Debre Birhan climate
Debre Birhan (Ethiopia) has a subtropical highland (dry winter) climate (Köppen Cwb). The average temperature over the year is 13 °C55 °F, and about 792 mm31 in of precipitation falls in an average year.
Temperature by month
Precipitation by month
Debre Birhan climate table
| Month | High °C°F | Low °C°F | Mean °C°F | Precip. mmin |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 1966 | 440 | 1253 | 130.5 |
| Feb | 2068 | 642 | 1355 | 391.5 |
| Mar | 2069 | 745 | 1457 | 682.7 |
| Apr | 2067 | 847 | 1457 | 1044.1 |
| May | 2069 | 948 | 1558 | 582.3 |
| Jun | 2170 | 949 | 1559 | 592.3 |
| Jul | 1865 | 948 | 1457 | 1415.6 |
| Aug | 1864 | 948 | 1356 | 1536.0 |
| Sep | 1864 | 847 | 1355 | 913.6 |
| Oct | 1864 | 541 | 1153 | 311.2 |
| Nov | 1864 | 439 | 1151 | 210.8 |
| Dec | 1864 | 338 | 1051 | 130.5 |
| Year | 2170 | 338 | 1355 | 79231 |
“Year” row: highest monthly high, lowest monthly low, annual mean and annual total.
| Month | Humid. | Cloud | Solar | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 61% | 39% | 6.0 | 11:37 |
| Feb | 58% | 40% | 6.6 | 11:48 |
| Mar | 62% | 49% | 6.6 | 12:03 |
| Apr | 70% | 60% | 6.4 | 12:20 |
| May | 66% | 55% | 6.5 | 12:34 |
| Jun | 64% | 61% | 6.0 | 12:41 |
| Jul | 76% | 75% | 5.2 | 12:38 |
| Aug | 80% | 77% | 5.2 | 12:26 |
| Sep | 77% | 66% | 5.8 | 12:10 |
| Oct | 70% | 42% | 6.4 | 11:54 |
| Nov | 67% | 36% | 6.1 | 11:40 |
| Dec | 64% | 34% | 5.9 | 11:34 |
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 Debre Birhan is like
The warmest month is June, with an average high of 21 °C70 °F and a low of 9 °C49 °F. The coldest is December, when highs average 18 °C64 °F and lows 3 °C38 °F. Seasonal differences are small — just 4.7 °C8.4 °F between the warmest and the coolest month.
Annual precipitation is moderate at about 792 mm31 in. The wettest three-month stretch is July–September, which brings 49% of the annual total. Months with less than 20 mm0.8 in on average: December and January. The wettest month is August (153 mm6.0 in), the driest is January (13 mm0.5 in).
Relative humidity ranges from 58% in February to 80% in August. The clearest skies (lowest average cloud amount, 34%) are typical of December. Average wind speed near the ground ranges from 6 km/h (4 mph) in August to 9 km/h (5 mph) in February. Daylight lasts from about 11.6 hours in December to 12.7 hours in June.
Best time to visit Debre Birhan
Based on these averages, the most comfortable months for sightseeing and outdoor activities are January–March and May and June: average highs of 19 °C66 °F to 21 °C70 °F with 13 mm0.5 in to 68 mm2.7 in of precipitation per month.
The most challenging month is August, which is very wet (153 mm6.0 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 Debre Birhan
- Wetter months (March and April, July–September) — highs 1864 to 20 °C69 °F, lows 745 to 9 °C48 °F, about 112 mm4.4 in of precipitation a month. Pack light layers — T-shirts plus a light sweater or jacket, an extra layer for the cooler mornings and evenings and an umbrella or light rain jacket.
- Drier months (October–February, May and June) — highs 1864 to 21 °C70 °F, lows 338 to 9 °C49 °F, about 34 mm1.3 in of precipitation a month. Pack light layers — T-shirts plus a light sweater or jacket and an extra layer for the cooler mornings and evenings.
How Debre Birhan compares
Compared with Addis Ababa, about 113 km to the southwest, Debre Birhan is on average 2.9 °C5.1 °F cooler and receives 27% less precipitation (792 mm31 in vs 1,082 mm43 in). The difference is largest in February (3.7 °C6.7 °F cooler).
Of the 27 places in Ethiopia covered by World Climates, Debre Birhan is the 27th warmest by annual mean temperature and the 17th 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): Sucre (Bolivia, Cwb), Ayacucho (Peru, Cwb) and Toluca (Mexico, Cwb).
Nearby places
- Addis Ababa 113 km · 16 °C60 °F · 1,082 mm43 in
- Bishoftu 120 km · 19 °C65 °F · 1,082 mm43 in
- Nazrēt 129 km · 22 °C71 °F · 698 mm27 in
- Kombolcha 158 km · 20 °C68 °F · 897 mm35 in
- Dessie 162 km · 16 °C60 °F · 953 mm38 in
- Asela 197 km · 16 °C60 °F · 935 mm37 in
- Debre Markos 211 km · 16 °C60 °F · 1,608 mm63 in
- Weldiya 239 km · 20 °C67 °F · 703 mm28 in
Frequently asked questions
What is the warmest month in Debre Birhan?
June is the warmest month in Debre Birhan, with an average high of 21 °C (70 °F) and an average low of 9 °C (49 °F).
What is the coldest month in Debre Birhan?
December is the coldest month, with an average high of 18 °C (64 °F) and an average low of 3 °C (38 °F).
When does it rain the most in Debre Birhan?
August is the wettest month with about 153 mm (6.0 in) of precipitation; January is the driest with about 13 mm (0.5 in).
What is the best time to visit Debre Birhan?
Judging by long-term averages, the most comfortable months are January–March and May and June.
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 2,672 m, while Debre Birhan lies at about 2,830 m. Temperatures on this page were therefore adjusted by −1 °C1.8 °F using the standard lapse rate of 6.5 °C per 1,000 m.