Nekemte climate
Nekemte (Ethiopia) has a subtropical highland (dry winter) climate (Köppen Cwb). The average temperature over the year is 17 °C63 °F, and about 1,809 mm71 in of precipitation falls in an average year.
Temperature by month
Precipitation by month
Nekemte climate table
| Month | High °C°F | Low °C°F | Mean °C°F | Precip. mmin |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 2475 | 1050 | 1762 | 120.5 |
| Feb | 2679 | 1253 | 1966 | 210.8 |
| Mar | 2882 | 1355 | 2068 | 481.9 |
| Apr | 2780 | 1356 | 2068 | 873.4 |
| May | 2475 | 1356 | 1965 | 2299.0 |
| Jun | 2068 | 1254 | 1661 | 30112 |
| Jul | 1966 | 1253 | 1559 | 30112 |
| Aug | 1966 | 1253 | 1560 | 30512 |
| Sep | 2068 | 1254 | 1661 | 30512 |
| Oct | 2271 | 1152 | 1662 | 1254.9 |
| Nov | 2272 | 1050 | 1661 | 522.0 |
| Dec | 2373 | 949 | 1661 | 220.9 |
| Year | 2882 | 949 | 1763 | 1,80971 |
“Year” row: highest monthly high, lowest monthly low, annual mean and annual total.
| Month | Humid. | Cloud | Solar | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 58% | 34% | 6.0 | 11:39 |
| Feb | 52% | 45% | 6.4 | 11:50 |
| Mar | 52% | 55% | 6.6 | 12:03 |
| Apr | 59% | 62% | 6.5 | 12:19 |
| May | 72% | 71% | 6.0 | 12:32 |
| Jun | 83% | 82% | 5.4 | 12:39 |
| Jul | 86% | 89% | 4.6 | 12:36 |
| Aug | 87% | 88% | 4.6 | 12:25 |
| Sep | 84% | 80% | 5.5 | 12:10 |
| Oct | 75% | 58% | 6.0 | 11:54 |
| Nov | 69% | 40% | 5.9 | 11:42 |
| Dec | 64% | 28% | 5.9 | 11:36 |
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 Nekemte is like
The warmest month is March, with an average high of 28 °C82 °F and a low of 13 °C55 °F. The coldest is July, when highs average 19 °C66 °F and lows 12 °C53 °F. Seasonal differences are small — just 4.9 °C8.9 °F between the warmest and the coolest month.
It is wet, with about 1,809 mm71 in of precipitation per year. The wettest three-month stretch is July–September, which brings 50% of the annual total. Months with less than 20 mm0.8 in on average: January. The wettest month is August (305 mm12 in), the driest is January (12 mm0.5 in).
Relative humidity ranges from 52% in February to 87% in August. The clearest skies (lowest average cloud amount, 28%) are typical of December. Average wind speed near the ground ranges from 4 km/h (2 mph) in September to 5 km/h (3 mph) in April. Daylight lasts from about 11.6 hours in December to 12.6 hours in June.
Best time to visit Nekemte
Based on these averages, the most comfortable months for sightseeing and outdoor activities are November–April: average highs of 22 °C72 °F to 28 °C82 °F with 12 mm0.5 in to 87 mm3.4 in of precipitation per month.
The most challenging month is August, which is very wet (305 mm12 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 Nekemte
- Wetter months (May–September) — highs 1966 to 24 °C75 °F, lows 1253 to 13 °C56 °F, about 288 mm11 in of precipitation a month. Pack light layers — T-shirts plus a light sweater or jacket and a good rain jacket or umbrella and quick-drying shoes.
- Drier months (October–April) — highs 2271 to 28 °C82 °F, lows 949 to 13 °C56 °F, about 52 mm2.1 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 Nekemte compares
Compared with Jimma, about 160 km to the south, Nekemte is on average 2.1 °C3.8 °F cooler and receives a similar amount of precipitation. The difference is largest in January (2.7 °C4.9 °F cooler).
Of the 27 places in Ethiopia covered by World Climates, Nekemte is the 19th warmest by annual mean temperature and the 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: Kumbo (Cameroon, Cwb), Comitán (Mexico, Csb) and Bafoussam (Cameroon, Aw).
Nearby places
- Jimma 160 km · 19 °C67 °F · 1,738 mm68 in
- Debre Markos 191 km · 16 °C60 °F · 1,608 mm63 in
- Hosaina 223 km · 17 °C63 °F · 1,305 mm51 in
- Addis Ababa 241 km · 16 °C60 °F · 1,082 mm43 in
- Bishoftu 269 km · 19 °C65 °F · 1,082 mm43 in
- Sodo 281 km · 18 °C64 °F · 1,538 mm61 in
- Bahir Dar 294 km · 21 °C70 °F · 1,509 mm59 in
- Nazrēt 304 km · 22 °C71 °F · 698 mm27 in
Frequently asked questions
What is the warmest month in Nekemte?
March is the warmest month in Nekemte, with an average high of 28 °C (82 °F) and an average low of 13 °C (55 °F).
What is the coldest month in Nekemte?
July is the coldest month, with an average high of 19 °C (66 °F) and an average low of 12 °C (53 °F).
When does it rain the most in Nekemte?
August is the wettest month with about 305 mm (12.0 in) of precipitation; January is the driest with about 12 mm (0.5 in).
What is the best time to visit Nekemte?
Judging by long-term averages, the most comfortable months are November–April.
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 1,624 m, while Nekemte lies at about 2,107 m. Temperatures on this page were therefore adjusted by −3.1 °C5.6 °F using the standard lapse rate of 6.5 °C per 1,000 m.