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Climate in Namibia


Average weather, temperature, rainfall, sunshine

Flag - Namibia

Map - Namibia

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Namibia, formerly South-West Africa, has a sub-tropical climate, desert along the coast and in the south, and arid, but with a rainy season from November to March, in inland north-central areas and in the north-east.
Being in the Southern Hemisphere, its seasons are reversed in comparison with Europe or North America, and the coolest period is from May to August.
The country is crossed by the Tropic of Capricorn, but a cold current, called Benguela Current, flows along the coast, while the interior is occupied by a plateau.
As a result, the climate is cooler and drier than you might think.
Nevertheless, it can get hot in summer, especially at some distance from the sea and in areas located at not too high altitudes. There may be blistering days from September to March in the north, from November to January in Windhoek, which is located in the center and at a pretty high altitude, and from September to Avril or early May in the center-south.
On the contrary, during winter, the plateau can get cold at night, with possible light frosts everywhere.
The country is home to nature reserves and parks of great beauty, like the Etosha National Park.

The driest region is the coastal area, where the Namib Desert is located, as well as the south, where the Kalahari Desert is found. The latter is slightly rainier, and it's home to xerophyte plants such as cacti and other succulent species.
The rainiest area of Namibia is the north-east, where rainfall ranges from 500 to 600 millimeters (20 to 23.5 inches) per year.
Winter is dry everywhere, while in non-desert regions (north and east) it rains in summer, from November to March, usually in the form of showers or thunderstorms in the afternoon. The peak of the rainy season is from January to March.

The climate in detail


  • The coast - Swakopmund
  • The plateau - Tsumeb, Windhoek, Keetmanshoop
  • When to go
  • What to pack
  • Climate data

The coast



Along the coast, the climate is desert but mild. It almost never rains, but the air is humid and there are often fogs, mists and low clouds, especially in the early hours of the day. Temperatures are mild all year round, but with fog, humidity and wind, you can feel cold, especially in winter.

Swakopmund

Climate chart - Swakopmund
In Swakopmund, in the central part of the coast, temperatures are milder from January to March, and cooler from July to October. Rain is practically absent.
Owing to the already mentioned mists and low clouds, which are more frequent at night and in the morning, the amount of sunshine in Swakopmund is decent, but not great, all year round.
The sea in Swakopmund is very cool, if not cold, all year round, however, it reaches 17 °C (63 °F) from January to March. Only in the northernmost part of the Skeleton Coast, the sea is a bit warmer, and it reaches 22/23 °C (72/73 °F) in March.

Along the coast, the temperature can soar when the warm wind called Oosweer blows from inland, which can also cause sandstorms.
In addition, it's sufficient to move inland for not too many kilometers, to notice the tempering effect of the sea. In fact, as you move away from the coast, the air temperature increases rapidly, at least during the day and in summer. To understand how strong is the cooling influence of the sea, it's enough to say that in summer, the temperatures in inland areas are higher than on the coast even above 1,500 meters (5,000 feet) of altitude.
The coast is not advisable for beach tourism, but rather for watching birds, or animals such as sea lions at Cape Cross, as well as the remains of shipwrecks of the past centuries on the Skeleton Coast to the north.

Sand Dunes in Sossusvlei

In the west, about 600 meters (2,000 feet) above sea level, in the area of the ancient Tsauchab river, today almost always dry, there are salt and clay pans (called Sossusvlei), which are almost always dry as well, and are surrounded by huge orange sand dunes, probably the highest sand dunes in the world. In particular, the "Big Daddy" dune is about 390 meters (1,280 feet) high. Another very high dune, the so-called "Dune 7", is located near the coast, near Walvis Bay, and is about 385 meters (1,263 feet) high. In the Sandwich Bay area, there are very high sand dunes right near the sea.

The plateau



The interior of the country, already a short distance from the sea, is occupied by a plateau, whose altitude ranges from 1,200 to 1,700 meters (3,900 to 5,600 ft).
Occasionally, there are higher zones, and mountain peaks exceeding 2,000 meters (6,500 feet), for instance the Brandberg Massif.
In the southern regions (Hardap and Karas), in the hottest months (December and January), the maximum temperatures are around 35 °C at 1,000 meters (95 °F at 3,300 feet) of altitude. In the north, where the rainy season is more pronounced, the temperatures in the warmest months are a bit lower, and highs are around 30 °C (86 °F). North of the Tropic, the warmest period is from September to November, before the rainy season.

Tsumeb

Climate chart - Tsumeb
For example, in Tsumeb, located in the north at 1,300 meters (4,250 feet) of altitude, the hottest month is October, when daytime temperatures are slightly higher than in January, that is, 33 °C (91 °F) instead of 31 °C (88 °F), while in the Zambezi Region, in the far north-east, average highs in October are around 35 °C (95 °F).
In Tsumeb, 555 mm or rain fall per year.
The sun in Tsumeb shines all year round, but especially in the dry season, from May to September, when the sky is almost always serene.

As mentioned, the north, where Tsumeb is located, is the wettest area of the country. In the vast Etosha National Park, where there are protected species such as the black rhino, we find the Etosha Pan, a salt lake located not far from Tsumeb and 1,100 meters (3,600 feet) above sea level, which is dry most of the year, but becomes a shallow lake during the rainy season. In the wettest years, there may be flooding in the Etosha region and in the Cuvelai Basin.
The northeast is the rainiest area: the Kavango Region and the Caprivi Strip are covered by the savannah biome, also, there are major rivers such as Okavango and Zambezi, along whose banks the forest flourishes.

