Climate and Average Weather Year Round in Ghanzi Botswana

In Ghanzi, 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 42°F to 91°F and is rarely below 35°F or above 98°F.

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

The hot season lasts for 5.5 months, from September 18 to March 2, with an average daily high temperature above 88°F. The hottest month of the year in Ghanzi is December, with an average high of 90°F and low of 68°F.

The cool season lasts for 2.2 months, from May 28 to August 3, with an average daily high temperature below 77°F. The coldest month of the year in Ghanzi is July, with an average low of 43°F and high of 74°F.

In Ghanzi, 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 Ghanzi begins around March 27 and lasts for 7.0 months, ending around October 29.

The clearest month of the year in Ghanzi is June, during which on average the sky is clear, mostly clear, or partly cloudy 95% of the time.

The cloudier part of the year begins around October 29 and lasts for 5.0 months, ending around March 27.

The cloudiest month of the year in Ghanzi is January, during which on average the sky is overcast or mostly cloudy 54% 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 Ghanzi varies significantly throughout the year.

The wetter season lasts 4.6 months, from November 13 to March 31, with a greater than 18% chance of a given day being a wet day. The month with the most wet days in Ghanzi is January, with an average of 10.3 days with at least 0.04 inches of precipitation.

The drier season lasts 7.4 months, from March 31 to November 13. The month with the fewest wet days in Ghanzi is July, with an average of 0.0 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 Ghanzi is January, with an average of 10.3 days. Based on this categorization, the most common form of precipitation throughout the year is rain alone, with a peak probability of 37% on January 29.

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. Ghanzi experiences significant seasonal variation in monthly rainfall.

The rainy period of the year lasts for 6.1 months, from October 17 to April 22, with a sliding 31-day rainfall of at least 0.5 inches. The month with the most rain in Ghanzi is January, with an average rainfall of 2.7 inches.

The rainless period of the year lasts for 5.9 months, from April 22 to October 17. The month with the least rain in Ghanzi is July, with an average rainfall of 0.0 inches.

The length of the day in Ghanzi varies over the course of the year. In 2026, the shortest day is June 21, with 10 hours, 49 minutes of daylight; the longest day is December 21, with 13 hours, 28 minutes of daylight.

The earliest sunrise is at 5:41 AM on November 27, and the latest sunrise is 1 hour, 31 minutes later at 7:12 AM on July 5. The earliest sunset is at 5:57 PM on June 6, and the latest sunset is 1 hour, 24 minutes later at 7:22 PM on January 15.

Daylight saving time (DST) is not observed in Ghanzi during 2026.

The figure below presents a compact representation of key lunar data for 2026. 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.

Ghanzi experiences significant seasonal variation in the perceived humidity.

The muggier period of the year lasts for 4.8 months, from November 17 to April 11, during which time the comfort level is muggy, oppressive, or miserable at least 8% of the time. The month with the most muggy days in Ghanzi is January, with 8.5 days that are muggy or worse.

The least muggy day of the year is July 29, 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 Ghanzi experiences mild seasonal variation over the course of the year.

The windier part of the year lasts for 3.5 months, from August 8 to November 24, with average wind speeds of more than 8.8 miles per hour. The windiest month of the year in Ghanzi is October, with an average hourly wind speed of 9.9 miles per hour.

The calmer time of year lasts for 8.5 months, from November 24 to August 8. The calmest month of the year in Ghanzi is April, with an average hourly wind speed of 7.7 miles per hour.

The predominant average hourly wind direction in Ghanzi is from the east throughout the year.

To characterize how pleasant the weather is in Ghanzi 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 Ghanzi for general outdoor tourist activities are from early April to mid June and from mid July to late September, with a peak score in the second week of May.

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 Ghanzi for hot-weather activities is from mid September to mid November, with a peak score in the first week of October.

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 Ghanzi over some winters. The day least likely to be in the growing season is July 11, with a 53% 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 Ghanzi should appear around July 11, only rarely appearing before July 9 or after July 13.

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 5.3 months, from September 25 to March 1, with an average daily incident shortwave energy per square meter above 7.1 kWh. The brightest month of the year in Ghanzi is December, with an average of 7.6 kWh.

The darker period of the year lasts for 2.5 months, from May 13 to July 30, with an average daily incident shortwave energy per square meter below 5.4 kWh. The darkest month of the year in Ghanzi is June, with an average of 4.9 kWh.

For the purposes of this report, the geographical coordinates of Ghanzi are -21.698 deg latitude, 21.646 deg longitude, and 3,753 ft elevation.

The topography within 2 miles of Ghanzi is essentially flat, with a maximum elevation change of 69 feet and an average elevation above sea level of 3,743 feet. Within 10 miles is essentially flat (207 feet). Within 50 miles contains only modest variations in elevation (679 feet).

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