Kampala climate
Kampala (Uganda) has a tropical monsoon climate (Köppen Am). The average temperature over the year is 22 °C71 °F, and about 1,397 mm55 in of precipitation falls in an average year.
Temperature by month
Precipitation by month
Kampala climate table
| Month | High °C°F | Low °C°F | Mean °C°F | Precip. mmin |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 2984 | 1763 | 2373 | 652.6 |
| Feb | 2985 | 1865 | 2475 | 662.6 |
| Mar | 2882 | 1865 | 2373 | 1485.8 |
| Apr | 2678 | 1865 | 2271 | 1947.6 |
| May | 2576 | 1864 | 2170 | 1586.2 |
| Jun | 2577 | 1763 | 2170 | 632.5 |
| Jul | 2678 | 1662 | 2170 | 572.2 |
| Aug | 2679 | 1762 | 2271 | 883.5 |
| Sep | 2780 | 1763 | 2271 | 1174.6 |
| Oct | 2678 | 1763 | 2271 | 1586.2 |
| Nov | 2678 | 1763 | 2171 | 1666.5 |
| Dec | 2781 | 1763 | 2272 | 1164.5 |
| Year | 2985 | 1662 | 2271 | 1,39755 |
“Year” row: highest monthly high, lowest monthly low, annual mean and annual total.
| Month | Humid. | Cloud | Solar | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 66% | 65% | 5.6 | 12:06 |
| Feb | 65% | 72% | 5.9 | 12:06 |
| Mar | 73% | 80% | 5.7 | 12:07 |
| Apr | 81% | 84% | 5.4 | 12:07 |
| May | 82% | 78% | 5.2 | 12:08 |
| Jun | 77% | 73% | 4.9 | 12:08 |
| Jul | 72% | 70% | 4.9 | 12:08 |
| Aug | 72% | 74% | 5.1 | 12:07 |
| Sep | 73% | 77% | 5.4 | 12:07 |
| Oct | 77% | 82% | 5.4 | 12:06 |
| Nov | 78% | 80% | 5.4 | 12:06 |
| Dec | 72% | 68% | 5.4 | 12:06 |
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 Kampala is like
The warmest month is February, with an average high of 29 °C85 °F and a low of 18 °C65 °F. The coldest is June, when highs average 25 °C77 °F and lows 17 °C63 °F. Temperatures barely change through the year: the warmest and the coolest month differ by only 2.8 °C5.1 °F.
It is wet, with about 1,397 mm55 in of precipitation per year. The wettest three-month stretch is March–May, which brings 36% of the annual total. The wettest month is April (194 mm7.6 in), the driest is July (57 mm2.2 in).
Relative humidity ranges from 65% in February to 82% in May. The clearest skies (lowest average cloud amount, 65%) are typical of January. Average wind speed near the ground ranges from 4 km/h (3 mph) in October to 7 km/h (4 mph) in July.
Best time to visit Kampala
Based on these averages, the most comfortable months for sightseeing and outdoor activities are January and February and June–August: average highs of 25 °C77 °F to 29 °C85 °F with 57 mm2.2 in to 88 mm3.5 in of precipitation per month.
The most challenging month is April, which is very wet (194 mm7.6 in) and humid (81% relative humidity).
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.
Kampala weather by month
- January29 °C84 °F / 17 °C63 °F
- February29 °C85 °F / 18 °C65 °F
- March28 °C82 °F / 18 °C65 °F
- April26 °C78 °F / 18 °C65 °F
- May25 °C76 °F / 18 °C64 °F
- June25 °C77 °F / 17 °C63 °F
- July26 °C78 °F / 16 °C62 °F
- August26 °C79 °F / 17 °C62 °F
- September27 °C80 °F / 17 °C63 °F
- October26 °C78 °F / 17 °C63 °F
- November26 °C78 °F / 17 °C63 °F
- December27 °C81 °F / 17 °C63 °F
What to pack for Kampala
- Wetter months (March–May, September–November) — highs 2576 to 28 °C82 °F, lows 1763 to 18 °C65 °F, about 157 mm6.2 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 (December–February, June–August) — highs 2577 to 29 °C85 °F, lows 1662 to 18 °C65 °F, about 76 mm3.0 in of precipitation a month. Pack light summer clothes such as T-shirts, shorts or light dresses.
How Kampala compares
Compared with Kakamega, about 241 km to the east, Kampala is on average 1.4 °C2.5 °F warmer and receives 28% less precipitation (1,397 mm55 in vs 1,950 mm77 in). The difference is largest in January (2.4 °C4.3 °F warmer).
Of the 15 places in Uganda covered by World Climates, Kampala is the 11th warmest by annual mean temperature and the 5th wettest by annual precipitation. See all of them on the Uganda climate page.
Places in other countries with the most similar temperature and rainfall pattern: Khwisero (Kenya, Af), Beni (DR Congo, Af) and Bunia (DR Congo, Aw).
The same NASA POWER grid cell also contains Nansana (pop. 532,800), Kira (pop. 462,900), Bunamwaya (pop. 413,400), Kyengera (pop. 285,400), Kasangati (pop. 207,800) and Mukono (pop. 191,300). Their long-term averages in this dataset are essentially the same as for Kampala, so they do not have separate pages.
Nearby places
- Katabi 29 km · 23 °C74 °F · 1,515 mm60 in
- Lugazi 40 km · 23 °C73 °F · 1,500 mm59 in
- Mityana 63 km · 22 °C71 °F · 1,330 mm52 in
- Njeru 68 km · 23 °C73 °F · 1,500 mm59 in
- Masaka 119 km · 22 °C72 °F · 1,241 mm49 in
- Mubende 135 km · 21 °C70 °F · 1,251 mm49 in
- Masindi 179 km · 23 °C74 °F · 1,049 mm41 in
- Hoima 185 km · 24 °C75 °F · 1,063 mm42 in
Frequently asked questions
What is the warmest month in Kampala?
February is the warmest month in Kampala, with an average high of 29 °C (85 °F) and an average low of 18 °C (65 °F).
What is the coldest month in Kampala?
June is the coldest month, with an average high of 25 °C (77 °F) and an average low of 17 °C (63 °F).
When does it rain the most in Kampala?
April is the wettest month with about 194 mm (7.6 in) of precipitation; July is the driest with about 57 mm (2.2 in).
What is the best time to visit Kampala?
Judging by long-term averages, the most comfortable months are January and February and June–August.
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 1,147 m, while Kampala lies at about 1,223 m. Temperatures on this page were therefore adjusted by −0.5 °C0.9 °F using the standard lapse rate of 6.5 °C per 1,000 m.