Climate and Average Weather Year Round in Dar es Salaam TanzaniaIn Dar es Salaam, 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 68°F to 90°F and is rarely below 65°F or above 92°F. Based on the beach/pool score, the best time of year to visit Dar es Salaam for hot-weather activities is from early June to mid October. Average Temperature in Dar es SalaamThe temperature in Dar es Salaam varies so little throughout the year that it is not entirely meaningful to discuss hot and cold seasons.
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. Santiago de Cuba, Cuba (8,015 miles away) is the far-away foreign place with temperatures most similar to Dar es Salaam (view comparison). CloudsIn Dar es Salaam, 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 Dar es Salaam begins around May 7 and lasts for 6.5 months, ending around November 22. The clearest month of the year in Dar es Salaam 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 22 and lasts for 5.5 months, ending around May 7. The cloudiest month of the year in Dar es Salaam is January, during which on average the sky is overcast or mostly cloudy 75% of the time.
PrecipitationA wet day is one with at least 0.04 inches of liquid or liquid-equivalent precipitation. The chance of wet days in Dar es Salaam varies very significantly throughout the year. The wetter season lasts 6.2 months, from November 11 to May 18, with a greater than 34% chance of a given day being a wet day. The month with the most wet days in Dar es Salaam is April, with an average of 18.8 days with at least 0.04 inches of precipitation. The drier season lasts 5.8 months, from May 18 to November 11. The month with the fewest wet days in Dar es Salaam is July, with an average of 1.3 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 Dar es Salaam is April, with an average of 18.8 days. Based on this categorization, the most common form of precipitation throughout the year is rain alone, with a peak probability of 65% on April 17.
RainfallTo 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. Dar es Salaam experiences extreme seasonal variation in monthly rainfall. The rainy period of the year lasts for 9.4 months, from September 23 to July 3, with a sliding 31-day rainfall of at least 0.5 inches. The month with the most rain in Dar es Salaam is April, with an average rainfall of 6.7 inches. The rainless period of the year lasts for 2.7 months, from July 3 to September 23. The month with the least rain in Dar es Salaam is August, with an average rainfall of 0.3 inches.
SunThe length of the day in Dar es Salaam does not vary substantially over the course of the year, staying within 31 minutes of 12 hours throughout. In 2024, the shortest day is June 20, with 11 hours, 44 minutes of daylight; the longest day is December 21, with 12 hours, 31 minutes of daylight.
The earliest sunrise is at 5:54 AM on November 13, and the latest sunrise is 41 minutes later at 6:36 AM on July 17. The earliest sunset is at 6:12 PM on May 23, and the latest sunset is 35 minutes later at 6:48 PM on January 31. Daylight saving time (DST) is not observed in Dar es Salaam during 2024. 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. MoonThe 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. HumidityWe 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. Dar es Salaam experiences some seasonal variation in the perceived humidity. The muggier period of the year lasts for 10 months, from August 29 to June 28, during which time the comfort level is muggy, oppressive, or miserable at least 91% of the time. The month with the fewest muggy days in Dar es Salaam is July, with 27.4 days that are muggy or worse.
WindThis 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 Dar es Salaam experiences significant seasonal variation over the course of the year. The windier part of the year lasts for 6.0 months, from April 22 to October 23, with average wind speeds of more than 10.8 miles per hour. The windiest month of the year in Dar es Salaam is July, with an average hourly wind speed of 13.7 miles per hour. The calmer time of year lasts for 6.0 months, from October 23 to April 22. The calmest month of the year in Dar es Salaam is March, with an average hourly wind speed of 8.1 miles per hour.
The predominant average hourly wind direction in Dar es Salaam varies throughout the year. The wind is most often from the east for 1.4 months, from February 28 to April 9 and for 3.9 months, from August 20 to December 16, with a peak percentage of 95% on October 29. The wind is most often from the south for 4.4 months, from April 9 to August 20, with a peak percentage of 92% on June 14. The wind is most often from the north for 2.4 months, from December 16 to February 28, with a peak percentage of 69% on January 1. Water TemperatureDar es Salaam 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 2.4 months, from February 12 to April 25, with an average temperature above 83°F. The month of the year in Dar es Salaam 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 5, with an average temperature below 79°F. The month of the year in Dar es Salaam with the coolest water is August, with an average temperature of 78°F.
Best Time of Year to VisitTo characterize how pleasant the weather is in Dar es Salaam 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 Dar es Salaam for general outdoor tourist activities is from mid June to mid September, with a peak score in the second week of August. Tourism Score in Dar es SalaamThe 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 Dar es Salaam for hot-weather activities is from early June to mid October, with a peak score in the last week of August. Beach/Pool Score in Dar es SalaamMethodologyFor 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. Growing SeasonDefinitions 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 Dar es Salaam 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. Solar EnergyThis 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 12, with an average daily incident shortwave energy per square meter above 7.0 kWh. The brightest month of the year in Dar es Salaam is October, with an average of 7.3 kWh. The darker period of the year lasts for 2.0 months, from March 5 to May 6, with an average daily incident shortwave energy per square meter below 5.7 kWh. The darkest month of the year in Dar es Salaam is March, with an average of 5.4 kWh.
TopographyFor the purposes of this report, the geographical coordinates of Dar es Salaam are -6.823 deg latitude, 39.270 deg longitude, and 79 ft elevation. The topography within 2 miles of Dar es Salaam contains only modest variations in elevation, with a maximum elevation change of 141 feet and an average elevation above sea level of 58 feet. Within 10 miles contains only modest variations in elevation (551 feet). Within 50 miles contains significant variations in elevation (1,512 feet). The area within 2 miles of Dar es Salaam is covered by artificial surfaces (85%), within 10 miles by water (30%) and cropland (25%), and within 50 miles by water (49%) and trees (23%). Data SourcesThis report illustrates the typical weather in Dar es Salaam, based on a statistical analysis of historical hourly weather reports and model reconstructions from January 1, 1980 to December 31, 2016. Temperature and Dew PointThere are 2 weather stations near enough to contribute to our estimation of the temperature and dew point in Dar es Salaam. For each station, the records are corrected for the elevation difference between that station and Dar es Salaam according to the International Standard Atmosphere , and by the relative change present in the MERRA-2 satellite-era reanalysis between the two locations. The estimated value at Dar es Salaam is computed as the weighted average of the individual contributions from each station, with weights proportional to the inverse of the distance between Dar es Salaam and a given station. The stations contributing to this reconstruction are:
To get a sense of how much these sources agree with each other, you can view a comparison of Dar es Salaam and the stations that contribute to our estimates of its temperature history and climate. Please note that each source's contribution is adjusted for elevation and the relative change present in the MERRA-2 data. Other DataAll 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. DisclaimerThe 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. |