Climate and Average Weather Year Round in Vikindu Tanzania

In Vikindu, the wet season is hot and mostly cloudy; the dry season is warm, windy, and mostly clear; and it is oppressive year round. Over the course of the year, the temperature typically varies from 67°F to 89°F and is rarely below 64°F or above 92°F.

Based on the beach/pool score, the best time of year to visit Vikindu for hot-weather activities is from late May to mid October.

The temperature in Vikindu varies so little throughout the year that it is not entirely meaningful to discuss hot and cold seasons.

In Vikindu, 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 Vikindu begins around May 5 and lasts for 6.6 months, ending around November 23.

The clearest month of the year in Vikindu is August, during which on average the sky is clear, mostly clear, or partly cloudy 78% of the time.

The cloudier part of the year begins around November 23 and lasts for 5.5 months, ending around May 5.

The cloudiest month of the year in Vikindu is February, during which on average the sky is overcast or mostly cloudy 75% of the time.

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

The wetter season lasts 6.2 months, from November 11 to May 17, with a greater than 36% chance of a given day being a wet day. The month with the most wet days in Vikindu is April, with an average of 19.2 days with at least 0.04 inches of precipitation.

The drier season lasts 5.8 months, from May 17 to November 11. The month with the fewest wet days in Vikindu is July, with an average of 1.8 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 Vikindu is April, with an average of 19.2 days. Based on this categorization, the most common form of precipitation throughout the year is rain alone, with a peak probability of 67% on April 9.

Rainfall

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. Vikindu experiences extreme seasonal variation in monthly rainfall.

The rainy period of the year lasts for 9.5 months, from September 20 to July 6, with a sliding 31-day rainfall of at least 0.5 inches. The month with the most rain in Vikindu is April, with an average rainfall of 6.8 inches.

The rainless period of the year lasts for 2.5 months, from July 6 to September 20. The month with the least rain in Vikindu is August, with an average rainfall of 0.3 inches.

The length of the day in Vikindu does not vary substantially over the course of the year, staying within 32 minutes of 12 hours throughout. In 2024, the shortest day is June 20, with 11 hours, 43 minutes of daylight; the longest day is December 21, with 12 hours, 32 minutes of daylight.

The earliest sunrise is at 5:54 AM on November 13, and the latest sunrise is 42 minutes later at 6:36 AM on July 16. The earliest sunset is at 6:12 PM on May 24, and the latest sunset is 36 minutes later at 6:48 PM on January 31.

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

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.

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.

Vikindu experiences some seasonal variation in the perceived humidity.

The muggier period of the year lasts for 10.0 months, from August 31 to June 28, during which time the comfort level is muggy, oppressive, or miserable at least 86% of the time. The month with the most muggy days in Vikindu is March, with 31.0 days that are muggy or worse.

The month with the fewest muggy days in Vikindu is July, with 25.6 days that are muggy or worse.

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 Vikindu experiences significant seasonal variation over the course of the year.

The windier part of the year lasts for 6.2 months, from April 22 to October 28, with average wind speeds of more than 10.6 miles per hour. The windiest month of the year in Vikindu is July, with an average hourly wind speed of 13.5 miles per hour.

The calmer time of year lasts for 5.8 months, from October 28 to April 22. The calmest month of the year in Vikindu is March, with an average hourly wind speed of 7.9 miles per hour.

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

The wind is most often from the east for 1.3 months, from March 1 to April 9 and for 3.9 months, from August 18 to December 15, with a peak percentage of 95% on October 29. The wind is most often from the south for 4.3 months, from April 9 to August 18, with a peak percentage of 92% on June 14. The wind is most often from the north for 2.5 months, from December 15 to March 1, with a peak percentage of 72% on January 1.

Vikindu is located near a large body of water (e.g., ocean, sea, or large lake). This section reports on the wide-area average surface temperature of that water.

The average water temperature experiences some seasonal variation over the course of the year.

The time of year with warmer water lasts for 2.5 months, from February 11 to April 25, with an average temperature above 83°F. The month of the year in Vikindu with the warmest water is March, with an average temperature of 84°F.

The time of year with cooler water lasts for 3.1 months, from July 2 to October 4, with an average temperature below 79°F. The month of the year in Vikindu with the coolest water is August, with an average temperature of 78°F.

To characterize how pleasant the weather is in Vikindu 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 Vikindu for general outdoor tourist activities is from mid June to mid September, with a peak score in the second week of August.

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 Vikindu for hot-weather activities is from late May to mid October, with a peak score in the last week of August.

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 Vikindu 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.

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.

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 2.2 months, from September 7 to November 13, with an average daily incident shortwave energy per square meter above 7.0 kWh. The brightest month of the year in Vikindu is October, with an average of 7.4 kWh.

The darker period of the year lasts for 2.3 months, from February 26 to May 2, with an average daily incident shortwave energy per square meter below 5.7 kWh. The darkest month of the year in Vikindu is March, with an average of 5.4 kWh.

For the purposes of this report, the geographical coordinates of Vikindu are -7.007 deg latitude, 39.298 deg longitude, and 282 ft elevation.

The topography within 2 miles of Vikindu contains only modest variations in elevation, with a maximum elevation change of 197 feet and an average elevation above sea level of 254 feet. Within 10 miles contains only modest variations in elevation (577 feet). Within 50 miles contains significant variations in elevation (1,512 feet).

The area within 2 miles of Vikindu is covered by trees (55%) and cropland (37%), within 10 miles by trees (38%) and cropland (34%), and within 50 miles by water (49%) and trees (26%).