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Climate and Average Weather Year Round in Axum Ethiopia

In Axum, the wet season is comfortable and overcast and the dry season is warm and partly cloudy. Over the course of the year, the temperature typically varies from 51°F to 84°F and is rarely below 47°F or above 87°F.

Based on the tourism score, the best time of year to visit Axum for warm-weather activities is from early October to early May.

Climate in Axum

warmcomfortablewarmJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecNowNow79%79%14%14%clearovercastprecipitation: 7.9 inprecipitation: 7.9 in0.0 in0.0 inmuggy: 0%muggy: 0%0%0%drydrytourism score: 8.2tourism score: 8.24.14.1
Axum weather by month. Click on each chart for more information.

The warm season lasts for 4.0 months, from January 30 to May 29, with an average daily high temperature above 80°F. The hottest month of the year in Axum is May, with an average high of 81°F and low of 63°F.

The cool season lasts for 1.6 months, from July 8 to August 27, with an average daily high temperature below 71°F. The coldest month of the year in Axum is August, with an average low of 59°F and high of 70°F.

Average High and Low Temperature in Axum

Average High and Low Temperature in AxumwarmcoolJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec0°F0°F10°F10°F20°F20°F30°F30°F40°F40°F50°F50°F60°F60°F70°F70°F80°F80°F90°F90°F100°F100°FDec 2277°FDec 2277°FMar 3184°FMar 3184°F51°F51°F61°F61°FJan 3080°FJan 3080°FMay 2980°FMay 2980°FJul 871°FJul 871°FAug 2771°FAug 2771°F53°F53°F63°F63°F59°F59°F59°F59°FNowNow
The daily average high (red line) and low (blue line) temperature, with 25th to 75th and 10th to 90th percentile bands. The thin dotted lines are the corresponding average perceived temperatures.
AverageJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
High 79°F82°F83°F83°F81°F77°F70°F70°F74°F73°F74°F76°F
Temp. 66°F70°F72°F73°F73°F70°F64°F64°F67°F65°F64°F64°F
Low 52°F55°F59°F62°F63°F61°F58°F59°F58°F56°F53°F51°F

The figure below shows you a compact characterization of the entire year of hourly average temperatures. The horizontal axis is the day of the year, the vertical axis is the hour of the day, and the color is the average temperature for that hour and day.

Average Hourly Temperature in Axum

Average Hourly Temperature in AxumJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec12 AM12 AM2 AM2 AM4 AM4 AM6 AM6 AM8 AM8 AM10 AM10 AM12 PM12 PM2 PM2 PM4 PM4 PM6 PM6 PM8 PM8 PM10 PM10 PM12 AM12 AMNowNowcoldcoldcoolcoolcomfortablecomfortablewarmwarmcool
frigid 15°F freezing 32°F very cold 45°F cold 55°F cool 65°F comfortable 75°F warm 85°F hot 95°F sweltering
The average hourly temperature, color coded into bands. The shaded overlays indicate night and civil twilight.

Miahuatlán de Porfirio Díaz, Mexico (8,741 miles away); Marcala, Honduras (8,314 miles); and Pakxong, Laos (4,499 miles) are the far-away foreign places with temperatures most similar to Axum (view comparison).

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In Axum, the average percentage of the sky covered by clouds experiences extreme seasonal variation over the course of the year.

The clearer part of the year in Axum begins around September 27 and lasts for 7.9 months, ending around May 23.

The clearest month of the year in Axum is November, during which on average the sky is clear, mostly clear, or partly cloudy 77% of the time.

The cloudier part of the year begins around May 23 and lasts for 4.1 months, ending around September 27.

The cloudiest month of the year in Axum is July, during which on average the sky is overcast or mostly cloudy 84% of the time.

Cloud Cover Categories in Axum

Cloud Cover Categories in AxumclearerclearercloudierJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec0%100%10%90%20%80%30%70%40%60%50%50%60%40%70%30%80%20%90%10%100%0%Nov 1979%Nov 1979%Jul 2414%Jul 2414%Sep 2746%Sep 2746%May 2347%May 2347%NowNowclearovercastmostly cloudypartly cloudymostly clear
0% clear 20% mostly clear 40% partly cloudy 60% mostly cloudy 80% overcast 100%
The percentage of time spent in each cloud cover band, categorized by the percentage of the sky covered by clouds.
FractionJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
Cloudier 30%32%37%40%51%71%84%81%65%37%23%27%
Clearer 70%68%63%60%49%29%16%19%35%63%77%73%

A wet day is one with at least 0.04 inches of liquid or liquid-equivalent precipitation. The chance of wet days in Axum varies very significantly throughout the year.

