Harare climate
Harare (Zimbabwe) has a monsoon-influenced humid subtropical climate (Köppen Cwa). The average temperature over the year is 19 °C65 °F, and about 789 mm31 in of precipitation falls in an average year.
Temperature by month
Precipitation by month
Harare climate table
| Month | High °C°F | Low °C°F | Mean °C°F | Precip. mmin |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 2780 | 1560 | 2170 | 1807.1 |
| Feb | 2679 | 1559 | 2169 | 1335.2 |
| Mar | 2679 | 1457 | 2068 | 943.7 |
| Apr | 2577 | 1152 | 1865 | 311.2 |
| May | 2374 | 847 | 1660 | 70.3 |
| Jun | 2170 | 643 | 1456 | 30.1 |
| Jul | 2170 | 642 | 1356 | 190.7 |
| Aug | 2476 | 745 | 1661 | 20.1 |
| Sep | 2883 | 1151 | 2067 | 50.2 |
| Oct | 3086 | 1457 | 2272 | 251.0 |
| Nov | 2985 | 1560 | 2272 | 943.7 |
| Dec | 2780 | 1660 | 2170 | 1957.7 |
| Year | 3086 | 642 | 1965 | 78931 |
“Year” row: highest monthly high, lowest monthly low, annual mean and annual total.
| Month | Humid. | Cloud | Solar | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 73% | 76% | 6.1 | 13:05 |
| Feb | 74% | 72% | 6.1 | 12:42 |
| Mar | 73% | 64% | 5.8 | 12:14 |
| Apr | 68% | 46% | 5.5 | 11:43 |
| May | 61% | 31% | 5.2 | 11:17 |
| Jun | 61% | 33% | 4.7 | 11:04 |
| Jul | 59% | 31% | 4.8 | 11:09 |
| Aug | 50% | 22% | 5.7 | 11:31 |
| Sep | 44% | 18% | 6.5 | 12:01 |
| Oct | 46% | 32% | 6.9 | 12:32 |
| Nov | 56% | 56% | 6.5 | 12:59 |
| Dec | 71% | 76% | 6.1 | 13:11 |
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 Harare is like
The warmest month is November, with an average high of 29 °C85 °F and a low of 15 °C60 °F. The coldest is July, when highs average 21 °C70 °F and lows 6 °C42 °F. There is a clear seasonal cycle, with 9.1 °C16.4 °F between the average temperature of the warmest and the coolest month.
Annual precipitation is moderate at about 789 mm31 in. The wettest three-month stretch is December–February, which brings 64% of the annual total. Months with less than 20 mm0.8 in on average: May–September. The wettest month is December (195 mm7.7 in), the driest is August (2 mm0.1 in).
Relative humidity ranges from 44% in September to 74% in February. The clearest skies (lowest average cloud amount, 18%) are typical of September. Average wind speed near the ground ranges from 8 km/h (5 mph) in May to 12 km/h (7 mph) in October. Daylight lasts from about 11.1 hours in June to 13.2 hours in December.
Best time to visit Harare
Based on these averages, the most comfortable months for sightseeing and outdoor activities are March–September: average highs of 21 °C70 °F to 28 °C83 °F with 2 mm0.1 in to 94 mm3.7 in of precipitation per month.
The most challenging month is December, which is very wet (195 mm7.7 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.
Harare weather by month
- January27 °C80 °F / 15 °C60 °F
- February26 °C79 °F / 15 °C59 °F
- March26 °C79 °F / 14 °C57 °F
- April25 °C77 °F / 11 °C52 °F
- May23 °C74 °F / 8 °C47 °F
- June21 °C70 °F / 6 °C43 °F
- July21 °C70 °F / 6 °C42 °F
- August24 °C76 °F / 7 °C45 °F
- September28 °C83 °F / 11 °C51 °F
- October30 °C86 °F / 14 °C57 °F
- November29 °C85 °F / 15 °C60 °F
- December27 °C80 °F / 16 °C60 °F
What to pack for Harare
- Wetter months (November–March) — highs 2679 to 29 °C85 °F, lows 1457 to 16 °C60 °F, about 139 mm5.5 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 (April–October) — highs 2170 to 30 °C86 °F, lows 642 to 14 °C57 °F, about 13 mm0.5 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 Harare compares
Compared with Lusaka, about 399 km to the northwest, Harare is on average 2.3 °C4.1 °F cooler and receives a similar amount of precipitation. The difference is largest in October (3.6 °C6.4 °F cooler).
Of the 7 places in Zimbabwe covered by World Climates, Harare is the 7th warmest by annual mean temperature and the 2nd wettest by annual precipitation. See all of them on the Zimbabwe climate page.
Places in other countries with the most similar temperature and rainfall pattern: Tarija (Bolivia, BSh), San Salvador de Jujuy (Argentina, Cwa) and Polokwane (South Africa, BSh).
Nearby places
- Chitungwiza 21 km · 19 °C66 °F · 789 mm31 in
- Kadoma 133 km · 21 °C70 °F · 710 mm28 in
- Kwekwe 179 km · 21 °C69 °F · 690 mm27 in
- Mutare 213 km · 19 °C67 °F · 1,063 mm42 in
- Gweru 223 km · 19 °C66 °F · 696 mm27 in
- Chimoio 294 km · 21 °C70 °F · 1,217 mm48 in
- Tete 327 km · 27 °C80 °F · 850 mm33 in
- Bulawayo 366 km · 20 °C68 °F · 628 mm25 in
Frequently asked questions
What is the warmest month in Harare?
November is the warmest month in Harare, with an average high of 29 °C (85 °F) and an average low of 15 °C (60 °F).
What is the coldest month in Harare?
July is the coldest month, with an average high of 21 °C (70 °F) and an average low of 6 °C (42 °F).
When does it rain the most in Harare?
December is the wettest month with about 195 mm (7.7 in) of precipitation; August is the driest with about 2 mm (0.1 in).
What is the best time to visit Harare?
Judging by long-term averages, the most comfortable months are March–September.
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 1,433 m, while Harare lies at about 1,494 m. Temperatures on this page were therefore adjusted by −0.4 °C0.7 °F using the standard lapse rate of 6.5 °C per 1,000 m.