Climate and Average Weather Year Round in Alaïli Ḏaḏḏa‘ Djibouti

In Alaïli Ḏaḏḏa‘, the summers are short, sweltering, and overcast; the winters are long, warm, and mostly clear; and it is muggy, dry, and windy year round. Over the course of the year, the temperature typically varies from 68°F to 102°F and is rarely below 65°F or above 107°F.

Based on the beach/pool score, the best times of year to visit Alaïli Ḏaḏḏa‘ for hot-weather activities are from mid January to early April and from mid October to early January.

The hot season lasts for 2.4 months, from June 14 to August 27, with an average daily high temperature above 98°F. The hottest month of the year in Alaïli Ḏaḏḏa‘ is July, with an average high of 102°F and low of 86°F.

The cool season lasts for 4.1 months, from November 14 to March 19, with an average daily high temperature below 86°F. The coldest month of the year in Alaïli Ḏaḏḏa‘ is January, with an average low of 68°F and high of 82°F.

In Alaïli Ḏaḏḏa‘, 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 Alaïli Ḏaḏḏa‘ begins around October 3 and lasts for 6.8 months, ending around April 27.

The clearest month of the year in Alaïli Ḏaḏḏa‘ is November, 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 April 27 and lasts for 5.3 months, ending around October 3.

The cloudiest month of the year in Alaïli Ḏaḏḏa‘ is June, 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 Alaïli Ḏaḏḏa‘ varies throughout the year.

The wetter season lasts 2.4 months, from July 7 to September 19, with a greater than 15% chance of a given day being a wet day. The month with the most wet days in Alaïli Ḏaḏḏa‘ is August, with an average of 8.2 days with at least 0.04 inches of precipitation.

The drier season lasts 9.6 months, from September 19 to July 7. The month with the fewest wet days in Alaïli Ḏaḏḏa‘ is December, with an average of 0.9 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 Alaïli Ḏaḏḏa‘ is August, with an average of 8.2 days. Based on this categorization, the most common form of precipitation throughout the year is rain alone, with a peak probability of 28% on August 19.

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. Alaïli Ḏaḏḏa‘ experiences some seasonal variation in monthly rainfall.

The rainy period of the year lasts for 7.4 months, from March 8 to October 22, with a sliding 31-day rainfall of at least 0.5 inches. The month with the most rain in Alaïli Ḏaḏḏa‘ is August, with an average rainfall of 1.5 inches.

The rainless period of the year lasts for 4.6 months, from October 22 to March 8. The month with the least rain in Alaïli Ḏaḏḏa‘ is December, with an average rainfall of 0.3 inches.

The length of the day in Alaïli Ḏaḏḏa‘ does not vary substantially over the course of the year, staying within 51 minutes of 12 hours throughout. In 2024, the shortest day is December 21, with 11 hours, 24 minutes of daylight; the longest day is June 20, with 12 hours, 51 minutes of daylight.

The earliest sunrise is at 5:42 AM on May 31, and the latest sunrise is 52 minutes later at 6:34 AM on January 25. The earliest sunset is at 5:39 PM on November 18, and the latest sunset is 59 minutes later at 6:38 PM on July 9.

Daylight saving time (DST) is not observed in Alaïli Ḏaḏḏa‘ 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.

Alaïli Ḏaḏḏa‘ experiences significant seasonal variation in the perceived humidity.

The muggier period of the year lasts for 9.9 months, from February 13 to December 11, during which time the comfort level is muggy, oppressive, or miserable at least 63% of the time. The month with the most muggy days in Alaïli Ḏaḏḏa‘ is September, with 28.4 days that are muggy or worse.

The month with the fewest muggy days in Alaïli Ḏaḏḏa‘ is January, with 17.0 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 Alaïli Ḏaḏḏa‘ experiences significant seasonal variation over the course of the year.

The windier part of the year lasts for 6.4 months, from October 15 to April 29, with average wind speeds of more than 12.1 miles per hour. The windiest month of the year in Alaïli Ḏaḏḏa‘ is January, with an average hourly wind speed of 15.9 miles per hour.

The calmer time of year lasts for 5.6 months, from April 29 to October 15. The calmest month of the year in Alaïli Ḏaḏḏa‘ is September, with an average hourly wind speed of 8.5 miles per hour.

The predominant average hourly wind direction in Alaïli Ḏaḏḏa‘ varies throughout the year.

The wind is most often from the north for 2.3 weeks, from May 29 to June 14, with a peak percentage of 38% on June 13. The wind is most often from the west for 3.1 months, from June 14 to September 16, with a peak percentage of 66% on August 1. The wind is most often from the east for 8.4 months, from September 16 to May 29, with a peak percentage of 83% on January 1.

Alaïli Ḏaḏḏa‘ 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 4.8 months, from May 18 to October 11, with an average temperature above 86°F. The month of the year in Alaïli Ḏaḏḏa‘ with the warmest water is September, with an average temperature of 88°F.

The time of year with cooler water lasts for 3.4 months, from December 8 to March 22, with an average temperature below 80°F. The month of the year in Alaïli Ḏaḏḏa‘ with the coolest water is February, with an average temperature of 78°F.

To characterize how pleasant the weather is in Alaïli Ḏaḏḏa‘ 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 Alaïli Ḏaḏḏa‘ for general outdoor tourist activities is from mid November to early March, with a peak score in the third week of December.

The beach/pool score favors clear, rainless days with perceived temperatures between 75°F and 90°F. Based on this score, the best times of year to visit Alaïli Ḏaḏḏa‘ for hot-weather activities are from mid January to early April and from mid October to early January, with a peak score in the second week of November.

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 Alaïli Ḏaḏḏa‘ 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 February 25 to May 1, with an average daily incident shortwave energy per square meter above 6.8 kWh. The brightest month of the year in Alaïli Ḏaḏḏa‘ is March, with an average of 7.0 kWh.

The darker period of the year lasts for 3.0 months, from June 27 to September 27, with an average daily incident shortwave energy per square meter below 5.8 kWh. The darkest month of the year in Alaïli Ḏaḏḏa‘ is July, with an average of 5.5 kWh.

For the purposes of this report, the geographical coordinates of Alaïli Ḏaḏḏa‘ are 12.422 deg latitude, 42.896 deg longitude, and 1,171 ft elevation.

The topography within 2 miles of Alaïli Ḏaḏḏa‘ contains significant variations in elevation, with a maximum elevation change of 669 feet and an average elevation above sea level of 1,304 feet. Within 10 miles contains significant variations in elevation (1,965 feet). Within 50 miles contains very significant variations in elevation (6,647 feet).

The area within 2 miles of Alaïli Ḏaḏḏa‘ is covered by bare soil (63%) and sparse vegetation (37%), within 10 miles by bare soil (72%) and sparse vegetation (18%), and within 50 miles by bare soil (49%) and water (30%).