Climate of Djibouti

Climate of Djibouti

Where is the country of Djibouti located? Djibouti is a country located in eastern Africa, bordering the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden. Djibouti borders Eritrea, Ethiopia and Somalia. Djibouti has a warm desert climate, type BWh according to the Köppen climate classification. The weather in Djibouti is characterized by heat in combination with drought. For example, in the capital Djibouti City, there is only an average of 131 millimeters of precipitation, which is spread over only 22 precipitation days. This automatically means that on average almost 95% of all days pass without any precipitation. Moisture that you do have to deal with in Djibouti is the relative humidity of the air. In the period September to May in particular, the moisture in the air contributes to sometimes very unpleasantly oppressive weather. In the summer months the relative humidity is a bit lower, on average between 50 and 60 percent. However, the temperatures are then so high that it is already unpleasant.

Heat

The summer months are intensely hot in Djibouti. In the hottest months of July and August, the mercury averages just above forty degrees. However, between May and September, the mercury can rise to near or even above fifty degrees on the hottest days. It is simply unbearable during the day in the open air. Because the water temperature of the swimming pools is on average above 35 degrees, they also offer little cooling. The seawater can also be called downright warm in the summer with about 30 degrees. The heat can occur through October. From November you notice that the temperature drops to more pleasant values ​​of around thirty degrees.

Sun

Although it rarely rains, this does not automatically mean that the sun always shines undisturbed. With an average of 3228 hours of sunshine per year, Djibouti is definitely one of the sunniest countries in the world. During some months such as June and July you can see in the statistics that the sun is tempered more often. In the case of Djibouti, this is often in the form of veil clouds that can sometimes become so thick that there is a dense cloud cover.

Climate figures

The figures below are based on long-term average climate statistics. The temperatures are displayed in degrees Celsius (°C).

Maximum temperature Minimum temperature Hours of sunshine per day Days of rainfall per month Water temperature
January 29℃ 21℃ 8 0 26℃
February 29℃ 22℃ 8 0 26℃
March 31℃ 24℃ 9 1 27℃
April 32℃ 25℃ 9 2 28℃
May 35℃ 27℃ 10 3 30℃
June 39℃ 29℃ 9 3 31℃
July 41℃ 31℃ 8 3 30℃
August 41℃ 30℃ 9 4 29℃
September 37℃ 29℃ 9 3 30℃
October 33℃ 26℃ 10 1 30℃
November 31℃ 24℃ 10 1 28℃
December 30℃ 22℃ 9 1 27℃

Best time to visit Djibouti

Do you want to know when is the best time to travel to Djibouti? You can determine the best time to travel to a destination based on the weather and climate. In addition, there are other factors that are not directly related to the weather and that can influence the best travel periods for a travel destination. Think, for example, of holidays or festive periods, which makes traveling more interesting or not, because daily life comes to a standstill as a result. If you travel to the East African country of Djibouti, you will have to deal with a dry and warm climate type. Djibouti has two dominant climate types: the warm desert climate (BWh) and the warm steppe climate (BSh). Precipitation amounts vary by area, as do temperatures. If you look at the annual rainfall amounts, you can see that destinations within Djibouti are dry to very dry. The ‘wettest’ areas remain well below five hundred millimeters of precipitation per year. The driest destinations, which you will mainly find on the coast, sometimes register barely more than a hundred millimeters of rain per year.

Best time to visit

Because there are no really wet months, the best time to travel to Djibouti is mainly based on the temperatures. On that basis, we would opt for a holiday in Djibouti for the period November to March. From April the temperature shoots up. In the hottest months of July and August, afternoon temperatures of forty degrees or more are normal. Even the sea offers hardly any cooling during this period, because the sea water has a temperature of about 30-31 degrees Celsius. The months of April and October are somewhat manageable, provided you have air conditioning in your accommodation. During these two months it averages 31 to 34 degrees Celsius during the day, after which it cools down only slowly.

Travel around

If you want to book a tour through Djibouti, it is best to limit yourself to the months of December, January and February. These are the months when the heat is most tempered. If you have an accommodation with a swimming pool, it is still pleasant at the water during this period.

Cyclones

There is a small chance that you will have to deal with a cyclone in Djibouti. Such severe depressions can occur in the period from May to December. Djibouti is not often the victim of bad weather due to a cyclone. This is mainly because they lose power once they come into contact with land.

Djibouti