Francistown climate
Francistown (Botswana) has a hot semi-arid climate (Köppen BSh). The average temperature over the year is 23 °C73 °F, and about 485 mm19 in of precipitation falls in an average year.
Temperature by month
Precipitation by month
Francistown climate table
| Month | High °C°F | Low °C°F | Mean °C°F | Precip. mmin |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 3391 | 1967 | 2679 | 1004.0 |
| Feb | 3289 | 1966 | 2578 | 893.5 |
| Mar | 3188 | 1864 | 2476 | 612.4 |
| Apr | 2985 | 1559 | 2272 | 230.9 |
| May | 2781 | 1152 | 1967 | 40.1 |
| Jun | 2476 | 948 | 1662 | 40.1 |
| Jul | 2475 | 846 | 1661 | 10.0 |
| Aug | 2882 | 1151 | 1967 | 00.0 |
| Sep | 3290 | 1458 | 2374 | 80.3 |
| Oct | 3594 | 1864 | 2679 | 251.0 |
| Nov | 3493 | 1967 | 2780 | 682.7 |
| Dec | 3391 | 2067 | 2679 | 1024.0 |
| Year | 3594 | 846 | 2373 | 48519 |
“Year” row: highest monthly high, lowest monthly low, annual mean and annual total.
| Month | Humid. | Cloud | Solar | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 57% | 53% | 6.8 | 13:17 |
| Feb | 59% | 52% | 6.4 | 12:49 |
| Mar | 58% | 46% | 5.9 | 12:16 |
| Apr | 54% | 36% | 5.3 | 11:38 |
| May | 45% | 21% | 4.9 | 11:07 |
| Jun | 46% | 21% | 4.4 | 10:51 |
| Jul | 44% | 23% | 4.6 | 10:58 |
| Aug | 35% | 18% | 5.4 | 11:24 |
| Sep | 32% | 24% | 6.2 | 12:00 |
| Oct | 36% | 37% | 6.7 | 12:37 |
| Nov | 45% | 56% | 6.7 | 13:09 |
| Dec | 55% | 64% | 6.5 | 13:25 |
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 Francistown is like
The warmest month is November, with an average high of 34 °C93 °F and a low of 19 °C67 °F. The coldest is July, when highs average 24 °C75 °F and lows 8 °C46 °F. There is a clear seasonal cycle, with 10.8 °C19.5 °F between the average temperature of the warmest and the coolest month.
Annual precipitation is moderate at about 485 mm19 in. The wettest three-month stretch is December–February, which brings 60% of the annual total. Months with less than 20 mm0.8 in on average: May–September. The wettest month is December (102 mm4.0 in), the driest is August (0 mm0.0 in).
Relative humidity ranges from 32% in September to 59% in February. The clearest skies (lowest average cloud amount, 18%) are typical of August. Average wind speed near the ground ranges from 9 km/h (6 mph) in May to 14 km/h (9 mph) in October. Daylight lasts from about 10.9 hours in June to 13.4 hours in December.
Best time to visit Francistown
Based on these averages, the most comfortable months for sightseeing and outdoor activities are April–August: average highs of 24 °C75 °F to 29 °C85 °F with 0 mm0.0 in to 23 mm0.9 in of precipitation per month.
The most challenging month is December, which is hot, with average highs of 33 °C91 °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 Francistown
- Wetter months (November–March) — highs 3188 to 34 °C93 °F, lows 1864 to 20 °C67 °F, about 84 mm3.3 in of precipitation a month. Pack very light, breathable clothing, a sun hat and plenty of water.
- Drier months (April–October) — highs 2475 to 35 °C94 °F, lows 846 to 18 °C64 °F, about 9 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 Francistown compares
Compared with Bulawayo, about 159 km to the northeast, Francistown is on average 2.8 °C5 °F warmer and receives 23% less precipitation (485 mm19 in vs 628 mm25 in). The difference is largest in December (3.4 °C6.2 °F warmer).
Places in other countries with the most similar temperature and rainfall pattern: Livingstone (Zambia, BSh), Kadoma (Zimbabwe, Cwa) and Kwekwe (Zimbabwe, BSh).
Nearby places
- Bulawayo 159 km · 20 °C68 °F · 628 mm25 in
- Gweru 307 km · 19 °C66 °F · 696 mm27 in
- Kwekwe 347 km · 21 °C69 °F · 690 mm27 in
- Polokwane 365 km · 19 °C65 °F · 530 mm21 in
- Thohoyandou 365 km · 22 °C71 °F · 586 mm23 in
- Mokopane 370 km · 21 °C69 °F · 488 mm19 in
- Kadoma 404 km · 21 °C70 °F · 710 mm28 in
- Livingstone 409 km · 23 °C74 °F · 613 mm24 in
Frequently asked questions
What is the warmest month in Francistown?
November is the warmest month in Francistown, with an average high of 34 °C (93 °F) and an average low of 19 °C (67 °F).
What is the coldest month in Francistown?
July is the coldest month, with an average high of 24 °C (75 °F) and an average low of 8 °C (46 °F).
When does it rain the most in Francistown?
December is the wettest month with about 102 mm (4.0 in) of precipitation; August is the driest with about 0 mm (0.0 in).
What is the best time to visit Francistown?
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.
The grid cell’s average elevation is 1,074 m, while Francistown lies at about 989 m. Temperatures on this page were therefore adjusted by +0.6 °C1 °F using the standard lapse rate of 6.5 °C per 1,000 m.