Kananga climate
Kananga (DR Congo) has a tropical savanna (dry winter) climate (Köppen Aw). The average temperature over the year is 25 °C78 °F, and about 1,242 mm49 in of precipitation falls in an average year.
Temperature by month
Precipitation by month
Kananga climate table
| Month | High °C°F | Low °C°F | Mean °C°F | Precip. mmin |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 2883 | 2169 | 2576 | 1345.3 |
| Feb | 2985 | 2170 | 2577 | 1385.4 |
| Mar | 2984 | 2170 | 2577 | 1465.7 |
| Apr | 2984 | 2170 | 2577 | 1124.4 |
| May | 3187 | 2069 | 2578 | 381.5 |
| Jun | 3290 | 1966 | 2678 | 70.3 |
| Jul | 3492 | 1966 | 2679 | 60.2 |
| Aug | 3493 | 2169 | 2781 | 562.2 |
| Sep | 3188 | 2170 | 2679 | 1244.9 |
| Oct | 2984 | 2170 | 2577 | 1505.9 |
| Nov | 2882 | 2170 | 2476 | 1716.7 |
| Dec | 2882 | 2169 | 2476 | 1606.3 |
| Year | 3493 | 1966 | 2578 | 1,24249 |
“Year” row: highest monthly high, lowest monthly low, annual mean and annual total.
| Month | Humid. | Cloud | Solar | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 80% | 85% | 4.8 | 12:26 |
| Feb | 78% | 84% | 5.0 | 12:18 |
| Mar | 79% | 82% | 5.2 | 12:09 |
| Apr | 81% | 80% | 5.2 | 11:59 |
| May | 68% | 66% | 5.0 | 11:51 |
| Jun | 49% | 54% | 4.7 | 11:47 |
| Jul | 39% | 57% | 4.4 | 11:49 |
| Aug | 50% | 75% | 4.3 | 11:55 |
| Sep | 70% | 71% | 4.9 | 12:05 |
| Oct | 79% | 79% | 5.2 | 12:15 |
| Nov | 84% | 84% | 5.2 | 12:24 |
| Dec | 83% | 87% | 4.8 | 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 Kananga is like
The warmest month is August, with an average high of 34 °C93 °F and a low of 21 °C69 °F. The coldest is December, when highs average 28 °C82 °F and lows 21 °C69 °F. Seasonal differences are small — just 3 °C5.5 °F between the warmest and the coolest month.
It is wet, with about 1,242 mm49 in of precipitation per year. The wettest three-month stretch is October–December, which brings 39% of the annual total. Months with less than 20 mm0.8 in on average: June and July. The wettest month is November (171 mm6.7 in), the driest is July (6 mm0.2 in).
Relative humidity ranges from 39% in July to 84% in November. The clearest skies (lowest average cloud amount, 54%) are typical of June. Average wind speed near the ground ranges from 2 km/h (1 mph) in November to 3 km/h (2 mph) in July.
Best time to visit Kananga
Based on these averages, the most comfortable months for sightseeing and outdoor activities are May: average highs of 31 °C87 °F to 31 °C87 °F with 38 mm1.5 in to 38 mm1.5 in of precipitation per month.
The most challenging month is November, which is very wet (171 mm6.7 in) and humid (84% 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.
What to pack for Kananga
- Wetter months (September–April) — highs 2882 to 31 °C88 °F, lows around 21 °C69 °F, about 142 mm5.6 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–August) — highs 3187 to 34 °C93 °F, lows 1966 to 21 °C69 °F, about 27 mm1.0 in of precipitation a month. Pack very light, breathable clothing, a sun hat and plenty of water.
How Kananga compares
Compared with Mbuji-Mayi, about 132 km to the east, Kananga is on average 0.4 °C0.7 °F cooler and receives a similar amount of precipitation. The difference is largest in September (0.7 °C1.3 °F cooler).
Of the 36 places in the DR Congo covered by World Climates, Kananga is the 17th warmest by annual mean temperature and the 18th 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): Chitato (Angola, Aw), Carnot (Central African Republic, Aw) and Abomey (Benin, Aw).
Nearby places
- Mbuji-Mayi 132 km · 26 °C78 °F · 1,185 mm47 in
- Mwene-Ditu 169 km · 23 °C74 °F · 1,237 mm49 in
- Tshikapa 188 km · 26 °C79 °F · 1,179 mm46 in
- Gandajika 194 km · 24 °C76 °F · 1,177 mm46 in
- Kabinda 230 km · 24 °C75 °F · 1,230 mm48 in
- Chitato 243 km · 25 °C77 °F · 1,139 mm45 in
- Ilebo 267 km · 26 °C79 °F · 1,375 mm54 in
- Lucapa 336 km · 24 °C75 °F · 989 mm39 in
Frequently asked questions
What is the warmest month in Kananga?
August is the warmest month in Kananga, with an average high of 34 °C (93 °F) and an average low of 21 °C (69 °F).
What is the coldest month in Kananga?
December is the coldest month, with an average high of 28 °C (82 °F) and an average low of 21 °C (69 °F).
When does it rain the most in Kananga?
November is the wettest month with about 171 mm (6.7 in) of precipitation; July is the driest with about 6 mm (0.2 in).
What is the best time to visit Kananga?
Judging by long-term averages, the most comfortable months are May.
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.