Climate and Average Weather Year Round in Botswana Botswana

In Botswana, the summers are long, hot, and partly cloudy and the winters are short, cool, dry, and clear. Over the course of the year, the temperature typically varies from 41°F to 89°F and is rarely below 34°F or above 97°F.

Based on the beach/pool score, the best time of year to visit Botswana for hot-weather activities is from mid September to early April.

The hot season lasts for 5.8 months, from September 22 to March 16, with an average daily high temperature above 85°F. The hottest month of the year in Botswana is January, with an average high of 88°F and low of 68°F.

The cool season lasts for 2.2 months, from May 27 to August 3, with an average daily high temperature below 74°F. The coldest month of the year in Botswana is July, with an average low of 41°F and high of 72°F.

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

The clearer part of the year in Botswana begins around March 29 and lasts for 6.5 months, ending around October 15.

The clearest month of the year in Botswana is July, during which on average the sky is clear, mostly clear, or partly cloudy 94% of the time.

The cloudier part of the year begins around October 15 and lasts for 5.5 months, ending around March 29.

The cloudiest month of the year in Botswana is December, during which on average the sky is overcast or mostly cloudy 37% 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 Botswana varies significantly throughout the year.

The wetter season lasts 5.2 months, from October 25 to April 1, with a greater than 21% chance of a given day being a wet day. The month with the most wet days in Botswana is December, with an average of 12.1 days with at least 0.04 inches of precipitation.

The drier season lasts 6.7 months, from April 1 to October 25. The month with the fewest wet days in Botswana is July, 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 Botswana is December, with an average of 12.1 days. Based on this categorization, the most common form of precipitation throughout the year is rain alone, with a peak probability of 41% on December 17.

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. Botswana experiences significant seasonal variation in monthly rainfall.

The rainy period of the year lasts for 7.6 months, from September 22 to May 10, with a sliding 31-day rainfall of at least 0.5 inches. The month with the most rain in Botswana is January, with an average rainfall of 3.0 inches.

The rainless period of the year lasts for 4.4 months, from May 10 to September 22. The month with the least rain in Botswana is July, with an average rainfall of 0.0 inches.

The length of the day in Botswana varies over the course of the year. In 2023, the shortest day is June 21, with 10 hours, 47 minutes of daylight; the longest day is December 22, with 13 hours, 29 minutes of daylight.

The earliest sunrise is at 5:31 AM on November 29, and the latest sunrise is 1 hour, 32 minutes later at 7:03 AM on July 5. The earliest sunset is at 5:47 PM on June 6, and the latest sunset is 1 hour, 25 minutes later at 7:13 PM on January 15.

Daylight saving time (DST) is not observed in Botswana during 2023.

The figure below presents a compact representation of key lunar data for 2023. 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.

Botswana experiences some seasonal variation in the perceived humidity.

The muggier period of the year lasts for 4.2 months, from November 26 to April 3, during which time the comfort level is muggy, oppressive, or miserable at least 6% of the time. The month with the most muggy days in Botswana is January, with 7.2 days that are muggy or worse.

The least muggy day of the year is July 9, when muggy conditions are essentially unheard of.

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

The windier part of the year lasts for 3.9 months, from August 10 to December 6, with average wind speeds of more than 8.0 miles per hour. The windiest month of the year in Botswana is October, with an average hourly wind speed of 9.6 miles per hour.

The calmer time of year lasts for 8.1 months, from December 6 to August 10. The calmest month of the year in Botswana is May, with an average hourly wind speed of 6.5 miles per hour.

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

The wind is most often from the east for 5.8 months, from January 8 to July 3, with a peak percentage of 51% on February 23. The wind is most often from the north for 6.2 months, from July 3 to January 8, with a peak percentage of 45% on January 1.

To characterize how pleasant the weather is in Botswana 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 times of year to visit Botswana for general outdoor tourist activities are from late March to late May and from late July to early October, with a peak score in the last 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 Botswana for hot-weather activities is from mid September to early April, with a peak score in the last week of February.

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).

While it does not do so every year, freezing temperatures are seen in Botswana over some winters. The day least likely to be in the growing season is July 2, with a 65% chance.

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.

Based on growing degree days alone, the first spring blooms in Botswana should appear around July 13, only rarely appearing before July 11 or after July 15.

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 significant seasonal variation over the course of the year.

The brighter period of the year lasts for 4.5 months, from October 11 to February 27, with an average daily incident shortwave energy per square meter above 7.1 kWh. The brightest month of the year in Botswana is December, with an average of 7.7 kWh.

The darker period of the year lasts for 2.8 months, from May 8 to August 1, with an average daily incident shortwave energy per square meter below 5.1 kWh. The darkest month of the year in Botswana is June, with an average of 4.5 kWh.

For the purposes of this report, the geographical coordinates of Botswana are -22.000 deg latitude, 24.000 deg longitude, and 0 ft elevation.

The topography within 2 miles of Botswana is essentially flat, with a maximum elevation change of 0 feet and an average elevation above sea level of 0 feet. Within 10 miles is also essentially flat (0 feet). Within 50 miles is also essentially flat (0 feet).

The area within 2 miles of Botswana is covered by grassland (100%), within 10 miles by grassland (99%), and within 50 miles by grassland (98%).