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Namib Rand, Namibia. Author and Copyright Marco Ramerini
Namib Rand, Namibia. Author Marco Ramerini

The climate of Namibia: when to go to Namibia

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Namibia is an arid area of southern Africa, its climate is semi-desert, with cool nights and hot days, the hottest months are between December and March. There are two rainy seasons, one of the short rains between October and December and the other with relatively more intense rains between January and April.

The annual average of rainfall varies between different areas of the country. On the southern and western highlands it is about 250 mm. While in the area of the Caprivi Strip, in the extreme north-east, the rains reach 700 mm. The coast washed by the cold Benguela current, is dry and arid and receives only 50 mm of rain per year, fog is common along the coasts, from late afternoon to mid-morning.

The central highlands and the area of the Kalahari desert have an arid climate but with marked daily temperature ranges between day and night, which may even exceed 30°C difference in summer and 10°C in winter months.

Fish River Canyon, Namibia. Author and Copyright Marco Ramerini.

Fish River Canyon, Namibia. Author Marco Ramerini.

The capital Windhoek, which is 1650 meters asl, has a semi-desertic climate with warm summers and mild winters. Average minimum and maximum temperatures in winter (June to August) vary between 7°C and 23°C, while in summer (December-March) vary between 16°C and 30°C. The rains fall between November and April, with an average annual rainfall of 360 mm.

The most arid area in Namibia is the Namib desert, which may present in the same day temperatures over 40°C during the day and temperatures below zero overnight.

WHEN TO GO TO NAMIBIA

The best season for a trip to Namibia is the cool and dry season between May and October. This season of the year has hot and sunny days and cold nights, with temperatures that go even below zero.

THE CLIMATE OF NAMIBIA: CLIMATE TABLES

WINDHOEK (1650 meters)
Month Average low (°C) Average high (°C) Precip. (mm) Precip. days
January 17,2 30,0 78,1 11,1
February 16,5 28,6 80,3 10,7
March 15,4 27,2 78,7 10,5
April 12,8 25,6 37,7 5,5
May 9,2 22,7 6,6 1,9
June 6,7 20,2 1,2 0,7
July 6,3 20,5 0,7 0,5
August 8,6 23,4 0,9 0,3
September 11,9 26,5 2,8 0,9
October 14,6 29,1 11,8 2,8
November 15,6 29,6 26,9 5,3
December 16,9 30,7 41,7 7,5
YEAR 12,6 26,2 367,4 57,7
LUDERITZ (10 meters)
Month Average low (°C) Average high (°C) Precip. (mm) Precip. days
January 14,0 21,4 0 1,0
February 14,3 21,3 1 1,0
March 13,8 21,1 2 1,0
April 12,6 19,9 2 0,9
May 11,7 19,2 3 1,4
June 11,2 19,0 3 1,4
July 10,4 17,9 1 1,0
August 10,2 17,2 2 0,7
September 10,5 17,3 1 0,5
October 11,4 18,0 0 0,5
November 12,3 19,2 0 0,5
December 13,5 20,5 0 0,7
YEAR 12,1 19,3 17 10,6
GROOTFONTEIN (1460 meters)
Month Average low (°C) Average high (°C) Precip. (mm) Precip. days
January 18,5 30,9 141,7
February 18,0 29,8 127,0
March 17,1 29,4 99,6
April 14,4 28,5 30,1
May 10,4 26,5 4,3
June 7,1 24,0 0,4
July 6,8 23,8 0,0
August 9,6 26,8 1,3
September 13,8 30,6 4,9
October 16,9 32,1 21,5
November 18,0 31,9 51,6
December 18,4 31,3 70,7
YEAR 14,1 28,8 553,1

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