Harar climate
Harar (Ethiopia) has a subtropical highland (dry winter) climate (Köppen Cwb). The average temperature over the year is 19 °C67 °F, and about 759 mm30 in of precipitation falls in an average year.
Temperature by month
Precipitation by month
Harar climate table
| Month | High °C°F | Low °C°F | Mean °C°F | Precip. mmin |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 2576 | 1050 | 1763 | 60.2 |
| Feb | 2780 | 1253 | 1967 | 130.5 |
| Mar | 2882 | 1457 | 2169 | 461.8 |
| Apr | 2780 | 1558 | 2169 | 1144.5 |
| May | 2781 | 1559 | 2170 | 853.3 |
| Jun | 2781 | 1458 | 2169 | 512.0 |
| Jul | 2577 | 1456 | 1967 | 1154.5 |
| Aug | 2476 | 1356 | 1966 | 1465.7 |
| Sep | 2577 | 1457 | 1967 | 1144.5 |
| Oct | 2577 | 1254 | 1966 | 371.5 |
| Nov | 2576 | 1151 | 1864 | 220.9 |
| Dec | 2475 | 1049 | 1762 | 110.4 |
| Year | 2882 | 1049 | 1967 | 75930 |
“Year” row: highest monthly high, lowest monthly low, annual mean and annual total.
| Month | Humid. | Cloud | Solar | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 46% | 32% | 6.2 | 11:38 |
| Feb | 42% | 32% | 6.8 | 11:49 |
| Mar | 45% | 41% | 6.9 | 12:03 |
| Apr | 59% | 58% | 6.5 | 12:19 |
| May | 60% | 57% | 6.6 | 12:33 |
| Jun | 59% | 55% | 6.4 | 12:40 |
| Jul | 63% | 61% | 6.0 | 12:37 |
| Aug | 67% | 62% | 6.2 | 12:25 |
| Sep | 65% | 60% | 6.2 | 12:10 |
| Oct | 55% | 46% | 6.3 | 11:54 |
| Nov | 52% | 35% | 6.2 | 11:41 |
| Dec | 49% | 31% | 6.1 | 11:35 |
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 Harar is like
The warmest month is May, with an average high of 27 °C81 °F and a low of 15 °C59 °F. The coldest is December, when highs average 24 °C75 °F and lows 10 °C49 °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, 31%) 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 Harar
Based on these averages, the most comfortable months for sightseeing and outdoor activities are October–March and May and June: average highs of 24 °C75 °F to 28 °C82 °F with 6 mm0.2 in to 85 mm3.3 in of precipitation per month.
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 Harar
- Wetter months (April and May, July–September) — highs 2476 to 27 °C81 °F, lows 1356 to 15 °C59 °F, about 115 mm4.5 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 (October–March, June) — highs 2475 to 28 °C82 °F, lows 1049 to 14 °C58 °F, about 26 mm1.0 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 Harar compares
Compared with Dire Dawa, about 42 km to the northwest, Harar is on average 4.6 °C8.3 °F cooler and receives a similar amount of precipitation. The difference is largest in January (4.6 °C8.3 °F cooler).
Of the 27 places in Ethiopia covered by World Climates, Harar is the 14th warmest by annual mean temperature and the 19th 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): Conselheiro Lafaiete (Brazil, Cwb), Barbacena (Brazil, Cwb) and Huánuco (Peru, BSh).
Nearby places
- Dire Dawa 42 km · 24 °C75 °F · 759 mm30 in
- Jijiga 75 km · 20 °C69 °F · 687 mm27 in
- Arabi 83 km · 26 °C78 °F · 442 mm17 in
- Borama 136 km · 22 °C71 °F · 435 mm17 in
- Hargeysa 215 km · 23 °C73 °F · 334 mm13 in
- Djibouti 277 km · 30 °C87 °F · 235 mm9.3 in
- Debre Birhan 286 km · 13 °C55 °F · 792 mm31 in
- Nazrēt 325 km · 22 °C71 °F · 698 mm27 in
Frequently asked questions
What is the warmest month in Harar?
May is the warmest month in Harar, with an average high of 27 °C (81 °F) and an average low of 15 °C (59 °F).
What is the coldest month in Harar?
December is the coldest month, with an average high of 24 °C (75 °F) and an average low of 10 °C (49 °F).
When does it rain the most in Harar?
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 Harar?
Judging by long-term averages, the most comfortable months are October–March and May and June.
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 Harar lies at about 1,917 m. Temperatures on this page were therefore adjusted by −1.8 °C3.2 °F using the standard lapse rate of 6.5 °C per 1,000 m.