Gonder climate
Gonder (Ethiopia) has a subtropical highland (dry winter) climate (Köppen Cwb). The average temperature over the year is 19 °C65 °F, and about 1,417 mm56 in of precipitation falls in an average year.
Temperature by month
Precipitation by month
Gonder climate table
| Month | High °C°F | Low °C°F | Mean °C°F | Precip. mmin |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 2578 | 1051 | 1864 | 10.1 |
| Feb | 2781 | 1355 | 2068 | 50.2 |
| Mar | 2883 | 1458 | 2170 | 180.7 |
| Apr | 2883 | 1560 | 2271 | 411.6 |
| May | 2780 | 1560 | 2170 | 1154.5 |
| Jun | 2474 | 1457 | 1966 | 2007.9 |
| Jul | 2068 | 1356 | 1662 | 37715 |
| Aug | 2067 | 1356 | 1662 | 36814 |
| Sep | 2170 | 1356 | 1763 | 1997.9 |
| Oct | 2272 | 1253 | 1763 | 652.6 |
| Nov | 2374 | 1151 | 1763 | 190.8 |
| Dec | 2476 | 1050 | 1763 | 60.3 |
| Year | 2883 | 1050 | 1965 | 1,41756 |
“Year” row: highest monthly high, lowest monthly low, annual mean and annual total.
| Month | Humid. | Cloud | Solar | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 43% | 26% | 6.0 | 11:27 |
| Feb | 38% | 32% | 6.5 | 11:43 |
| Mar | 37% | 40% | 6.8 | 12:02 |
| Apr | 41% | 51% | 6.9 | 12:24 |
| May | 52% | 63% | 6.4 | 12:42 |
| Jun | 70% | 76% | 5.9 | 12:52 |
| Jul | 84% | 85% | 5.2 | 12:48 |
| Aug | 86% | 85% | 5.2 | 12:32 |
| Sep | 78% | 68% | 5.9 | 12:11 |
| Oct | 68% | 48% | 6.2 | 11:50 |
| Nov | 59% | 31% | 6.0 | 11:32 |
| Dec | 49% | 22% | 5.9 | 11:23 |
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 Gonder is like
The warmest month is April, with an average high of 28 °C83 °F and a low of 15 °C60 °F. The coldest is August, when highs average 20 °C67 °F and lows 13 °C56 °F. Seasonal differences are small — just 5.3 °C9.5 °F between the warmest and the coolest month.
It is wet, with about 1,417 mm56 in of precipitation per year. The wettest three-month stretch is June–August, which brings 67% of the annual total. Months with less than 20 mm0.8 in on average: November–March. The wettest month is July (377 mm15 in), the driest is January (1 mm0.1 in).
Relative humidity ranges from 37% in March to 86% in August. The clearest skies (lowest average cloud amount, 22%) are typical of December. Average wind speed near the ground ranges from 6 km/h (4 mph) in September to 9 km/h (6 mph) in April. Daylight lasts from about 11.4 hours in December to 12.9 hours in June.
Best time to visit Gonder
Based on these averages, the most comfortable months for sightseeing and outdoor activities are October–April: average highs of 22 °C72 °F to 28 °C83 °F with 1 mm0.1 in to 65 mm2.6 in of precipitation per month.
The most challenging month is July, which is very wet (377 mm15 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 Gonder
- Wetter months (June–September) — highs 2067 to 24 °C74 °F, lows 1356 to 14 °C57 °F, about 286 mm11 in of precipitation a month. Pack light layers — T-shirts plus a light sweater or jacket and a good rain jacket or umbrella and quick-drying shoes.
- Drier months (October–May) — highs 2272 to 28 °C83 °F, lows 1050 to 15 °C60 °F, about 34 mm1.3 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 Gonder compares
Compared with Asmara, about 343 km to the northeast, Gonder is on average 1.7 °C3.1 °F warmer and receives 241% more precipitation (1,417 mm56 in vs 415 mm16 in). The difference is largest in February (5.1 °C9.3 °F warmer).
Of the 27 places in Ethiopia covered by World Climates, Gonder is the 16th warmest by annual mean temperature and the 8th 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): Guatemala City (Guatemala, Cwb), Sumbawanga (Tanzania, Csb) and Oaxaca (Mexico, Csa).
Nearby places
- Debre Tabor 103 km · 16 °C61 °F · 1,014 mm40 in
- Bahir Dar 112 km · 21 °C70 °F · 1,509 mm59 in
- Inda Silasē 189 km · 21 °C70 °F · 649 mm26 in
- Mekele 239 km · 19 °C66 °F · 532 mm21 in
- Weldiya 246 km · 20 °C67 °F · 703 mm28 in
- Debre Markos 252 km · 16 °C60 °F · 1,608 mm63 in
- Al Qadarif 276 km · 28 °C82 °F · 543 mm21 in
- Adigrat 285 km · 17 °C62 °F · 380 mm15 in
Frequently asked questions
What is the warmest month in Gonder?
April is the warmest month in Gonder, with an average high of 28 °C (83 °F) and an average low of 15 °C (60 °F).
What is the coldest month in Gonder?
August is the coldest month, with an average high of 20 °C (67 °F) and an average low of 13 °C (56 °F).
When does it rain the most in Gonder?
July is the wettest month with about 377 mm (14.8 in) of precipitation; January is the driest with about 1 mm (0.1 in).
What is the best time to visit Gonder?
Judging by long-term averages, the most comfortable months are October–April.
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 1,981 m, while Gonder lies at about 2,201 m. Temperatures on this page were therefore adjusted by −1.4 °C2.6 °F using the standard lapse rate of 6.5 °C per 1,000 m.