Climate and Average Weather Year Round in Rubirizi Uganda

The climate in Rubirizi is warm and overcast. Over the course of the year, the temperature typically varies from 63°F to 83°F and is rarely below 61°F or above 90°F.

Based on the tourism score, the best time of year to visit Rubirizi for warm-weather activities is from early June to mid September.

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

In Rubirizi, 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 Rubirizi begins around June 10 and lasts for 3.3 months, ending around September 20.

The clearest month of the year in Rubirizi is August, during which on average the sky is clear, mostly clear, or partly cloudy 49% of the time.

The cloudier part of the year begins around September 20 and lasts for 8.7 months, ending around June 10.

The cloudiest month of the year in Rubirizi is April, during which on average the sky is overcast or mostly cloudy 83% 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 Rubirizi varies very significantly throughout the year.

The wetter season lasts 8.6 months, from September 4 to May 23, with a greater than 42% chance of a given day being a wet day. The month with the most wet days in Rubirizi is November, with an average of 20.3 days with at least 0.04 inches of precipitation.

The drier season lasts 3.4 months, from May 23 to September 4. The month with the fewest wet days in Rubirizi is July, with an average of 5.4 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 Rubirizi is November, with an average of 20.3 days. Based on this categorization, the most common form of precipitation throughout the year is rain alone, with a peak probability of 70% on November 5.

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. Rubirizi experiences significant seasonal variation in monthly rainfall.

Rain falls throughout the year in Rubirizi. The month with the most rain in Rubirizi is November, with an average rainfall of 4.1 inches.

The month with the least rain in Rubirizi is July, with an average rainfall of 1.0 inches.

The length of the day in Rubirizi does not vary substantially over the course of the year, staying within 8 minutes of 12 hours throughout. In 2024, the shortest day is June 20, with 12 hours, 6 minutes of daylight; the longest day is December 21, with 12 hours, 9 minutes of daylight.

The earliest sunrise is at 6:39 AM on November 3, and the latest sunrise is 31 minutes later at 7:09 AM on February 13. The earliest sunset is at 6:46 PM on November 2, and the latest sunset is 31 minutes later at 7:17 PM on February 10.

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

Rubirizi experiences some seasonal variation in the perceived humidity.

The muggier period of the year lasts for 8.0 months, from October 1 to June 2, during which time the comfort level is muggy, oppressive, or miserable at least 7% of the time. The month with the most muggy days in Rubirizi is April, with 7.0 days that are muggy or worse.

The month with the fewest muggy days in Rubirizi is July, with 0.1 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 Rubirizi experiences mild seasonal variation over the course of the year.

The windier part of the year lasts for 4.9 months, from April 10 to September 6, with average wind speeds of more than 4.7 miles per hour. The windiest month of the year in Rubirizi is May, with an average hourly wind speed of 5.2 miles per hour.

The calmer time of year lasts for 7.1 months, from September 6 to April 10. The calmest month of the year in Rubirizi is October, with an average hourly wind speed of 4.3 miles per hour.

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

The wind is most often from the north for 1.1 months, from January 2 to February 5, with a peak percentage of 42% on January 16. The wind is most often from the east for 11 months, from February 5 to January 2, with a peak percentage of 41% on January 1.

To characterize how pleasant the weather is in Rubirizi 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 Rubirizi for general outdoor tourist activities is from early June to mid September, with a peak score in the third week of July.

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 Rubirizi for hot-weather activities is from mid June to early September, with a peak score in the last week of July.

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 Rubirizi 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 1.6 months, from January 21 to March 10, with an average daily incident shortwave energy per square meter above 5.8 kWh. The brightest month of the year in Rubirizi is February, with an average of 5.9 kWh.

The darker period of the year lasts for 1.1 months, from April 14 to May 17, with an average daily incident shortwave energy per square meter below 5.2 kWh. The darkest month of the year in Rubirizi is November, with an average of 5.1 kWh.

For the purposes of this report, the geographical coordinates of Rubirizi are -0.299 deg latitude, 30.134 deg longitude, and 4,390 ft elevation.

The topography within 2 miles of Rubirizi contains very significant variations in elevation, with a maximum elevation change of 1,214 feet and an average elevation above sea level of 4,464 feet. Within 10 miles contains very significant variations in elevation (3,117 feet). Within 50 miles contains large variations in elevation (13,360 feet).

The area within 2 miles of Rubirizi is covered by cropland (50%) and trees (44%), within 10 miles by trees (51%) and cropland (33%), and within 50 miles by cropland (36%) and grassland (21%).