The wetter season lasts 2.5 months, from June 23 to September 8, with a greater than 36% chance of a given day being a wet day. The month with the most wet days in Axum is August, with an average of 20.5 days with at least 0.04 inches of precipitation.

The drier season lasts 9.5 months, from September 8 to June 23. The month with the fewest wet days in Axum is January, with an average of 0.2 days with at least 0.04 inches of precipitation.

Among wet days, we distinguish between those that experience rain alone, snow alone, or a mixture of the two. The month with the most days of rain alone in Axum is August, with an average of 20.5 days. Based on this categorization, the most common form of precipitation throughout the year is rain alone, with a peak probability of 73% on August 3.

Daily Chance of Precipitation in Axum

Daily Chance of Precipitation in AxumwetdrydryJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec0%0%10%10%20%20%30%30%40%40%50%50%60%60%70%70%80%80%90%90%100%100%Aug 373%Aug 373%Feb 30%Feb 30%Jun 2336%Jun 2336%Sep 836%Sep 836%NowNowrain
The percentage of days in which various types of precipitation are observed, excluding trace quantities: rain alone, snow alone, and mixed (both rain and snow fell in the same day).
Days ofJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
Rain 0.2d0.4d1.6d2.7d5.1d8.5d19.1d20.5d7.9d2.3d0.6d0.3d

To show variation within the months and not just the monthly totals, we show the rainfall accumulated over a sliding 31-day period centered around each day of the year. Axum experiences extreme seasonal variation in monthly rainfall.

The rainy period of the year lasts for 6.5 months, from April 5 to October 20, with a sliding 31-day rainfall of at least 0.5 inches. The month with the most rain in Axum is August, with an average rainfall of 7.3 inches.

The rainless period of the year lasts for 5.5 months, from October 20 to April 5. The month with the least rain in Axum is January, with an average rainfall of 0.1 inches.

Average Monthly Rainfall in Axum

The average rainfall (solid line) accumulated over the course of a sliding 31-day period centered on the day in question, with 25th to 75th and 10th to 90th percentile bands. The thin dotted line is the corresponding average snowfall.
JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
Rainfall 0.1″0.1″0.3″0.6″1.2″2.0″6.4″7.3″2.2″0.6″0.1″0.1″

The length of the day in Axum varies over the course of the year. In 2024, the shortest day is December 21, with 11 hours, 18 minutes of daylight; the longest day is June 20, with 12 hours, 58 minutes of daylight.

Hours of Daylight and Twilight in Axum

The number of hours during which the Sun is visible (black line). From bottom (most yellow) to top (most gray), the color bands indicate: full daylight, twilight (civil, nautical, and astronomical), and full night.
Hours ofJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
Daylight 11.4h11.7h12.1h12.5h12.8h12.9h12.9h12.6h12.2h11.8h11.5h11.3h

The earliest sunrise is at 5:55 AM on June 1, and the latest sunrise is 58 minutes later at 6:53 AM on January 23. The earliest sunset is at 5:53 PM on November 20, and the latest sunset is 1 hour, 4 minutes later at 6:57 PM on July 8.

Daylight saving time (DST) is not observed in Axum during 2024.

Sunrise & Sunset with Twilight in Axum

Sunrise & Sunset with Twilight in AxumJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec2 AM4 AM6 AM8 AM10 AM12 PM2 PM4 PM6 PM8 PM10 PM12 AMJun 15:55 AMJun 15:55 AM6:57 PMJul 86:57 PMJul 8Nov 205:53 PMNov 205:53 PM6:53 AMJan 236:53 AMJan 23daynightnightSolarMidnightSolarMidnightSolarNoonSunriseSunsetNowNow
The solar day over the course of the year 2024. From bottom to top, the black lines are the previous solar midnight, sunrise, solar noon, sunset, and the next solar midnight. The day, twilights (civil, nautical, and astronomical), and night are indicated by the color bands from yellow to gray.

The figure below presents a compact representation of the sun's elevation (the angle of the sun above the horizon) and azimuth (its compass bearing) for every hour of every day in the reporting period. The horizontal axis is the day of the year and the vertical axis is the hour of the day. For a given day and hour of that day, the background color indicates the azimuth of the sun at that moment. The black isolines are contours of constant solar elevation.

