Quelimane climate

Mozambique · 17.88°S, 36.89°E · elevation 9 m · population 349,842

Warmest month
December
high 32 °C89 °F
Coldest month
July
low 18 °C65 °F
Wettest month
January
271 mm11 in
Best time to visit
May–August
by our comfort score
Annual precipitation
1,118 mm44 in
August driest
Year average
26 °C79 °F
tropical savanna (dry winter) (Aw)

Quelimane (Mozambique) has a tropical savanna (dry winter) climate (Köppen Aw). The average temperature over the year is 26 °C79 °F, and about 1,118 mm44 in of precipitation falls in an average year.

Temperature by month

Average highAverage low
15°20°25°30°35°60°70°80°90°JFMAMJJASOND33°91°18°65°January: high 30 °C / 87 °F, low 25 °C / 76 °FFebruary: high 30 °C / 87 °F, low 25 °C / 76 °FMarch: high 30 °C / 86 °F, low 24 °C / 75 °FApril: high 29 °C / 85 °F, low 23 °C / 73 °FMay: high 29 °C / 83 °F, low 21 °C / 69 °FJune: high 27 °C / 81 °F, low 19 °C / 67 °FJuly: high 27 °C / 80 °F, low 18 °C / 65 °FAugust: high 28 °C / 83 °F, low 19 °C / 66 °FSeptember: high 30 °C / 87 °F, low 20 °C / 68 °FOctober: high 32 °C / 89 °F, low 22 °C / 72 °FNovember: high 33 °C / 91 °F, low 23 °C / 74 °FDecember: high 32 °C / 89 °F, low 24 °C / 76 °F

Precipitation by month

Precipitation per month (mminches)
0100200300048JJanuary: 271 mm / 10.7 inFFebruary: 175 mm / 6.9 inMMarch: 174 mm / 6.9 inAApril: 82 mm / 3.2 inMMay: 36 mm / 1.4 inJJune: 35 mm / 1.4 inJJuly: 41 mm / 1.6 inAAugust: 10 mm / 0.4 inSSeptember: 13 mm / 0.5 inOOctober: 26 mm / 1.0 inNNovember: 65 mm / 2.6 inDDecember: 189 mm / 7.4 in27110.7

Quelimane climate table

Monthly averages, 2001–2025
MonthHigh °C°FLow °C°FMean °C°FPrecip. mmin
Jan30872576278127111
Feb3087257627811756.9
Mar3086247527811746.9
Apr298523732679823.2
May298321692576361.4
Jun278119672374351.4
Jul278018652373411.6
Aug288319662474100.4
Sep308720682578130.5
Oct328922722780261.0
Nov339123742882652.6
Dec3289247628831897.4
Year3391186526791,11844

“Year” row: highest monthly high, lowest monthly low, annual mean and annual total.

Humidity, cloud, sun and daylight
MonthHumid.CloudSolarDaylight
Jan82%73%6.013:05
Feb81%67%6.112:42
Mar81%61%5.612:14
Apr77%51%5.211:43
May73%48%4.611:17
Jun73%49%4.011:04
Jul71%53%4.111:09
Aug69%43%5.011:31
Sep68%39%5.712:01
Oct68%43%6.212:32
Nov69%55%6.412:59
Dec76%70%6.213:12

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 Quelimane is like

The warmest month is December, with an average high of 32 °C89 °F and a low of 24 °C76 °F. The coldest is July, when highs average 27 °C80 °F and lows 18 °C65 °F. Seasonal differences are small — just 5.5 °C10 °F between the warmest and the coolest month.

It is wet, with about 1,118 mm44 in of precipitation per year. The wettest three-month stretch is December–February, which brings 57% of the annual total. Months with less than 20 mm0.8 in on average: August and September. The wettest month is January (271 mm11 in), the driest is August (10 mm0.4 in).

Relative humidity ranges from 68% in October to 82% in January. The clearest skies (lowest average cloud amount, 39%) are typical of September. Average wind speed near the ground ranges from 9 km/h (6 mph) in February to 14 km/h (9 mph) in October. Daylight lasts from about 11.1 hours in June to 13.2 hours in December.

Best time to visit Quelimane

Based on these averages, the most comfortable months for sightseeing and outdoor activities are May–August. Average highs then reach 27 °C80 °F to 29 °C83 °F. Precipitation is 10 mm0.4 in to 41 mm1.6 in per month.

The most challenging month is January, which is hot, with average highs of 30 °C87 °F, very wet (271 mm11 in) and humid (82% relative humidity).

Comfort score: months are ranked by how close they come to an ideal. That means 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 Quelimane

  • Wetter months (December–March) — highs 3086 to 32 °C89 °F, lows 2475 to 25 °C76 °F, about 202 mm8.0 in of precipitation a month. Pack very light, breathable clothing, a sun hat and plenty of water and a good rain jacket or umbrella and quick-drying shoes.
  • Drier months (April–November) — highs 2780 to 33 °C91 °F, lows 1865 to 23 °C74 °F, about 39 mm1.5 in of precipitation a month. Pack light summer clothes such as T-shirts, shorts or light dresses.

How Quelimane compares

The nearest larger place is Blantyre, about 307 km to the northwest. Compared with it, Quelimane is on average 5.3 °C9.5 °F warmer. It receives a similar amount of precipitation. The difference is largest in April (6.7 °C12 °F warmer).

World Climates covers 17 places in Mozambique. By annual mean temperature, Quelimane is the 4th warmest of them. By annual precipitation, it is the 7th wettest. See all of them on the Mozambique climate page.

Some places in other countries have a very similar pattern of temperature and rainfall (with seasons shifted for the other hemisphere). The closest matches are Antsiranana (Madagascar, Aw), Mérida (Mexico, Aw) and Campeche (Mexico, Aw).

Nearby places

All places in Mozambique

Frequently asked questions

What is the warmest month in Quelimane?

December is the warmest month in Quelimane. Its average high is 32 °C (89 °F) and its average low is 24 °C (76 °F).

What is the coldest month in Quelimane?

July is the coldest month. Its average high is 27 °C (80 °F) and its average low is 18 °C (65 °F).

When does it rain the most in Quelimane?

January is the wettest month with about 271 mm (10.7 in) of precipitation. August is the driest with about 10 mm (0.4 in).

What is the best time to visit Quelimane?

Judging by long-term averages, the most comfortable months are May–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. The gaps are largest 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.

Sources and method