Elephants in the Caprivi Strip

Windhoek

Climate chart - Windhoek
In the capital, Windhoek, located in the center of the country and 1,700 meters (5,600 ft) above sea level, the average temperature ranges from 15 °C (59 °F) in July to 25 °C (77 °F) in December. So, the summer is hot despite the altitude, and it's much warmer than along the coast. In winter, the days are very mild, actually, they are even slightly warm, but it can get cold at night.
Winter is a very sunny season, during which it almost never rains. On the other hand, from November to April, some rain falls, but the rainfall reaches on average 70/80 mm (2.8/3.1 in) per month only from January to March. Total annual rainfall is 370 mm (14.5 in), so the climate is arid, but during some years, when tropical air masses from Angola arrive up here, in the rainy season, it can rain a lot.
In Windhoek too, as generally in the plateau, the sun shines all year round, with a maximum in the dry season.

Windhoek

In the southern part of the plateau, the climate is more arid; in fact, as mentioned, we are in the Kalahari desert. Here, the summer rains are too poor to lower the temperature, so the hottest season is the precisely the summer, with highs of 36/37 °C (97/99 °F) from December to February, and peaks around 40 °C (104 °F) and above. On the other hand, at a given altitude, the southern position makes the winter colder than in the center and north.

Keetmanshoop

Climate chart - Keetmanshoop
For example, in Keetmanshoop, located in the south, at 1,000 meters (3,300 feet) of altitude, temperatures in winter are similar to those of Windhoek, while is summer they are higher.
Keetmanshoop receives a desert-like amount of rainfall, 145 mm (5.7 in) per year, with a maximum of 40 mm (1.6 in) in February.

Southwest of Keetmanshoop, shared by Namibia and South Africa, is the Ai-|Ais/Richtersveld Transfrontier Park. In areas located at low altitudes (see the Fish River Canyon, and also the Orange River, which marks the border with South Africa, where the altitude drops to sea level in villages like Aussenkehr and Noordoewer), in the hot period, the temperature can reach 45 °C (113 °F).

Fish River Canyon

When to go



The best time to visit Namibia as a whole is the austral winter, from May to August: it's a dry and sunny period, and it's the only one that allows to avoid the intense heat; on the plateau, however, nights are cold.
It is true that it is cool along the coast, and there are fogs in the morning (on the coast, the best time would be from November to February).

What to pack



In winter (June to August): on the coast, bring spring/autumn clothes, and a sweatshirt or sweater and a jacket. In Windhoek and the plateau, bring spring/autumn clothes, being ready to add or remove the outer layer; a sweater, a hat and a warm jacket for the evening.

In summer (December to February): along the coast, bring spring/autumn clothes, a T-shirt, a shirt, a sweatshirt, and a light jacket. In Windhoek and the plateau, light clothes for the day, a sun hat, a sweatshirt for the evening, and a light raincoat or umbrella.

Climate data - Namibia


Temperatures: °C, Precipitation: mm
Gobabis (1.450 meters)
Gobabis, location on the map
Gobabis, location on the map
JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
Min temp.18181613844610141618
Max temp.343332302825252831343534
Precip.7590604055005154040
Prec. days332100000112
Humidity51%54%57%53%39%33%35%26%25%29%37%44%
Day length133128122115110108109114120126132135

Grootfontein (1.400 meters)
Grootfontein, location on the map
Grootfontein, location on the map
JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
Min temp.181817141076914171818
Max temp.313130292725242832343332
Precip.1209570300150525256080
Prec. days775200001357
Humidity57%58%59%47%40%37%36%27%24%28%39%49%
Day length132127122116112110111115120126131133

Keetmanshoop (1.000 meters)
Keetmanshoop, location on the map
Keetmanshoop, location on the map
JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
Min temp.202019151287812141619
Max temp.373634312823232529323436
Precip.254035155000551015
Prec. days455210000122
Humidity29%33%34%33%30%35%32%28%24%23%23%25%
Day length136130122114108105107112120128134138
Sun hours111110101010101011111212

Luderitz
Luderitz, location on the map
Luderitz, location on the map
JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
Min temp.141414131211101010111214
Max temp.212121201919181717181920
Precip.000055000000
Prec. days111111110001
Humidity82%81%82%80%79%72%74%78%80%80%80%80%
Day length136130122114108105107112120128134138
Sun hours678775667666

Rundu (1.100 meters)
Rundu, location on the map
Rundu, location on the map
JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
Min temp.2020191612881116202020
Max temp.323232312927263034363433
Precip.150135903050000206080
Prec. days1514115210114912
Humidity62%62%60%47%36%34%32%25%21%28%43%54%
Day length131127122117113111112115120125130132

Swakopmund
Swakopmund, location on the map
Swakopmund, location on the map
JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
Min temp.1516151311119910111314
Max temp.202120181820181616161819
Precip.000000000000
Prec. days000100000000
Day length133128122115110108109114120126132135
Sun hours766788876777
Sea temp171717161514141414141516

Tsumeb (1.330 meters)
Tsumeb, location on the map
Tsumeb, location on the map
JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
Min temp.1818171511881015181818
Max temp.313029282624242731333231
Precip.120140804050000205595
Prec. days121295100003611
Day length131127122116112110111115120126130133
Sun hours88810111111111110910

Windhoek (1.700 meters)
Windhoek, location on the map
Windhoek, location on the map
JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
Min temp.1717161311871013161617
Max temp.323130282623232630323233
Precip.8080804050005102540
Prec. days111110621001358
Humidity42%49%47%43%33%28%27%20%18%21%26%32%
Day length133128122115110108109114120126132135
Sun hours9999101011111110109



See also the temperatures month by month

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 See also (cities or regions):
 Gobabis
 Grootfontein
 Keetmanshoop
 Rundu
 Windhoek

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