Climate and Average Weather Year Round in Nungwi Tanzania

In Nungwi, the wet season is hot and mostly cloudy, the dry season is warm and mostly clear, and it is oppressive and windy year round. Over the course of the year, the temperature typically varies from 71°F to 89°F and is rarely below 69°F or above 91°F.

Based on the beach/pool score, the best time of year to visit Nungwi for hot-weather activities is from early June to early October.

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

In Nungwi, 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 Nungwi begins around May 14 and lasts for 6.0 months, ending around November 14.

The clearest month of the year in Nungwi is August, during which on average the sky is clear, mostly clear, or partly cloudy 75% of the time.

The cloudier part of the year begins around November 14 and lasts for 6.0 months, ending around May 14.

The cloudiest month of the year in Nungwi is March, during which on average the sky is overcast or mostly cloudy 71% 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 Nungwi varies very significantly throughout the year.

The wetter season lasts 2.3 months, from March 13 to May 22, with a greater than 35% chance of a given day being a wet day. The month with the most wet days in Nungwi is April, with an average of 18.3 days with at least 0.04 inches of precipitation.

The drier season lasts 9.7 months, from May 22 to March 13. The month with the fewest wet days in Nungwi 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 Nungwi is April, with an average of 18.3 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 20.

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. Nungwi experiences extreme seasonal variation in monthly rainfall.

The rainy period of the year lasts for 9.6 months, from September 22 to July 9, with a sliding 31-day rainfall of at least 0.5 inches. The month with the most rain in Nungwi is April, with an average rainfall of 6.9 inches.

The rainless period of the year lasts for 2.4 months, from July 9 to September 22. The month with the least rain in Nungwi is August, with an average rainfall of 0.3 inches.

The length of the day in Nungwi does not vary substantially over the course of the year, staying within 27 minutes of 12 hours throughout. In 2024, the shortest day is June 20, with 11 hours, 47 minutes of daylight; the longest day is December 21, with 12 hours, 27 minutes of daylight.

The earliest sunrise is at 5:56 AM on November 11, and the latest sunrise is 38 minutes later at 6:34 AM on July 16. The earliest sunset is at 6:14 PM on May 21, and the latest sunset is 32 minutes later at 6:46 PM on February 2.

Daylight saving time (DST) is not observed in Nungwi 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.

The perceived humidity level in Nungwi, 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, staying within 2% of 98% throughout.

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

The windier part of the year lasts for 5.1 months, from April 23 to September 27, with average wind speeds of more than 12.1 miles per hour. The windiest month of the year in Nungwi is June, with an average hourly wind speed of 15.4 miles per hour.

The calmer time of year lasts for 6.9 months, from September 27 to April 23. The calmest month of the year in Nungwi is March, with an average hourly wind speed of 9.0 miles per hour.

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

The wind is most often from the east for 1.8 months, from February 10 to April 4 and for 3.3 months, from September 16 to December 24, with a peak percentage of 85% on November 13. The wind is most often from the south for 5.4 months, from April 4 to September 16, with a peak percentage of 98% on June 16. The wind is most often from the north for 1.5 months, from December 24 to February 10, with a peak percentage of 55% on January 1.

Nungwi 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 2.2 months, from February 22 to April 27, with an average temperature above 83°F. The month of the year in Nungwi with the warmest water is March, with an average temperature of 84°F.

The time of year with cooler water lasts for 3.0 months, from July 3 to October 2, with an average temperature below 79°F. The month of the year in Nungwi with the coolest water is August, with an average temperature of 78°F.

To characterize how pleasant the weather is in Nungwi 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 Nungwi for general outdoor tourist activities is from late 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 Nungwi for hot-weather activities is from early June to early 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 Nungwi 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 3 to November 10, with an average daily incident shortwave energy per square meter above 6.9 kWh. The brightest month of the year in Nungwi is October, with an average of 7.2 kWh.

The darker period of the year lasts for 2.3 months, from March 13 to May 21, with an average daily incident shortwave energy per square meter below 5.7 kWh. The darkest month of the year in Nungwi is April, with an average of 5.4 kWh.

For the purposes of this report, the geographical coordinates of Nungwi are -5.727 deg latitude, 39.299 deg longitude, and 26 ft elevation.

The topography within 2 miles of Nungwi contains only modest variations in elevation, with a maximum elevation change of 138 feet and an average elevation above sea level of 22 feet. Within 10 miles also contains only modest variations in elevation (282 feet). Within 50 miles contains only modest variations in elevation (2,149 feet).

The area within 2 miles of Nungwi is covered by water (70%) and trees (18%), within 10 miles by water (86%), and within 50 miles by water (72%).