Freetown climate
Freetown (Sierra Leone) has a tropical monsoon climate (Köppen Am). The average temperature over the year is 26 °C79 °F, and about 2,570 mm101 in of precipitation falls in an average year.
Temperature by month
Precipitation by month
Freetown climate table
| Month | High °C°F | Low °C°F | Mean °C°F | Precip. mmin |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 2985 | 2272 | 2678 | 10.0 |
| Feb | 3086 | 2373 | 2780 | 20.1 |
| Mar | 3188 | 2475 | 2781 | 20.1 |
| Apr | 3188 | 2576 | 2882 | 251.0 |
| May | 3086 | 2577 | 2882 | 1355.3 |
| Jun | 2883 | 2476 | 2679 | 39916 |
| Jul | 2781 | 2475 | 2578 | 64425 |
| Aug | 2780 | 2374 | 2577 | 69928 |
| Sep | 2781 | 2475 | 2578 | 40016 |
| Oct | 2882 | 2476 | 2679 | 1877.4 |
| Nov | 2883 | 2476 | 2680 | 712.8 |
| Dec | 2984 | 2373 | 2679 | 40.2 |
| Year | 3188 | 2272 | 2679 | 2,570101 |
“Year” row: highest monthly high, lowest monthly low, annual mean and annual total.
| Month | Humid. | Cloud | Solar | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 76% | 38% | 5.2 | 11:41 |
| Feb | 78% | 40% | 5.7 | 11:51 |
| Mar | 76% | 45% | 5.9 | 12:03 |
| Apr | 76% | 54% | 5.9 | 12:18 |
| May | 81% | 70% | 5.2 | 12:30 |
| Jun | 87% | 84% | 4.4 | 12:37 |
| Jul | 89% | 89% | 3.8 | 12:34 |
| Aug | 90% | 91% | 3.8 | 12:24 |
| Sep | 90% | 84% | 4.6 | 12:09 |
| Oct | 89% | 73% | 5.0 | 11:55 |
| Nov | 85% | 60% | 4.9 | 11:43 |
| Dec | 78% | 44% | 5.0 | 11:38 |
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 Freetown is like
The warmest month is April, with an average high of 31 °C88 °F and a low of 25 °C76 °F. The coldest is August, when highs average 27 °C80 °F and lows 23 °C74 °F. Temperatures barely change through the year: the warmest and the coolest month differ by only 2.8 °C5 °F.
It is very wet, receiving about 2,570 mm101 in of precipitation per year. The wettest three-month stretch is July–September, which brings 68% of the annual total. Months with less than 20 mm0.8 in on average: December–March. The wettest month is August (699 mm28 in), the driest is January (1 mm0.0 in).
Relative humidity ranges from 76% in April to 90% in September. The clearest skies (lowest average cloud amount, 38%) are typical of January. Average wind speed near the ground ranges from 4 km/h (2 mph) in November to 7 km/h (5 mph) in August.
Best time to visit Freetown
Based on these averages, the most comfortable months for sightseeing and outdoor activities are December–February: average highs of 29 °C84 °F to 30 °C86 °F with 1 mm0.0 in to 4 mm0.2 in of precipitation per month.
The most challenging month is August, which is very wet (699 mm28 in) and humid (90% relative humidity).
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 Freetown
- Wetter months (June–September) — highs 2780 to 28 °C83 °F, lows 2374 to 24 °C76 °F, about 535 mm21 in of precipitation a month. Pack light summer clothes such as T-shirts, shorts or light dresses and a good rain jacket or umbrella and quick-drying shoes.
- Drier months (October–May) — highs 2882 to 31 °C88 °F, lows 2272 to 25 °C77 °F, about 54 mm2.1 in of precipitation a month. Pack light summer clothes such as T-shirts, shorts or light dresses.
How Freetown compares
Compared with Conakry, about 127 km to the northwest, Freetown is on average 0.8 °C1.4 °F cooler and receives 11% less precipitation (2,570 mm101 in vs 2,897 mm114 in). The difference is largest in January (1.8 °C3.2 °F cooler).
Of the 4 places in Sierra Leone covered by World Climates, Freetown is the 2nd warmest by annual mean temperature and the wettest by annual precipitation. See all of them on the Sierra Leone climate page.
Places in other countries with the most similar temperature and rainfall pattern: Conakry (Guinea, Am), Manéah (Guinea, Am) and Dubréka (Guinea, Am).
Nearby places
- Conakry 127 km · 27 °C81 °F · 2,897 mm114 in
- Manéah 140 km · 27 °C81 °F · 2,941 mm116 in
- Dubréka 148 km · 27 °C81 °F · 2,701 mm106 in
- Bo 175 km · 26 °C80 °F · 1,938 mm76 in
- Kindia 179 km · 25 °C78 °F · 2,847 mm112 in
- Kenema 235 km · 26 °C79 °F · 1,933 mm76 in
- Koidu 250 km · 26 °C78 °F · 2,024 mm80 in
- Kamsar 284 km · 27 °C81 °F · 2,111 mm83 in
Frequently asked questions
What is the warmest month in Freetown?
April is the warmest month in Freetown, with an average high of 31 °C (88 °F) and an average low of 25 °C (76 °F).
What is the coldest month in Freetown?
August is the coldest month, with an average high of 27 °C (80 °F) and an average low of 23 °C (74 °F).
When does it rain the most in Freetown?
August is the wettest month with about 699 mm (27.5 in) of precipitation; January is the driest with about 1 mm (0.0 in).
What is the best time to visit Freetown?
Judging by long-term averages, the most comfortable months are December–February.
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.