Solar Elevation and Azimuth in Axum

Solar Elevation and Azimuth in AxumJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec12 AM12 AM2 AM2 AM4 AM4 AM6 AM6 AM8 AM8 AM10 AM10 AM12 PM12 PM2 PM2 PM4 PM4 PM6 PM6 PM8 PM8 PM10 PM10 PM12 AM12 AM0000101010102020202030303030404040405050505060606070708000001010101020202020303030304040404050505050606060707080805290NowNow
northeastsouthwest
Solar elevation and azimuth over the course of the year 2024. The black lines are lines of constant solar elevation (the angle of the sun above the horizon, in degrees). The background color fills indicate the azimuth (the compass bearing) of the sun. The lightly tinted areas at the boundaries of the cardinal compass points indicate the implied intermediate directions (northeast, southeast, southwest, and northwest).

The figure below presents a compact representation of key lunar data for 2024. The horizontal axis is the day, the vertical axis is the hour of the day, and the colored areas indicate when the moon is above the horizon. The vertical gray bars (new Moons) and blue bars (full Moons) indicate key Moon phases.

Moon Rise, Set & Phases in Axum

The time in which the moon is above the horizon (light blue area), with new moons (dark gray lines) and full moons (blue lines) indicated. The shaded overlays indicate night and civil twilight.

We base the humidity comfort level on the dew point, as it determines whether perspiration will evaporate from the skin, thereby cooling the body. Lower dew points feel drier and higher dew points feel more humid. Unlike temperature, which typically varies significantly between night and day, dew point tends to change more slowly, so while the temperature may drop at night, a muggy day is typically followed by a muggy night.

The perceived humidity level in Axum, as measured by the percentage of time in which the humidity comfort level is muggy, oppressive, or miserable, does not vary significantly over the course of the year, remaining a virtually constant 0% throughout.

Humidity Comfort Levels in Axum

Humidity Comfort Levels in AxumJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec0%0%10%10%20%20%30%30%40%40%50%50%60%60%70%70%80%80%90%90%100%100%Feb 60%Feb 60%Aug 70%Aug 70%NowNowhumidhumidcomfortablecomfortabledrydry
dry 55°F comfortable 60°F humid 65°F muggy 70°F oppressive 75°F miserable
The percentage of time spent at various humidity comfort levels, categorized by dew point.
JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
Muggy days 0.0d0.0d0.0d0.0d0.0d0.0d0.0d0.0d0.0d0.0d0.0d0.0d

This section discusses the wide-area hourly average wind vector (speed and direction) at 10 meters above the ground. The wind experienced at any given location is highly dependent on local topography and other factors, and instantaneous wind speed and direction vary more widely than hourly averages.

The average hourly wind speed in Axum experiences significant seasonal variation over the course of the year.

The windier part of the year lasts for 7.3 months, from October 6 to May 15, with average wind speeds of more than 6.7 miles per hour. The windiest month of the year in Axum is March, with an average hourly wind speed of 8.2 miles per hour.

The calmer time of year lasts for 4.7 months, from May 15 to October 6. The calmest month of the year in Axum is September, with an average hourly wind speed of 5.3 miles per hour.

Average Wind Speed in Axum

Average Wind Speed in AxumwindywindyJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec0 mph0 mph2 mph2 mph4 mph4 mph6 mph6 mph8 mph8 mph10 mph10 mph12 mph12 mph14 mph14 mphMar 28.4 mphMar 28.4 mphSep 105.0 mphSep 105.0 mphMay 156.7 mphMay 156.7 mphNowNow
The average of mean hourly wind speeds (dark gray line), with 25th to 75th and 10th to 90th percentile bands.
JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
Wind Speed (mph) 7.78.08.28.16.87.16.85.85.37.48.18.0

The predominant average hourly wind direction in Axum varies throughout the year.

The wind is most often from the south for 3.6 weeks, from March 11 to April 5, with a peak percentage of 39% on March 28. The wind is most often from the east for 1.9 months, from April 5 to June 1 and for 6.0 months, from September 12 to March 11, with a peak percentage of 50% on May 12. The wind is most often from the west for 3.0 months, from June 1 to September 1, with a peak percentage of 82% on July 16.

Wind Direction in Axum

Wind Direction in AxumESEWNEJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec0%100%20%80%40%60%60%40%80%20%100%0%NowNowwesteastnorthsouth
northeastsouthwest
The percentage of hours in which the mean wind direction is from each of the four cardinal wind directions, excluding hours in which the mean wind speed is less than 1.0 mph. The lightly tinted areas at the boundaries are the percentage of hours spent in the implied intermediate directions (northeast, southeast, southwest, and northwest).

To characterize how pleasant the weather is in Axum throughout the year, we compute two travel scores.

The tourism score favors clear, rainless days with perceived temperatures between 65°F and 80°F. Based on this score, the best time of year to visit Axum for general outdoor tourist activities is from early October to early May, with a peak score in the third week of November.

Tourism Score in Axum

Tourism Score in Axumbest timebest timeJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec002244668810108.28.24.14.1NowNowtemperaturetemperature cloudscloudsprecipitationprecipitationtourism score
The tourism score (filled area), and its constituents: the temperature score (red line), the cloud cover score (blue line), and the precipitation score (green line).

The beach/pool score favors clear, rainless days with perceived temperatures between 75°F and 90°F. Based on this score, the best time of year to visit Axum for hot-weather activities is from early February to late May, with a peak score in the first week of April.

Beach/Pool Score in Axum

Beach/Pool Score in Axumbest timeJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec002244668810106.96.91.11.14.14.1NowNowtemperaturetemperature cloudscloudsprecipitationprecipitationbeach/pool score
The beach/pool score (filled area), and its constituents: the temperature score (red line), the cloud cover score (blue line), and the precipitation score (green line).

Methodology

For each hour between 8:00 AM and 9:00 PM of each day in the analysis period (1980 to 2016), independent scores are computed for perceived temperature, cloud cover, and total precipitation. Those scores are combined into a single hourly composite score, which is then aggregated into days, averaged over all the years in the analysis period, and smoothed.

Our cloud cover score is 10 for fully clear skies, falling linearly to 9 for mostly clear skies, and to 1 for fully overcast skies.

Our precipitation score, which is based on the three-hour precipitation centered on the hour in question, is 10 for no precipitation, falling linearly to 9 for trace precipitation, and to 0 for 0.04 inches of precipitation or more.

Our tourism temperature score is 0 for perceived temperatures below 50°F, rising linearly to 9 for 65°F, to 10 for 75°F, falling linearly to 9 for 80°F, and to 1 for 90°F or hotter.

Our beach/pool temperature score is 0 for perceived temperatures below 65°F, rising linearly to 9 for 75°F, to 10 for 82°F, falling linearly to 9 for 90°F, and to 1 for 100°F or hotter.

Definitions of the growing season vary throughout the world, but for the purposes of this report, we define it as the longest continuous period of non-freezing temperatures (≥ 32°F) in the year (the calendar year in the Northern Hemisphere, or from July 1 until June 30 in the Southern Hemisphere).

Temperatures in Axum are sufficiently warm year round that it is not entirely meaningful to discuss the growing season in these terms. We nevertheless include the chart below as an illustration of the distribution of temperatures experienced throughout the year.

Time Spent in Various Temperature Bands and the Growing Season in Axum

Time Spent in Various Temperature Bands and the Growing Season in AxumJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec0%100%10%90%20%80%30%70%40%60%50%50%60%40%70%30%80%20%90%10%100%0%100%Jan 1100%Jan 1100%Jul 2100%Jul 2NowNowcoldcoolcomfortablewarmhot
frigid 15°F freezing 32°F very cold 45°F cold 55°F cool 65°F comfortable 75°F warm 85°F hot 95°F sweltering
The percentage of time spent in various temperature bands. The black line is the percentage chance that a given day is within the growing season.

Growing degree days are a measure of yearly heat accumulation used to predict plant and animal development, and defined as the integral of warmth above a base temperature, discarding any excess above a maximum temperature. In this report, we use a base of 50°F and a cap of 86°F.

Growing Degree Days in Axum

Growing Degree Days in AxumJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec0°F0°F1,000°F1,000°F2,000°F2,000°F3,000°F3,000°F4,000°F4,000°F5,000°F5,000°F6,000°F6,000°F7,000°F7,000°FJan 790°FJan 790°FApr 21,800°FApr 21,800°FDec 316,444°FDec 316,444°FNowNow
The average growing degree days accumulated over the course of the year, with 25th to 75th and 10th to 90th percentile bands.

This section discusses the total daily incident shortwave solar energy reaching the surface of the ground over a wide area, taking full account of seasonal variations in the length of the day, the elevation of the Sun above the horizon, and absorption by clouds and other atmospheric constituents. Shortwave radiation includes visible light and ultraviolet radiation.

