Dessie climate
Dessie (Ethiopia) has a subtropical highland (dry winter) climate (Köppen Cwb). The average temperature over the year is 16 °C60 °F, and about 953 mm38 in of precipitation falls in an average year.
Temperature by month
Precipitation by month
Dessie climate table
| Month | High °C°F | Low °C°F | Mean °C°F | Precip. mmin |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 2271 | 745 | 1558 | 100.4 |
| Feb | 2374 | 947 | 1661 | 210.8 |
| Mar | 2374 | 1050 | 1762 | 542.1 |
| Apr | 2373 | 1151 | 1762 | 742.9 |
| May | 2374 | 1253 | 1864 | 542.1 |
| Jun | 2374 | 1254 | 1864 | 672.7 |
| Jul | 2069 | 1254 | 1661 | 2499.8 |
| Aug | 1967 | 1253 | 1660 | 2379.3 |
| Sep | 1967 | 1152 | 1559 | 1104.3 |
| Oct | 1967 | 846 | 1457 | 431.7 |
| Nov | 2068 | 744 | 1356 | 200.8 |
| Dec | 2169 | 643 | 1356 | 140.6 |
| Year | 2374 | 643 | 1660 | 95338 |
“Year” row: highest monthly high, lowest monthly low, annual mean and annual total.
| Month | Humid. | Cloud | Solar | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 58% | 42% | 5.7 | 11:32 |
| Feb | 55% | 43% | 6.2 | 11:46 |
| Mar | 59% | 51% | 6.4 | 12:02 |
| Apr | 65% | 57% | 6.6 | 12:22 |
| May | 61% | 54% | 6.5 | 12:38 |
| Jun | 59% | 61% | 6.0 | 12:46 |
| Jul | 75% | 76% | 5.3 | 12:43 |
| Aug | 80% | 75% | 5.4 | 12:29 |
| Sep | 78% | 64% | 5.8 | 12:10 |
| Oct | 71% | 44% | 6.1 | 11:52 |
| Nov | 66% | 38% | 5.9 | 11:36 |
| Dec | 61% | 35% | 5.7 | 11:28 |
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 Dessie is like
The warmest month is June, with an average high of 23 °C74 °F and a low of 12 °C54 °F. The coldest is November, when highs average 20 °C68 °F and lows 7 °C44 °F. Seasonal differences are small — just 4.7 °C8.4 °F between the warmest and the coolest month.
Annual precipitation is moderate at about 953 mm38 in. The wettest three-month stretch is July–September, which brings 63% of the annual total. Months with less than 20 mm0.8 in on average: November–January. The wettest month is July (249 mm9.8 in), the driest is January (10 mm0.4 in).
Relative humidity ranges from 55% in February to 80% in August. The clearest skies (lowest average cloud amount, 35%) are typical of December. Average wind speed near the ground ranges from 5 km/h (3 mph) in August to 8 km/h (5 mph) in May. Daylight lasts from about 11.5 hours in December to 12.8 hours in June.
Best time to visit Dessie
Based on these averages, the most comfortable months for sightseeing and outdoor activities are October–June: average highs of 19 °C67 °F to 23 °C74 °F with 10 mm0.4 in to 74 mm2.9 in of precipitation per month.
The most challenging month is August, which is very wet (237 mm9.3 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 Dessie
- Wetter months (July–September) — highs 1967 to 20 °C69 °F, lows 1152 to 12 °C54 °F, about 199 mm7.8 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 (October–June) — highs 1967 to 23 °C74 °F, lows 643 to 12 °C54 °F, about 40 mm1.6 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 Dessie compares
Compared with Bahir Dar, about 250 km to the west, Dessie is on average 5.4 °C9.7 °F cooler and receives 37% less precipitation (953 mm38 in vs 1,509 mm59 in). The difference is largest in April (7.4 °C13.3 °F cooler).
Of the 27 places in Ethiopia covered by World Climates, Dessie is the 25th warmest by annual mean temperature and the 14th 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: Iztapalapa (Mexico, Cwb), Xico (Mexico, Cwb) and Zumpango (Mexico, Cwb).
Nearby places
- Kombolcha 13 km · 20 °C68 °F · 897 mm35 in
- Weldiya 77 km · 20 °C67 °F · 703 mm28 in
- Debre Birhan 162 km · 13 °C55 °F · 792 mm31 in
- Debre Tabor 193 km · 16 °C61 °F · 1,014 mm40 in
- Debre Markos 225 km · 16 °C60 °F · 1,608 mm63 in
- Bahir Dar 250 km · 21 °C70 °F · 1,509 mm59 in
- Addis Ababa 254 km · 16 °C60 °F · 1,082 mm43 in
- Mekele 263 km · 19 °C66 °F · 532 mm21 in
Frequently asked questions
What is the warmest month in Dessie?
June is the warmest month in Dessie, with an average high of 23 °C (74 °F) and an average low of 12 °C (54 °F).
What is the coldest month in Dessie?
November is the coldest month, with an average high of 20 °C (68 °F) and an average low of 7 °C (44 °F).
When does it rain the most in Dessie?
July is the wettest month with about 249 mm (9.8 in) of precipitation; January is the driest with about 10 mm (0.4 in).
What is the best time to visit Dessie?
Judging by long-term averages, the most comfortable months are October–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 2,708 m, while Dessie lies at about 2,494 m. Temperatures on this page were therefore adjusted by +1.4 °C2.5 °F using the standard lapse rate of 6.5 °C per 1,000 m.