Climate of Eritrea

Climate of Eritrea

Where is the country of Eritrea located? