Dodoma climate
Dodoma (Tanzania) has a hot semi-arid climate (Köppen BSh). The average temperature over the year is 23 °C73 °F, and about 727 mm29 in of precipitation falls in an average year.
Temperature by month
Precipitation by month
Dodoma climate table
| Month | High °C°F | Low °C°F | Mean °C°F | Precip. mmin |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 2882 | 1864 | 2373 | 1847.2 |
| Feb | 2883 | 1763 | 2373 | 1074.2 |
| Mar | 2882 | 1763 | 2373 | 1204.7 |
| Apr | 2882 | 1762 | 2272 | 783.1 |
| May | 2883 | 1559 | 2271 | 160.6 |
| Jun | 2781 | 1356 | 2069 | 20.1 |
| Jul | 2781 | 1355 | 2068 | 10.0 |
| Aug | 2984 | 1457 | 2170 | 00.0 |
| Sep | 3188 | 1559 | 2373 | 10.0 |
| Oct | 3290 | 1762 | 2576 | 90.3 |
| Nov | 3290 | 1864 | 2577 | 471.8 |
| Dec | 3086 | 1865 | 2475 | 1636.4 |
| Year | 3290 | 1355 | 2373 | 72729 |
“Year” row: highest monthly high, lowest monthly low, annual mean and annual total.
| Month | Humid. | Cloud | Solar | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 74% | 70% | 6.1 | 12:26 |
| Feb | 73% | 66% | 6.3 | 12:19 |
| Mar | 75% | 66% | 6.2 | 12:09 |
| Apr | 76% | 61% | 5.7 | 11:59 |
| May | 69% | 43% | 5.4 | 11:50 |
| Jun | 63% | 27% | 5.7 | 11:46 |
| Jul | 59% | 23% | 5.9 | 11:48 |
| Aug | 56% | 24% | 6.3 | 11:55 |
| Sep | 53% | 18% | 7.0 | 12:05 |
| Oct | 52% | 32% | 7.1 | 12:15 |
| Nov | 56% | 47% | 6.8 | 12:24 |
| Dec | 66% | 65% | 6.3 | 12:29 |
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 Dodoma is like
The warmest month is November, with an average high of 32 °C90 °F and a low of 18 °C64 °F. The coldest is July, when highs average 27 °C81 °F and lows 13 °C55 °F. Seasonal differences are small — just 5.1 °C9.2 °F between the warmest and the coolest month.
Annual precipitation is moderate at about 727 mm29 in. The wettest three-month stretch is December–February, which brings 63% of the annual total. Months with less than 20 mm0.8 in on average: May–October. The wettest month is January (184 mm7.2 in), the driest is August (0 mm0.0 in).
Relative humidity ranges from 52% in October to 76% in April. The clearest skies (lowest average cloud amount, 18%) are typical of September. Average wind speed near the ground ranges from 7 km/h (4 mph) in January to 16 km/h (10 mph) in October.
Best time to visit Dodoma
Based on these averages, the most comfortable months for sightseeing and outdoor activities are April–August: average highs of 27 °C81 °F to 29 °C84 °F with 0 mm0.0 in to 78 mm3.1 in of precipitation per month.
The most challenging month is December, which is very wet (163 mm6.4 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 Dodoma
- Wetter months (December–April) — highs 2882 to 30 °C86 °F, lows 1762 to 18 °C65 °F, about 130 mm5.1 in of precipitation a month. Pack light summer clothes such as T-shirts, shorts or light dresses, an extra layer for the cooler mornings and evenings and an umbrella or light rain jacket.
- Drier months (May–November) — highs 2781 to 32 °C90 °F, lows 1355 to 18 °C64 °F, about 11 mm0.4 in of precipitation a month. Pack light summer clothes such as T-shirts, shorts or light dresses and an extra layer for the cooler mornings and evenings.
How Dodoma compares
Compared with Dar es Salaam, about 397 km to the east, Dodoma is on average 4.3 °C7.7 °F cooler and receives 36% less precipitation (727 mm29 in vs 1,131 mm45 in). The difference is largest in March (5.4 °C9.7 °F cooler).
Of the 34 places in Tanzania covered by World Climates, Dodoma is the 23rd warmest by annual mean temperature and the 33rd 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: Kafue (Zambia, BSh), Mazabuka (Zambia, Cwa) and Chipata (Zambia, Csa).
Nearby places
- Iringa 177 km · 18 °C64 °F · 1,585 mm62 in
- Singida 187 km · 20 °C69 °F · 964 mm38 in
- Morogoro 224 km · 24 °C75 °F · 1,159 mm46 in
- Ifakara 242 km · 26 °C79 °F · 1,182 mm47 in
- Handeni 265 km · 23 °C73 °F · 1,455 mm57 in
- Makumbako 314 km · 17 °C63 °F · 1,765 mm69 in
- Arusha 329 km · 20 °C69 °F · 869 mm34 in
- Tabora 347 km · 23 °C73 °F · 1,053 mm41 in
Frequently asked questions
What is the warmest month in Dodoma?
November is the warmest month in Dodoma, with an average high of 32 °C (90 °F) and an average low of 18 °C (64 °F).
What is the coldest month in Dodoma?
July is the coldest month, with an average high of 27 °C (81 °F) and an average low of 13 °C (55 °F).
When does it rain the most in Dodoma?
January is the wettest month with about 184 mm (7.2 in) of precipitation; August is the driest with about 0 mm (0.0 in).
What is the best time to visit Dodoma?
Judging by long-term averages, the most comfortable months are April–August.
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.