Climate and Average Weather Year Round in Kampala Uganda

The climate in Kampala is warm, muggy, and overcast. Over the course of the year, the temperature typically varies from 62°F to 82°F and is rarely below 60°F or above 88°F.

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

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

In Kampala, 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 Kampala begins around June 5 and lasts for 3.8 months, ending around September 29.

The clearest month of the year in Kampala is August, during which on average the sky is clear, mostly clear, or partly cloudy 51% of the time.

The cloudier part of the year begins around September 29 and lasts for 8.2 months, ending around June 5.

The cloudiest month of the year in Kampala is April, during which on average the sky is overcast or mostly cloudy 84% 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 Kampala varies very significantly throughout the year.

The wetter season lasts 9.1 months, from August 22 to May 27, with a greater than 59% chance of a given day being a wet day. The month with the most wet days in Kampala is April, with an average of 25.2 days with at least 0.04 inches of precipitation.

The drier season lasts 2.9 months, from May 27 to August 22. The month with the fewest wet days in Kampala is January, with an average of 11.1 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 Kampala is April, with an average of 25.2 days. Based on this categorization, the most common form of precipitation throughout the year is rain alone, with a peak probability of 85% on April 10.

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. Kampala experiences extreme seasonal variation in monthly rainfall.

Rain falls throughout the year in Kampala. The month with the most rain in Kampala is April, with an average rainfall of 9.1 inches.

The month with the least rain in Kampala is July, with an average rainfall of 2.0 inches.

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

The earliest sunrise is at 6:30 AM on November 2, and the latest sunrise is 31 minutes later at 7:00 AM on February 12. The earliest sunset is at 6:36 PM on November 3, and the latest sunset is 31 minutes later at 7:06 PM on February 11.

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

Kampala experiences significant seasonal variation in the perceived humidity.

The muggier period of the year lasts for 10 months, from August 23 to June 26, during which time the comfort level is muggy, oppressive, or miserable at least 59% of the time. The month with the most muggy days in Kampala is May, with 28.1 days that are muggy or worse.

The month with the fewest muggy days in Kampala is July, with 15.5 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 Kampala experiences mild seasonal variation over the course of the year.

The windier part of the year lasts for 3.2 months, from May 5 to August 11, with average wind speeds of more than 5.6 miles per hour. The windiest month of the year in Kampala is June, with an average hourly wind speed of 6.6 miles per hour.

The calmer time of year lasts for 8.8 months, from August 11 to May 5. The calmest month of the year in Kampala is October, with an average hourly wind speed of 4.4 miles per hour.

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

The wind is most often from the south for 8.6 months, from January 21 to October 8, with a peak percentage of 79% on July 1. The wind is most often from the north for 3.7 weeks, from October 8 to November 3, with a peak percentage of 29% on October 11. The wind is most often from the east for 2.6 months, from November 3 to January 21, with a peak percentage of 35% on January 1.

To characterize how pleasant the weather is in Kampala 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 Kampala for general outdoor tourist activities is from early June to late 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 times of year to visit Kampala for hot-weather activities are from late May to late September and from early December to mid March, with a peak score in the second 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).

Temperatures in Kampala 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 2.0 months, from January 9 to March 9, with an average daily incident shortwave energy per square meter above 6.0 kWh. The brightest month of the year in Kampala is February, with an average of 6.3 kWh.

The darker period of the year lasts for 1.2 months, from April 14 to May 20, with an average daily incident shortwave energy per square meter below 4.9 kWh. The darkest month of the year in Kampala is May, with an average of 4.8 kWh.

For the purposes of this report, the geographical coordinates of Kampala are 0.316 deg latitude, 32.582 deg longitude, and 4,012 ft elevation.

The topography within 2 miles of Kampala contains significant variations in elevation, with a maximum elevation change of 528 feet and an average elevation above sea level of 3,911 feet. Within 10 miles also contains significant variations in elevation (682 feet). Within 50 miles contains significant variations in elevation (1,453 feet).

The area within 2 miles of Kampala is covered by artificial surfaces (57%) and trees (29%), within 10 miles by cropland (42%) and artificial surfaces (18%), and within 50 miles by cropland (35%) and water (30%).