Jun | 2882 | 2374 | 2678 | 240.9 |
| Jul | 2781 | 2373 | 2577 | 120.5 |
| Aug | 2882 | 2373 | 2577 | 140.6 |
| Sep | 2883 | 2374 | 2679 | 240.9 |
| Oct | 2985 | 2476 | 2780 | 682.7 |
| Nov | 3085 | 2578 | 2882 | 1275.0 |
| Dec | 3086 | 2679 | 2883 | 1275.0 |
| Year | 3086 | 2373 | 2780 | 1,13145 |
“Year” row: highest monthly high, lowest monthly low, annual mean and annual total.
| Month | Humid. | Cloud | Solar | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 77% | 51% | 6.0 | 12:29 |
| Feb | 77% | 48% | 6.2 | 12:20 |
| Mar | 79% | 53% | 5.8 | 12:09 |
| Apr | 81% | 60% | 4.9 | 11:58 |
| May | 80% | 53% | 4.6 | 11:48 |
| Jun | 76% | 42% | 4.8 | 11:44 |
| Jul | 73% | 39% | 5.0 | 11:46 |
| Aug | 73% | 36% | 5.5 | 11:53 |
| Sep | 72% | 32% | 6.1 | 12:05 |
| Oct | 73% | 36% | 6.4 | 12:16 |
| Nov | 76% | 40% | 6.3 | 12:26 |
| Dec | 77% | 42% | 6.2 | 12:31 |
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 Dar es Salaam is like
The warmest month is March, with an average high of 30 °C86 °F and a low of 26 °C79 °F. The coldest is July, when highs average 27 °C81 °F and lows 23 °C73 °F. Seasonal differences are small — just 3 °C5.5 °F between the warmest and the coolest month.
It is wet, with about 1,131 mm45 in of precipitation per year. The wettest three-month stretch is March–May, which brings 50% of the annual total. Months with less than 20 mm0.8 in on average: July and August. The wettest month is April (258 mm10 in), the driest is July (12 mm0.5 in).
Relative humidity ranges from 72% in September to 81% in April. The clearest skies (lowest average cloud amount, 32%) are typical of September. Average wind speed near the ground ranges from 10 km/h (6 mph) in March to 19 km/h (12 mph) in July.
Best time to visit Dar es Salaam
Based on these averages, the most comfortable months for sightseeing and outdoor activities are June–October: average highs of 27 °C81 °F to 29 °C85 °F with 12 mm0.5 in to 68 mm2.7 in of precipitation per month.
The most challenging month is April, which is very wet (258 mm10 in) and humid (81% relative humidity).
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.
Dar es Salaam weather by month
- January30 °C86 °F / 26 °C79 °F
- February30 °C86 °F / 26 °C79 °F
- March30 °C86 °F / 26 °C79 °F
- April29 °C84 °F / 26 °C79 °F
- May28 °C83 °F / 25 °C77 °F
- June28 °C82 °F / 23 °C74 °F
- July27 °C81 °F / 23 °C73 °F
- August28 °C82 °F / 23 °C73 °F
- September28 °C83 °F / 23 °C74 °F
- October29 °C85 °F / 24 °C76 °F
- November30 °C85 °F / 25 °C78 °F
- December30 °C86 °F / 26 °C79 °F
What to pack for Dar es Salaam
- Wetter months (March–May, November and December) — highs 2883 to 30 °C86 °F, lows 2577 to 26 °C79 °F, about 164 mm6.4 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–October) — highs 2781 to 30 °C86 °F, lows 2373 to 26 °C79 °F, about 45 mm1.8 in of precipitation a month. Pack light summer clothes such as T-shirts, shorts or light dresses.
How Dar es Salaam compares
Of the 34 places in Tanzania covered by World Climates, Dar es Salaam is the 3rd warmest by annual mean temperature and the 17th wettest by annual precipitation. See all of them on the Tanzania climate page.
Places in other countries with the most similar temperature and rainfall pattern (seasons shifted for the other hemisphere where needed): Kingston (Jamaica, Aw), Las Tunas (Cuba, Aw) and Basseterre (Saint Kitts and Nevis, Aw).
Nearby places
- Kibaha 39 km · 26 °C78 °F · 1,244 mm49 in
- Zanzibar 74 km · 27 °C81 °F · 1,008 mm40 in
- Morogoro 178 km · 24 °C75 °F · 1,159 mm46 in
- Tanga 196 km · 27 °C80 °F · 987 mm39 in
- Handeni 208 km · 23 °C73 °F · 1,455 mm57 in
- Mombasa 311 km · 27 °C81 °F · 894 mm35 in
- Jomvu 318 km · 27 °C81 °F · 894 mm35 in
- Ifakara 320 km · 26 °C79 °F · 1,182 mm47 in
Frequently asked questions
What is the warmest month in Dar es Salaam?
March is the warmest month in Dar es Salaam, with an average high of 30 °C (86 °F) and an average low of 26 °C (79 °F).
What is the coldest month in Dar es Salaam?
July is the coldest month, with an average high of 27 °C (81 °F) and an average low of 23 °C (73 °F).
When does it rain the most in Dar es Salaam?
April is the wettest month with about 258 mm (10.2 in) of precipitation; July is the driest with about 12 mm (0.5 in).
What is the best time to visit Dar es Salaam?
Judging by long-term averages, the most comfortable months are June–October.
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.