Mekele climate
Mekele (Ethiopia) has a hot semi-arid climate (Köppen BSh). The average temperature over the year is 19 °C66 °F, and about 532 mm21 in of precipitation falls in an average year.
Temperature by month
Precipitation by month
Mekele climate table
| Month | High °C°F | Low °C°F | Mean °C°F | Precip. mmin |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 2476 | 948 | 1662 | 60.2 |
| Feb | 2679 | 1050 | 1864 | 100.4 |
| Mar | 2781 | 1253 | 2067 | 170.7 |
| Apr | 2882 | 1356 | 2169 | 512.0 |
| May | 2883 | 1559 | 2271 | 281.1 |
| Jun | 2883 | 1559 | 2271 | 411.6 |
| Jul | 2476 | 1458 | 1967 | 1515.9 |
| Aug | 2475 | 1457 | 1966 | 1485.8 |
| Sep | 2577 | 1356 | 1966 | 401.6 |
| Oct | 2476 | 1151 | 1763 | 230.9 |
| Nov | 2475 | 948 | 1662 | 80.3 |
| Dec | 2374 | 846 | 1660 | 100.4 |
| Year | 2883 | 846 | 1966 | 53221 |
“Year” row: highest monthly high, lowest monthly low, annual mean and annual total.
| Month | Humid. | Cloud | Solar | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 57% | 34% | 5.7 | 11:25 |
| Feb | 53% | 34% | 6.3 | 11:41 |
| Mar | 51% | 38% | 6.7 | 12:01 |
| Apr | 53% | 43% | 7.0 | 12:25 |
| May | 49% | 46% | 6.8 | 12:45 |
| Jun | 53% | 58% | 6.1 | 12:55 |
| Jul | 72% | 74% | 5.4 | 12:51 |
| Aug | 76% | 75% | 5.4 | 12:34 |
| Sep | 65% | 57% | 6.1 | 12:11 |
| Oct | 60% | 32% | 6.4 | 11:48 |
| Nov | 59% | 31% | 5.9 | 11:29 |
| Dec | 58% | 28% | 5.6 | 11:20 |
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 Mekele is like
The warmest month is May, with an average high of 28 °C83 °F and a low of 15 °C59 °F. The coldest is December, when highs average 23 °C74 °F and lows 8 °C46 °F. Seasonal differences are small — just 6.1 °C11 °F between the warmest and the coolest month.
Annual precipitation is moderate at about 532 mm21 in. The wettest three-month stretch is June–August, which brings 64% of the annual total. Months with less than 20 mm0.8 in on average: November–March. The wettest month is July (151 mm5.9 in), the driest is January (6 mm0.2 in).
Relative humidity ranges from 49% in May to 76% in August. The clearest skies (lowest average cloud amount, 28%) are typical of December. Average wind speed near the ground ranges from 7 km/h (4 mph) in September to 11 km/h (7 mph) in March. Daylight lasts from about 11.3 hours in December to 12.9 hours in June.
Best time to visit Mekele
Based on these averages, the most comfortable months for sightseeing and outdoor activities are September–June: average highs of 23 °C74 °F to 28 °C83 °F with 6 mm0.2 in to 51 mm2.0 in of precipitation per month.
The most challenging month is July, which is very wet (151 mm5.9 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 Mekele
- Wetter months (April, July and August) — highs 2475 to 28 °C82 °F, lows 1356 to 14 °C58 °F, about 117 mm4.6 in of precipitation a month. Pack light summer clothes such as T-shirts, shorts or light dresses, an extra layer for the cooler mornings and evenings and an umbrella or light rain jacket.
- Drier months (September–March, May and June) — highs 2374 to 28 °C83 °F, lows 846 to 15 °C59 °F, about 20 mm0.8 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 Mekele compares
Compared with Asmara, about 213 km to the north, Mekele is on average 1.9 °C3.4 °F warmer and receives 28% more precipitation (532 mm21 in vs 415 mm16 in). The difference is largest in February (3.2 °C5.7 °F warmer).
Of the 27 places in Ethiopia covered by World Climates, Mekele is the 15th warmest by annual mean temperature and the 24th wettest by annual precipitation. See all of them on the Ethiopia climate page.
Places in other countries with the most similar temperature and rainfall pattern (seasons shifted for the other hemisphere where needed): San Juan del Río (Mexico, BSk), Santiago de Querétaro (Mexico, Csa) and Cochabamba (Bolivia, BSk).
Nearby places
- Adigrat 87 km · 17 °C62 °F · 380 mm15 in
- Inda Silasē 145 km · 21 °C70 °F · 649 mm26 in
- Weldiya 186 km · 20 °C67 °F · 703 mm28 in
- Asmara 213 km · 17 °C62 °F · 415 mm16 in
- Gonder 239 km · 19 °C65 °F · 1,417 mm56 in
- Debre Tabor 242 km · 16 °C61 °F · 1,014 mm40 in
- Dessie 263 km · 16 °C60 °F · 953 mm38 in
- Kombolcha 270 km · 20 °C68 °F · 897 mm35 in
Frequently asked questions
What is the warmest month in Mekele?
May is the warmest month in Mekele, with an average high of 28 °C (83 °F) and an average low of 15 °C (59 °F).
What is the coldest month in Mekele?
December is the coldest month, with an average high of 23 °C (74 °F) and an average low of 8 °C (46 °F).
When does it rain the most in Mekele?
July is the wettest month with about 151 mm (5.9 in) of precipitation; January is the driest with about 6 mm (0.2 in).
What is the best time to visit Mekele?
Judging by long-term averages, the most comfortable months are September–June.
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.