Mwanza climate
Mwanza (Tanzania) has a tropical savanna (dry winter) climate (Köppen Aw). The average temperature over the year is 24 °C75 °F, and about 1,090 mm43 in of precipitation falls in an average year.
Temperature by month
Precipitation by month
Mwanza climate table
| Month | High °C°F | Low °C°F | Mean °C°F | Precip. mmin |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 2781 | 2169 | 2475 | 883.5 |
| Feb | 2983 | 2069 | 2476 | 773.0 |
| Mar | 2883 | 2069 | 2476 | 1405.5 |
| Apr | 2781 | 2068 | 2475 | 1445.7 |
| May | 2882 | 1966 | 2374 | 722.8 |
| Jun | 2983 | 1865 | 2374 | 180.7 |
| Jul | 2985 | 1865 | 2475 | 120.5 |
| Aug | 3086 | 2068 | 2577 | 321.3 |
| Sep | 3086 | 2170 | 2678 | 562.2 |
| Oct | 2984 | 2170 | 2577 | 1234.8 |
| Nov | 2780 | 2169 | 2475 | 1917.5 |
| Dec | 2679 | 2169 | 2374 | 1375.4 |
| Year | 3086 | 1865 | 2475 | 1,09043 |
“Year” row: highest monthly high, lowest monthly low, annual mean and annual total.
| Month | Humid. | Cloud | Solar | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 68% | 67% | 5.3 | 12:15 |
| Feb | 66% | 66% | 5.9 | 12:12 |
| Mar | 69% | 71% | 5.7 | 12:08 |
| Apr | 73% | 73% | 5.5 | 12:03 |
| May | 69% | 58% | 5.5 | 12:00 |
| Jun | 59% | 41% | 5.6 | 11:59 |
| Jul | 50% | 33% | 5.8 | 11:59 |
| Aug | 49% | 44% | 5.7 | 12:02 |
| Sep | 53% | 59% | 5.6 | 12:06 |
| Oct | 61% | 70% | 5.5 | 12:10 |
| Nov | 71% | 74% | 5.2 | 12:14 |
| Dec | 71% | 70% | 5.1 | 12:16 |
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 Mwanza is like
The warmest month is September, with an average high of 30 °C86 °F and a low of 21 °C70 °F. The coldest is May, when highs average 28 °C82 °F and lows 19 °C66 °F. Temperatures barely change through the year: the warmest and the coolest month differ by only 2.1 °C3.8 °F.
It is wet, with about 1,090 mm43 in of precipitation per year. The wettest three-month stretch is October–December, which brings 41% of the annual total. Months with less than 20 mm0.8 in on average: June and July. The wettest month is November (191 mm7.5 in), the driest is July (12 mm0.5 in).
Relative humidity ranges from 49% in August to 73% in April. The clearest skies (lowest average cloud amount, 33%) are typical of July. Average wind speed near the ground ranges from 8 km/h (5 mph) in January to 14 km/h (9 mph) in July.
Best time to visit Mwanza
Based on these averages, the most comfortable months for sightseeing and outdoor activities are January and February, May–July and September: average highs of 27 °C81 °F to 30 °C86 °F with 12 mm0.5 in to 88 mm3.5 in of precipitation per month.
The most challenging month is November, which is very wet (191 mm7.5 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 Mwanza
- Wetter months (March and April, October–December) — highs 2679 to 29 °C84 °F, lows 2068 to 21 °C70 °F, about 147 mm5.8 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 (January and February, May–September) — highs 2781 to 30 °C86 °F, lows 1865 to 21 °C70 °F, about 51 mm2.0 in of precipitation a month. Pack light summer clothes such as T-shirts, shorts or light dresses.
How Mwanza compares
Compared with Kampala, about 317 km to the north, Mwanza is on average 2.2 °C3.9 °F warmer and receives 22% less precipitation (1,090 mm43 in vs 1,397 mm55 in). The difference is largest in September (3.6 °C6.5 °F warmer).
Of the 34 places in Tanzania covered by World Climates, Mwanza is the 10th warmest by annual mean temperature and the 19th 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): Bertoua (Cameroon, Aw), Owo (Nigeria, Aw) and Uromi (Nigeria, Aw).
Nearby places
- Sengerema 32 km · 23 °C74 °F · 1,092 mm43 in
- Geita 84 km · 23 °C73 °F · 1,043 mm41 in
- Bunda 121 km · 24 °C75 °F · 999 mm39 in
- Bariadi 124 km · 23 °C74 °F · 1,039 mm41 in
- Shinyanga 140 km · 24 °C75 °F · 1,030 mm41 in
- Kahama 150 km · 23 °C73 °F · 1,003 mm39 in
- Musoma 151 km · 24 °C76 °F · 1,179 mm46 in
- Bukoba 179 km · 24 °C74 °F · 1,324 mm52 in
Frequently asked questions
What is the warmest month in Mwanza?
September is the warmest month in Mwanza, with an average high of 30 °C (86 °F) and an average low of 21 °C (70 °F).
What is the coldest month in Mwanza?
May is the coldest month, with an average high of 28 °C (82 °F) and an average low of 19 °C (66 °F).
When does it rain the most in Mwanza?
November is the wettest month with about 191 mm (7.5 in) of precipitation; July is the driest with about 12 mm (0.5 in).
What is the best time to visit Mwanza?
Judging by long-term averages, the most comfortable months are January and February, May–July and September.
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.