Kigoma climate
Kigoma (Tanzania) has a tropical savanna (dry winter) climate (Köppen Aw). The average temperature over the year is 26 °C79 °F, and about 1,183 mm47 in of precipitation falls in an average year.
Temperature by month
Precipitation by month
Kigoma climate table
| Month | High °C°F | Low °C°F | Mean °C°F | Precip. mmin |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 2781 | 2475 | 2578 | 1666.5 |
| Feb | 2883 | 2476 | 2679 | 1325.2 |
| Mar | 2883 | 2476 | 2679 | 1566.2 |
| Apr | 2882 | 2475 | 2679 | 1485.8 |
| May | 2984 | 2475 | 2679 | 421.6 |
| Jun | 2984 | 2373 | 2678 | 80.3 |
| Jul | 2984 | 2271 | 2578 | 30.1 |
| Aug | 3187 | 2474 | 2781 | 140.6 |
| Sep | 3289 | 2577 | 2883 | 361.4 |
| Oct | 3187 | 2576 | 2882 | 963.8 |
| Nov | 2883 | 2475 | 2679 | 2098.2 |
| Dec | 2781 | 2475 | 2578 | 1736.8 |
| Year | 3289 | 2271 | 2679 | 1,18347 |
“Year” row: highest monthly high, lowest monthly low, annual mean and annual total.
| Month | Humid. | Cloud | Solar | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 73% | 83% | 5.0 | 12:22 |
| Feb | 70% | 82% | 5.3 | 12:16 |
| Mar | 71% | 82% | 5.2 | 12:09 |
| Apr | 73% | 80% | 5.1 | 12:00 |
| May | 66% | 66% | 5.1 | 11:54 |
| Jun | 58% | 45% | 5.3 | 11:50 |
| Jul | 54% | 36% | 5.6 | 11:52 |
| Aug | 50% | 45% | 5.8 | 11:57 |
| Sep | 50% | 59% | 5.8 | 12:05 |
| Oct | 60% | 77% | 5.3 | 12:13 |
| Nov | 71% | 84% | 4.6 | 12:21 |
| Dec | 73% | 83% | 4.7 | 12:24 |
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 Kigoma is like
The warmest month is September, with an average high of 32 °C89 °F and a low of 25 °C77 °F. The coldest is December, when highs average 27 °C81 °F and lows 24 °C75 °F. Temperatures barely change through the year: the warmest and the coolest month differ by only 2.9 °C5.3 °F.
It is wet, with about 1,183 mm47 in of precipitation per year. The wettest three-month stretch is November–January, which brings 46% of the annual total. Months with less than 20 mm0.8 in on average: June–August. The wettest month is November (209 mm8.2 in), the driest is July (3 mm0.1 in).
Relative humidity ranges from 50% in August to 73% in December. The clearest skies (lowest average cloud amount, 36%) 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 Kigoma
Based on these averages, the most comfortable months for sightseeing and outdoor activities are May–July: average highs of 29 °C84 °F to 29 °C84 °F with 3 mm0.1 in to 42 mm1.6 in of precipitation per month.
The most challenging month is November, which is very wet (209 mm8.2 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 Kigoma
- Wetter months (November–April) — highs 2781 to 28 °C83 °F, lows around 24 °C75 °F, about 164 mm6.5 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 2984 to 32 °C89 °F, lows 2271 to 25 °C77 °F, about 33 mm1.3 in of precipitation a month. Pack light summer clothes such as T-shirts, shorts or light dresses.
How Kigoma compares
Compared with Kasulu, about 62 km to the northeast, Kigoma is on average 4.8 °C8.6 °F warmer and receives a similar amount of precipitation. The difference is largest in July (5.5 °C9.8 °F warmer).
Of the 34 places in Tanzania covered by World Climates, Kigoma is the 4th warmest by annual mean temperature and the 12th 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): Kalemie (DR Congo, Aw), Makurdi (Nigeria, Aw) and Ilorin (Nigeria, Aw).
Nearby places
- Kasulu 62 km · 22 °C71 °F · 1,167 mm46 in
- Kalemie 128 km · 26 °C79 °F · 1,143 mm45 in
- Gitega 165 km · 19 °C66 °F · 1,339 mm53 in
- Bujumbura 169 km · 26 °C78 °F · 1,808 mm71 in
- Mpanda 228 km · 23 °C74 °F · 1,008 mm40 in
- Bukavu 279 km · 20 °C68 °F · 1,705 mm67 in
- Kigali 329 km · 20 °C68 °F · 1,291 mm51 in
- Kahama 349 km · 23 °C73 °F · 1,003 mm39 in
Frequently asked questions
What is the warmest month in Kigoma?
September is the warmest month in Kigoma, with an average high of 32 °C (89 °F) and an average low of 25 °C (77 °F).
What is the coldest month in Kigoma?
December is the coldest month, with an average high of 27 °C (81 °F) and an average low of 24 °C (75 °F).
When does it rain the most in Kigoma?
November is the wettest month with about 209 mm (8.2 in) of precipitation; July is the driest with about 3 mm (0.1 in).
What is the best time to visit Kigoma?
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 992 m, while Kigoma lies at about 769 m. Temperatures on this page were therefore adjusted by +1.5 °C2.6 °F using the standard lapse rate of 6.5 °C per 1,000 m.