Kinshasa climate
Kinshasa (DR Congo) has a tropical savanna (dry winter) climate (Köppen Aw). The average temperature over the year is 26 °C79 °F, and about 1,910 mm75 in of precipitation falls in an average year.
Temperature by month
Precipitation by month
Kinshasa climate table
| Month | High °C°F | Low °C°F | Mean °C°F | Precip. mmin |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 3086 | 2373 | 2679 | 1847.2 |
| Feb | 3086 | 2373 | 2780 | 1867.3 |
| Mar | 3087 | 2373 | 2780 | 2299.0 |
| Apr | 3086 | 2373 | 2780 | 2369.3 |
| May | 3086 | 2373 | 2679 | 1556.1 |
| Jun | 3086 | 2069 | 2577 | 160.6 |
| Jul | 3086 | 2067 | 2577 | 40.2 |
| Aug | 3188 | 2170 | 2679 | 210.8 |
| Sep | 3289 | 2373 | 2781 | 783.1 |
| Oct | 3087 | 2373 | 2780 | 2078.1 |
| Nov | 2985 | 2373 | 2679 | 31712 |
| Dec | 2985 | 2373 | 2679 | 27611 |
| Year | 3289 | 2067 | 2679 | 1,91075 |
“Year” row: highest monthly high, lowest monthly low, annual mean and annual total.
| Month | Humid. | Cloud | Solar | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 82% | 80% | 4.8 | 12:21 |
| Feb | 82% | 82% | 4.8 | 12:15 |
| Mar | 83% | 81% | 5.1 | 12:08 |
| Apr | 83% | 82% | 4.9 | 12:01 |
| May | 83% | 70% | 4.4 | 11:55 |
| Jun | 78% | 52% | 4.0 | 11:52 |
| Jul | 75% | 50% | 4.1 | 11:54 |
| Aug | 71% | 56% | 4.2 | 11:58 |
| Sep | 71% | 61% | 4.4 | 12:05 |
| Oct | 78% | 74% | 4.4 | 12:13 |
| Nov | 83% | 81% | 4.6 | 12:19 |
| Dec | 83% | 84% | 4.5 | 12:22 |
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 Kinshasa is like
The warmest month is September, with an average high of 32 °C89 °F and a low of 23 °C73 °F. The coldest is July, when highs average 30 °C86 °F and lows 20 °C67 °F. Temperatures barely change through the year: the warmest and the coolest month differ by only 2.2 °C3.9 °F.
It is wet, with about 1,910 mm75 in of precipitation per year. The wettest three-month stretch is October–December, which brings 42% of the annual total. Months with less than 20 mm0.8 in on average: June and July. The wettest month is November (317 mm12 in), the driest is July (4 mm0.2 in).
Relative humidity ranges from 71% in September to 83% in April. The clearest skies (lowest average cloud amount, 50%) are typical of July. Average wind speed near the ground ranges from 4 km/h (2 mph) in December to 7 km/h (5 mph) in August.
Best time to visit Kinshasa
Based on these averages, the most comfortable months for sightseeing and outdoor activities are June–August: average highs of 30 °C86 °F to 31 °C88 °F with 4 mm0.2 in to 21 mm0.8 in of precipitation per month.
The most challenging month is November, which is very wet (317 mm12 in) and humid (83% 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.
Kinshasa weather by month
- January30 °C86 °F / 23 °C73 °F
- February30 °C86 °F / 23 °C73 °F
- March30 °C87 °F / 23 °C73 °F
- April30 °C86 °F / 23 °C73 °F
- May30 °C86 °F / 23 °C73 °F
- June30 °C86 °F / 20 °C69 °F
- July30 °C86 °F / 20 °C67 °F
- August31 °C88 °F / 21 °C70 °F
- September32 °C89 °F / 23 °C73 °F
- October30 °C87 °F / 23 °C73 °F
- November29 °C85 °F / 23 °C73 °F
- December29 °C85 °F / 23 °C73 °F
What to pack for Kinshasa
- Wetter months (October–April) — highs 2985 to 30 °C87 °F, lows around 23 °C73 °F, about 234 mm9.2 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–September) — highs 3086 to 32 °C89 °F, lows 2067 to 23 °C73 °F, about 55 mm2.2 in of precipitation a month. Pack very light, breathable clothing, a sun hat and plenty of water.
How Kinshasa compares
Of the 36 places in the DR Congo covered by World Climates, Kinshasa is the 6th warmest by annual mean temperature and the 2nd 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): Brazzaville (Republic of the Congo, Aw), Bujumbura (Burundi, Aw) and Onitsha (Nigeria, Aw).
The same NASA POWER grid cell also contains Masina (pop. 485,167). Their long-term averages in this dataset are essentially the same as for Kinshasa, so they do not have separate pages.
Nearby places
- Brazzaville 8 km · 26 °C79 °F · 1,682 mm66 in
- Inkisi 94 km · 25 °C76 °F · 1,546 mm61 in
- Mbanza-Ngungu 115 km · 23 °C74 °F · 1,402 mm55 in
- Nkayi 225 km · 26 °C78 °F · 1,669 mm66 in
- Mbanza Kongo 246 km · 25 °C77 °F · 1,109 mm44 in
- Bandundu Province 255 km · 27 °C80 °F · 1,488 mm59 in
- Matadi 265 km · 26 °C79 °F · 1,094 mm43 in
- Dolisie 294 km · 25 °C76 °F · 1,520 mm60 in
Frequently asked questions
What is the warmest month in Kinshasa?
September is the warmest month in Kinshasa, with an average high of 32 °C (89 °F) and an average low of 23 °C (73 °F).
What is the coldest month in Kinshasa?
July is the coldest month, with an average high of 30 °C (86 °F) and an average low of 20 °C (67 °F).
When does it rain the most in Kinshasa?
November is the wettest month with about 317 mm (12.5 in) of precipitation; July is the driest with about 4 mm (0.2 in).
What is the best time to visit Kinshasa?
Judging by long-term averages, the most comfortable months are 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 490 m, while Kinshasa lies at about 281 m. Temperatures on this page were therefore adjusted by +1.4 °C2.4 °F using the standard lapse rate of 6.5 °C per 1,000 m.