Jijiga climate
Jijiga (Ethiopia) has a hot semi-arid climate (Köppen BSh). The average temperature over the year is 20 °C69 °F, and about 687 mm27 in of precipitation falls in an average year.
Temperature by month
Precipitation by month
Jijiga climate table
| Month | High °C°F | Low °C°F | Mean °C°F | Precip. mmin |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 2781 | 1152 | 1966 | 50.2 |
| Feb | 2984 | 1355 | 2170 | 100.4 |
| Mar | 3086 | 1558 | 2272 | 411.6 |
| Apr | 2983 | 1660 | 2272 | 1054.2 |
| May | 2984 | 1661 | 2272 | 722.8 |
| Jun | 2882 | 1559 | 2171 | 512.0 |
| Jul | 2679 | 1458 | 2068 | 1014.0 |
| Aug | 2578 | 1458 | 2068 | 1234.8 |
| Sep | 2679 | 1558 | 2069 | 1114.4 |
| Oct | 2781 | 1356 | 2068 | 401.6 |
| Nov | 2780 | 1153 | 1966 | 200.8 |
| Dec | 2679 | 1051 | 1865 | 80.3 |
| Year | 3086 | 1051 | 2069 | 68727 |
“Year” row: highest monthly high, lowest monthly low, annual mean and annual total.
| Month | Humid. | Cloud | Solar | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 49% | 32% | 6.2 | 11:38 |
| Feb | 44% | 32% | 6.8 | 11:49 |
| Mar | 47% | 41% | 6.9 | 12:03 |
| Apr | 61% | 58% | 6.5 | 12:19 |
| May | 64% | 57% | 6.6 | 12:33 |
| Jun | 66% | 55% | 6.4 | 12:40 |
| Jul | 69% | 61% | 6.0 | 12:37 |
| Aug | 71% | 62% | 6.2 | 12:25 |
| Sep | 69% | 60% | 6.2 | 12:10 |
| Oct | 59% | 46% | 6.3 | 11:54 |
| Nov | 56% | 35% | 6.2 | 11:41 |
| Dec | 53% | 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 Jijiga is like
The warmest month is May, with an average high of 29 °C84 °F and a low of 16 °C61 °F. The coldest is December, when highs average 26 °C79 °F and lows 10 °C51 °F. Seasonal differences are small — just 4.2 °C7.5 °F between the warmest and the coolest month.
Annual precipitation is moderate at about 687 mm27 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 (123 mm4.8 in), the driest is January (5 mm0.2 in).
Relative humidity ranges from 44% in February to 71% 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 October to 17 km/h (11 mph) in July. Daylight lasts from about 11.6 hours in December to 12.7 hours in June.
Best time to visit Jijiga
Based on these averages, the most comfortable months for sightseeing and outdoor activities are October–March and May and June: average highs of 26 °C79 °F to 30 °C86 °F with 5 mm0.2 in to 72 mm2.8 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 Jijiga
- Wetter months (April and May, July–September) — highs 2578 to 29 °C84 °F, lows 1458 to 16 °C61 °F, about 102 mm4.0 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 2679 to 30 °C86 °F, lows 1051 to 15 °C59 °F, about 25 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 Jijiga compares
Compared with Borama, about 78 km to the northeast, Jijiga is on average 1.3 °C2.3 °F cooler and receives 58% more precipitation (687 mm27 in vs 435 mm17 in). The difference is largest in June (3.6 °C6.5 °F cooler).
Of the 27 places in Ethiopia covered by World Climates, Jijiga is the 9th warmest by annual mean temperature and the 22nd 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): Contagem (Brazil, Cwa), Lavras (Brazil, Cwa) and Ceilândia (Brazil, Aw).
Nearby places
- Harar 75 km · 19 °C67 °F · 759 mm30 in
- Arabi 76 km · 26 °C78 °F · 442 mm17 in
- Borama 78 km · 22 °C71 °F · 435 mm17 in
- Dire Dawa 106 km · 24 °C75 °F · 759 mm30 in
- Hargeysa 141 km · 23 °C73 °F · 334 mm13 in
- Djibouti 252 km · 30 °C87 °F · 235 mm9.3 in
- Berbera 271 km · 30 °C86 °F · 162 mm6.4 in
- Debre Birhan 360 km · 13 °C55 °F · 792 mm31 in
Frequently asked questions
What is the warmest month in Jijiga?
May is the warmest month in Jijiga, with an average high of 29 °C (84 °F) and an average low of 16 °C (61 °F).
What is the coldest month in Jijiga?
December is the coldest month, with an average high of 26 °C (79 °F) and an average low of 10 °C (51 °F).
When does it rain the most in Jijiga?
August is the wettest month with about 123 mm (4.8 in) of precipitation; January is the driest with about 5 mm (0.2 in).
What is the best time to visit Jijiga?
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 1,747 m, while Jijiga lies at about 1,646 m. Temperatures on this page were therefore adjusted by +0.7 °C1.2 °F using the standard lapse rate of 6.5 °C per 1,000 m.