Kalemie climate
Kalemie (DR Congo) has a tropical savanna (dry winter) climate (Köppen Aw). The average temperature over the year is 26 °C79 °F, and about 1,143 mm45 in of precipitation falls in an average year.
Temperature by month
Precipitation by month
Kalemie climate table
| Month | High °C°F | Low °C°F | Mean °C°F | Precip. mmin |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 2781 | 2373 | 2577 | 1716.8 |
| Feb | 2882 | 2475 | 2678 | 1355.3 |
| Mar | 2882 | 2475 | 2679 | 1586.2 |
| Apr | 2882 | 2475 | 2678 | 1295.1 |
| May | 2883 | 2374 | 2678 | 251.0 |
| Jun | 2883 | 2171 | 2577 | 40.1 |
| Jul | 2983 | 2170 | 2577 | 10.1 |
| Aug | 3086 | 2373 | 2680 | 90.3 |
| Sep | 3289 | 2476 | 2882 | 251.0 |
| Oct | 3188 | 2476 | 2882 | 783.1 |
| Nov | 2983 | 2474 | 2679 | 2208.7 |
| Dec | 2781 | 2373 | 2577 | 1877.4 |
| Year | 3289 | 2170 | 2679 | 1,14345 |
“Year” row: highest monthly high, lowest monthly low, annual mean and annual total.
| Month | Humid. | Cloud | Solar | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 74% | 82% | 4.9 | 12:26 |
| Feb | 72% | 80% | 5.3 | 12:18 |
| Mar | 73% | 80% | 5.3 | 12:09 |
| Apr | 74% | 73% | 5.1 | 11:59 |
| May | 66% | 52% | 5.3 | 11:51 |
| Jun | 59% | 31% | 5.4 | 11:47 |
| Jul | 55% | 25% | 5.6 | 11:48 |
| Aug | 51% | 34% | 5.8 | 11:55 |
| Sep | 49% | 53% | 5.8 | 12:05 |
| Oct | 58% | 72% | 5.4 | 12:15 |
| Nov | 70% | 81% | 4.5 | 12:24 |
| Dec | 75% | 82% | 4.6 | 12:28 |
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 Kalemie is like
The warmest month is September, with an average high of 32 °C89 °F and a low of 24 °C76 °F. The coldest is July, when highs average 29 °C83 °F and lows 21 °C70 °F. Seasonal differences are small — just 3.3 °C5.9 °F between the warmest and the coolest month.
It is wet, with about 1,143 mm45 in of precipitation per year. The wettest three-month stretch is November–January, which brings 51% of the annual total. Months with less than 20 mm0.8 in on average: June–August. The wettest month is November (220 mm8.7 in), the driest is July (1 mm0.1 in).
Relative humidity ranges from 49% in September to 75% in December. The clearest skies (lowest average cloud amount, 25%) are typical of July. Average wind speed near the ground ranges from 7 km/h (4 mph) in December to 11 km/h (7 mph) in July.
Best time to visit Kalemie
Based on these averages, the most comfortable months for sightseeing and outdoor activities are May–July: average highs of 28 °C83 °F to 29 °C83 °F with 1 mm0.1 in to 25 mm1.0 in of precipitation per month.
The most challenging month is November, which is very wet (220 mm8.7 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.
What to pack for Kalemie
- Wetter months (November–April) — highs 2781 to 29 °C83 °F, lows 2373 to 24 °C75 °F, about 167 mm6.6 in of precipitation a month. Pack light summer clothes such as T-shirts, shorts or light dresses and an umbrella or light rain jacket.
- Drier months (May–October) — highs 2883 to 32 °C89 °F, lows 2170 to 24 °C76 °F, about 24 mm0.9 in of precipitation a month. Pack light summer clothes such as T-shirts, shorts or light dresses.
How Kalemie compares
Compared with Kigoma, about 128 km to the north, Kalemie is on average 0.4 °C0.7 °F cooler and receives a similar amount of precipitation. The difference is largest in July (0.7 °C1.3 °F cooler).
Of the 36 places in the DR Congo covered by World Climates, Kalemie is the 11th warmest by annual mean temperature and the 26th wettest by annual precipitation. See all of them on the DR Congo climate page.
Places in other countries with the most similar temperature and rainfall pattern (seasons shifted for the other hemisphere where needed): Kigoma (Tanzania, Aw), Makurdi (Nigeria, Aw) and Gboko (Nigeria, Aw).
Nearby places
- Kigoma 128 km · 26 °C79 °F · 1,183 mm47 in
- Kasulu 183 km · 22 °C71 °F · 1,167 mm46 in
- Mpanda 212 km · 23 °C74 °F · 1,008 mm40 in
- Bujumbura 286 km · 26 °C78 °F · 1,808 mm71 in
- Gitega 292 km · 19 °C66 °F · 1,339 mm53 in
- Sumbawanga 349 km · 18 °C64 °F · 1,202 mm47 in
- Bukavu 386 km · 20 °C68 °F · 1,705 mm67 in
- Tabora 415 km · 23 °C73 °F · 1,053 mm41 in
Frequently asked questions
What is the warmest month in Kalemie?
September is the warmest month in Kalemie, with an average high of 32 °C (89 °F) and an average low of 24 °C (76 °F).
What is the coldest month in Kalemie?
July is the coldest month, with an average high of 29 °C (83 °F) and an average low of 21 °C (70 °F).
When does it rain the most in Kalemie?
November is the wettest month with about 220 mm (8.7 in) of precipitation; July is the driest with about 1 mm (0.1 in).
What is the best time to visit Kalemie?
Judging by long-term averages, the most comfortable months are May–July.
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 931 m, while Kalemie lies at about 787 m. Temperatures on this page were therefore adjusted by +0.9 °C1.7 °F using the standard lapse rate of 6.5 °C per 1,000 m.