The average daily incident shortwave solar energy experiences some seasonal variation over the course of the year.

The brighter period of the year lasts for 3.2 months, from February 19 to May 24, with an average daily incident shortwave energy per square meter above 6.9 kWh. The brightest month of the year in Axum is April, with an average of 7.4 kWh.

The darker period of the year lasts for 1.6 months, from July 7 to August 27, with an average daily incident shortwave energy per square meter below 5.2 kWh. The darkest month of the year in Axum is August, with an average of 4.8 kWh.

Average Daily Incident Shortwave Solar Energy in Axum

Average Daily Incident Shortwave Solar Energy in AxumbrightdarkJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec0 kWh0 kWh1 kWh1 kWh2 kWh2 kWh3 kWh3 kWh4 kWh4 kWh5 kWh5 kWh6 kWh6 kWh7 kWh7 kWh8 kWh8 kWh9 kWh9 kWhApr 107.5 kWhApr 107.5 kWhJul 274.6 kWhJul 274.6 kWhFeb 196.9 kWhFeb 196.9 kWhMay 246.9 kWhMay 246.9 kWhNowNow
The average daily shortwave solar energy reaching the ground per square meter (orange line), with 25th to 75th and 10th to 90th percentile bands.
JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
Solar Energy (kWh) 6.36.87.37.47.06.14.94.86.26.76.46.1

For the purposes of this report, the geographical coordinates of Axum are 14.121 deg latitude, 38.723 deg longitude, and 6,991 ft elevation.

The topography within 2 miles of Axum contains very significant variations in elevation, with a maximum elevation change of 889 feet and an average elevation above sea level of 7,063 feet. Within 10 miles contains very significant variations in elevation (3,209 feet). Within 50 miles contains large variations in elevation (9,531 feet).

The area within 2 miles of Axum is covered by cropland (100%), within 10 miles by cropland (93%), and within 50 miles by cropland (68%) and shrubs (15%).

This report illustrates the typical weather in Axum, based on a statistical analysis of historical hourly weather reports and model reconstructions from January 1, 1980 to December 31, 2016.

Temperature and Dew Point

There is only a single weather station, Asmara Airport, in our network suitable to be used as a proxy for the historical temperature and dew point records of Axum.

At a distance of 132 kilometers from Axum, closer than our threshold of 150 kilometers, this station is deemed sufficiently nearby to be relied upon as our primary source for temperature and dew point records.

The station records are corrected for the elevation difference between the station and Axum according to the International Standard Atmosphere , and by the relative change present in the MERRA-2 satellite-era reanalysis between the two locations.

Please note that the station records themselves may additionally have been back-filled using other nearby stations or the MERRA-2 reanalysis.

Other Data

All data relating to the Sun's position (e.g., sunrise and sunset) are computed using astronomical formulas from the book, Astronomical Algorithms 2nd Edition , by Jean Meeus.

All other weather data, including cloud cover, precipitation, wind speed and direction, and solar flux, come from NASA's MERRA-2 Modern-Era Retrospective Analysis . This reanalysis combines a variety of wide-area measurements in a state-of-the-art global meteorological model to reconstruct the hourly history of weather throughout the world on a 50-kilometer grid.

Land Use data comes from the Global Land Cover SHARE database , published by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations.

Elevation data comes from the Shuttle Radar Topography Mission (SRTM) , published by NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory.

Names, locations, and time zones of places and some airports come from the GeoNames Geographical Database .

Time zones for airports and weather stations are provided by AskGeo.com .

Maps are © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Disclaimer

The information on this site is provided as is, without any assurances as to its accuracy or suitability for any purpose. Weather data is prone to errors, outages, and other defects. We assume no responsibility for any decisions made on the basis of the content presented on this site.

We draw particular cautious attention to our reliance on the MERRA-2 model-based reconstructions for a number of important data series. While having the tremendous advantages of temporal and spatial completeness, these reconstructions: (1) are based on computer models that may have model-based errors, (2) are coarsely sampled on a 50 km grid and are therefore unable to reconstruct the local variations of many microclimates, and (3) have particular difficulty with the weather in some coastal areas, especially small islands.

We further caution that our travel scores are only as good as the data that underpin them, that weather conditions at any given location and time are unpredictable and variable, and that the definition of the scores reflects a particular set of preferences that may not agree with those of any particular reader.

Please review our full terms contained on our Terms of Service page.