Nacala climate
Nacala (Mozambique) has a tropical savanna (dry winter) climate (Köppen Aw). The average temperature over the year is 26 °C78 °F, and about 1,175 mm46 in of precipitation falls in an average year.
Temperature by month
Precipitation by month
Nacala climate table
| Month | High °C°F | Low °C°F | Mean °C°F | Precip. mmin |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 2984 | 2576 | 2780 | 32713 |
| Feb | 2883 | 2476 | 2680 | 25910 |
| Mar | 2883 | 2476 | 2679 | 1726.8 |
| Apr | 2883 | 2374 | 2678 | 1134.4 |
| May | 2882 | 2271 | 2577 | 170.7 |
| Jun | 2781 | 2069 | 2475 | 311.2 |
| Jul | 2780 | 2067 | 2374 | 200.8 |
| Aug | 2882 | 2068 | 2475 | 180.7 |
| Sep | 2984 | 2170 | 2577 | 110.4 |
| Oct | 3086 | 2272 | 2679 | 200.8 |
| Nov | 3188 | 2475 | 2781 | 411.6 |
| Dec | 3187 | 2577 | 2882 | 1465.8 |
| Year | 3188 | 2067 | 2678 | 1,17546 |
“Year” row: highest monthly high, lowest monthly low, annual mean and annual total.
| Month | Humid. | Cloud | Solar | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 84% | 80% | 5.7 | 12:54 |
| Feb | 85% | 74% | 5.8 | 12:35 |
| Mar | 85% | 68% | 5.6 | 12:13 |
| Apr | 82% | 52% | 5.3 | 11:47 |
| May | 76% | 43% | 4.9 | 11:27 |
| Jun | 72% | 48% | 4.4 | 11:16 |
| Jul | 71% | 45% | 4.5 | 11:20 |
| Aug | 70% | 38% | 5.2 | 11:38 |
| Sep | 70% | 29% | 6.2 | 12:02 |
| Oct | 70% | 32% | 6.8 | 12:27 |
| Nov | 70% | 41% | 6.9 | 12:49 |
| Dec | 76% | 63% | 6.4 | 12:59 |
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 Nacala is like
The warmest month is December, with an average high of 31 °C87 °F and a low of 25 °C77 °F. The coldest is July, when highs average 27 °C80 °F and lows 20 °C67 °F. Seasonal differences are small — just 4.4 °C7.9 °F between the warmest and the coolest month.
It is wet, with about 1,175 mm46 in of precipitation per year. The wettest three-month stretch is January–March, which brings 65% of the annual total. Months with less than 20 mm0.8 in on average: May and July–September. The wettest month is January (327 mm13 in), the driest is September (11 mm0.4 in).
Relative humidity ranges from 70% in October to 85% in February. The clearest skies (lowest average cloud amount, 29%) are typical of September. Average wind speed near the ground ranges from 10 km/h (6 mph) in February to 15 km/h (9 mph) in July. Daylight lasts from about 11.3 hours in June to 13.0 hours in December.
Best time to visit Nacala
Based on these averages, the most comfortable months for sightseeing and outdoor activities are May–September: average highs of 27 °C80 °F to 29 °C84 °F with 11 mm0.4 in to 31 mm1.2 in of precipitation per month.
The most challenging month is January, which is very wet (327 mm13 in) and humid (84% 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 Nacala
- Wetter months (December–April) — highs 2883 to 31 °C87 °F, lows 2374 to 25 °C77 °F, about 204 mm8.0 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 2780 to 31 °C88 °F, lows 2067 to 24 °C75 °F, about 22 mm0.9 in of precipitation a month. Pack light summer clothes such as T-shirts, shorts or light dresses.
How Nacala compares
Compared with Nampula, about 164 km to the west, Nacala is on average 2.2 °C4 °F warmer and receives 15% less precipitation (1,175 mm46 in vs 1,384 mm55 in). The difference is largest in June (4.3 °C7.7 °F warmer).
Of the 17 places in Mozambique covered by World Climates, Nacala is the 5th warmest by annual mean temperature and the 5th wettest by annual precipitation. See all of them on the Mozambique climate page.
Places in other countries with the most similar temperature and rainfall pattern: Antsiranana (Madagascar, Aw), Mahajanga (Madagascar, Aw) and Mamoudzou (Mayotte, Aw).
Nearby places
- Nampula 164 km · 23 °C74 °F · 1,384 mm55 in
- Pemba 178 km · 26 °C79 °F · 1,174 mm46 in
- Angoche 204 km · 26 °C79 °F · 1,071 mm42 in
- Gurúè 411 km · 22 °C71 °F · 1,570 mm62 in
- Moroni 423 km · 27 °C80 °F · 1,020 mm40 in
- Mocuba 470 km · 25 °C77 °F · 1,189 mm47 in
- Mtwara 481 km · 26 °C79 °F · 1,487 mm59 in
- Mamoudzou 529 km · 27 °C80 °F · 1,003 mm39 in
Frequently asked questions
What is the warmest month in Nacala?
December is the warmest month in Nacala, with an average high of 31 °C (87 °F) and an average low of 25 °C (77 °F).
What is the coldest month in Nacala?
July is the coldest month, with an average high of 27 °C (80 °F) and an average low of 20 °C (67 °F).
When does it rain the most in Nacala?
January is the wettest month with about 327 mm (12.9 in) of precipitation; September is the driest with about 11 mm (0.4 in).
What is the best time to visit Nacala?
Judging by long-term averages, the most comfortable months are May–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.
The grid cell’s average elevation is 67 m, while Nacala lies at about 137 m. Temperatures on this page were therefore adjusted by −0.5 °C0.8 °F using the standard lapse rate of 6.5 °C per 1,000 m.