Dire Dawa climate
Dire Dawa (Ethiopia) has a tropical savanna (dry winter) climate (Köppen Aw). The average temperature over the year is 24 °C75 °F, and about 759 mm30 in of precipitation falls in an average year.
Temperature by month
Precipitation by month
Dire Dawa climate table
| Month | High °C°F | Low °C°F | Mean °C°F | Precip. mmin |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 2985 | 1559 | 2272 | 60.2 |
| Feb | 3189 | 1661 | 2475 | 130.5 |
| Mar | 3290 | 1865 | 2578 | 461.8 |
| Apr | 3189 | 1967 | 2578 | 1144.5 |
| May | 3289 | 2067 | 2678 | 853.3 |
| Jun | 3289 | 1966 | 2578 | 512.0 |
| Jul | 3086 | 1865 | 2475 | 1154.5 |
| Aug | 2984 | 1864 | 2374 | 1465.7 |
| Sep | 2985 | 1865 | 2475 | 1144.5 |
| Oct | 3086 | 1763 | 2374 | 371.5 |
| Nov | 2984 | 1560 | 2272 | 220.9 |
| Dec | 2883 | 1458 | 2170 | 110.4 |
| Year | 3290 | 1458 | 2475 | 75930 |
“Year” row: highest monthly high, lowest monthly low, annual mean and annual total.
| Month | Humid. | Cloud | Solar | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 46% | 30% | 6.1 | 11:37 |
| Feb | 42% | 32% | 6.7 | 11:49 |
| Mar | 45% | 43% | 6.7 | 12:03 |
| Apr | 59% | 57% | 6.5 | 12:20 |
| May | 60% | 55% | 6.7 | 12:34 |
| Jun | 59% | 60% | 6.5 | 12:41 |
| Jul | 63% | 67% | 6.1 | 12:38 |
| Aug | 67% | 66% | 6.2 | 12:26 |
| Sep | 65% | 62% | 6.2 | 12:10 |
| Oct | 55% | 41% | 6.4 | 11:54 |
| Nov | 52% | 28% | 6.2 | 11:40 |
| Dec | 49% | 23% | 6.0 | 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 Dire Dawa is like
The warmest month is May, with an average high of 32 °C89 °F and a low of 20 °C67 °F. The coldest is December, when highs average 28 °C83 °F and lows 14 °C58 °F. Seasonal differences are small — just 4.4 °C7.9 °F between the warmest and the coolest month.
Annual precipitation is moderate at about 759 mm30 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–February. The wettest month is August (146 mm5.7 in), the driest is January (6 mm0.2 in).
Relative humidity ranges from 42% in February to 67% in August. The clearest skies (lowest average cloud amount, 23%) are typical of December. Average wind speed near the ground ranges from 7 km/h (4 mph) in November to 15 km/h (9 mph) in July. Daylight lasts from about 11.6 hours in December to 12.7 hours in June.
Best time to visit Dire Dawa
Based on these averages, the most comfortable months for sightseeing and outdoor activities are October–January: average highs of 28 °C83 °F to 30 °C86 °F with 6 mm0.2 in to 37 mm1.5 in of precipitation per month.
The most challenging month is April, which is hot, with average highs of 31 °C89 °F.
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 Dire Dawa
- Wetter months (April and May, July–September) — highs 2984 to 32 °C89 °F, lows 1864 to 20 °C67 °F, about 115 mm4.5 in of precipitation a month. Pack very light, breathable clothing, a sun hat and plenty of water and an umbrella or light rain jacket.
- Drier months (October–March, June) — highs 2883 to 32 °C90 °F, lows 1458 to 19 °C66 °F, about 26 mm1.0 in of precipitation a month. Pack very light, breathable clothing, a sun hat and plenty of water and an extra layer for the cooler mornings and evenings.
How Dire Dawa compares
Compared with Jijiga, about 106 km to the east, Dire Dawa is on average 3.4 °C6 °F warmer and receives 10% more precipitation (759 mm30 in vs 687 mm27 in). The difference is largest in June (3.9 °C7 °F warmer).
Of the 27 places in Ethiopia covered by World Climates, Dire Dawa is the 3rd warmest by annual mean temperature and the 18th 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): Rio Verde (Brazil, Aw), Ituiutaba (Brazil, Aw) and Barretos (Brazil, Aw).
Nearby places
- Harar 42 km · 19 °C67 °F · 759 mm30 in
- Arabi 80 km · 26 °C78 °F · 442 mm17 in
- Jijiga 106 km · 20 °C69 °F · 687 mm27 in
- Borama 149 km · 22 °C71 °F · 435 mm17 in
- Hargeysa 241 km · 23 °C73 °F · 334 mm13 in
- Debre Birhan 256 km · 13 °C55 °F · 792 mm31 in
- Djibouti 262 km · 30 °C87 °F · 235 mm9.3 in
- Kombolcha 285 km · 20 °C68 °F · 897 mm35 in
Frequently asked questions
What is the warmest month in Dire Dawa?
May is the warmest month in Dire Dawa, with an average high of 32 °C (89 °F) and an average low of 20 °C (67 °F).
What is the coldest month in Dire Dawa?
December is the coldest month, with an average high of 28 °C (83 °F) and an average low of 14 °C (58 °F).
When does it rain the most in Dire Dawa?
August is the wettest month with about 146 mm (5.7 in) of precipitation; January is the driest with about 6 mm (0.2 in).
What is the best time to visit Dire Dawa?
Judging by long-term averages, the most comfortable months are October–January.
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 1,644 m, while Dire Dawa lies at about 1,204 m. Temperatures on this page were therefore adjusted by +2.9 °C5.2 °F using the standard lapse rate of 6.5 °C per 1,000 m.