Katumba climate
Katumba (Tanzania) has a hot-summer Mediterranean climate (Köppen Csa). The average temperature over the year is 20 °C67 °F, and about 1,521 mm60 in of precipitation falls in an average year.
Temperature by month
Precipitation by month
Katumba climate table
| Month | High °C°F | Low °C°F | Mean °C°F | Precip. mmin |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 2577 | 1762 | 2169 | 31412 |
| Feb | 2577 | 1662 | 2169 | 2429.5 |
| Mar | 2578 | 1661 | 2170 | 27111 |
| Apr | 2578 | 1560 | 2069 | 1475.8 |
| May | 2576 | 1356 | 1966 | 341.3 |
| Jun | 2373 | 1051 | 1762 | 120.5 |
| Jul | 2373 | 949 | 1661 | 130.5 |
| Aug | 2578 | 1050 | 1864 | 90.3 |
| Sep | 2882 | 1153 | 2067 | 30.1 |
| Oct | 2985 | 1457 | 2271 | 301.2 |
| Nov | 2883 | 1660 | 2272 | 1184.7 |
| Dec | 2679 | 1662 | 2170 | 32713 |
| Year | 2985 | 949 | 2067 | 1,52160 |
“Year” row: highest monthly high, lowest monthly low, annual mean and annual total.
| Month | Humid. | Cloud | Solar | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 86% | 91% | 4.9 | 12:36 |
| Feb | 86% | 88% | 5.2 | 12:25 |
| Mar | 86% | 86% | 5.2 | 12:10 |
| Apr | 86% | 73% | 4.9 | 11:54 |
| May | 83% | 55% | 5.0 | 11:42 |
| Jun | 81% | 45% | 5.0 | 11:35 |
| Jul | 78% | 41% | 5.2 | 11:38 |
| Aug | 73% | 32% | 5.9 | 11:49 |
| Sep | 69% | 28% | 6.6 | 12:04 |
| Oct | 68% | 42% | 6.8 | 12:19 |
| Nov | 73% | 63% | 6.2 | 12:33 |
| Dec | 82% | 84% | 5.3 | 12:40 |
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 Katumba is like
The warmest month is November, with an average high of 28 °C83 °F and a low of 16 °C60 °F. The coldest is July, when highs average 23 °C73 °F and lows 9 °C49 °F. Seasonal differences are small — just 5.9 °C10.6 °F between the warmest and the coolest month.
It is wet, with about 1,521 mm60 in of precipitation per year. The wettest three-month stretch is December–February, which brings 58% of the annual total. Months with less than 20 mm0.8 in on average: June–September. The wettest month is December (327 mm13 in), the driest is September (3 mm0.1 in).
Relative humidity ranges from 68% in October to 86% in March. The clearest skies (lowest average cloud amount, 28%) are typical of September. Average wind speed near the ground ranges from 2 km/h (1 mph) in March to 4 km/h (3 mph) in October. Daylight lasts from about 11.6 hours in June to 12.7 hours in December.
Best time to visit Katumba
Based on these averages, the most comfortable months for sightseeing and outdoor activities are May–October: average highs of 23 °C73 °F to 29 °C85 °F with 3 mm0.1 in to 34 mm1.3 in of precipitation per month.
The most challenging month is December, which is very wet (327 mm13 in) and humid (82% 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 Katumba
- Wetter months (December–April) — highs 2577 to 26 °C79 °F, lows 1560 to 17 °C62 °F, about 260 mm10 in of precipitation a month. Pack light summer clothes such as T-shirts, shorts or light dresses and a good rain jacket or umbrella and quick-drying shoes.
- Drier months (May–November) — highs 2373 to 29 °C85 °F, lows 949 to 16 °C60 °F, about 31 mm1.2 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 Katumba compares
Compared with Mbeya, about 41 km to the northwest, Katumba is on average 2 °C3.6 °F warmer and receives a similar amount of precipitation. The difference is largest in January (2 °C3.6 °F warmer).
Of the 34 places in Tanzania covered by World Climates, Katumba is the 29th warmest by annual mean temperature and the 4th wettest by annual precipitation. See all of them on the Tanzania climate page.
Places in other countries with the most similar temperature and rainfall pattern (seasons shifted for the other hemisphere where needed): Mzuzu (Malawi, Csa), Jalapa (Guatemala, Csa) and Oaxaca (Mexico, Csa).
Nearby places
- Mbeya 41 km · 18 °C64 °F · 1,521 mm60 in
- Tunduma 94 km · 18 °C64 °F · 1,273 mm50 in
- Makumbako 140 km · 17 °C63 °F · 1,765 mm69 in
- Mzuzu 252 km · 19 °C67 °F · 1,250 mm49 in
- Sumbawanga 261 km · 18 °C64 °F · 1,202 mm47 in
- Songea 275 km · 21 °C69 °F · 1,282 mm50 in
- Iringa 281 km · 18 °C64 °F · 1,585 mm62 in
- Kasama 288 km · 20 °C68 °F · 1,104 mm43 in
Frequently asked questions
What is the warmest month in Katumba?
November is the warmest month in Katumba, with an average high of 28 °C (83 °F) and an average low of 16 °C (60 °F).
What is the coldest month in Katumba?
July is the coldest month, with an average high of 23 °C (73 °F) and an average low of 9 °C (49 °F).
When does it rain the most in Katumba?
December is the wettest month with about 327 mm (12.9 in) of precipitation; September is the driest with about 3 mm (0.1 in).
What is the best time to visit Katumba?
Judging by long-term averages, the most comfortable months are May–October.
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 1,886 m, while Katumba lies at about 1,387 m. Temperatures on this page were therefore adjusted by +3.2 °C5.8 °F using the standard lapse rate of 6.5 °C per 1,000 m.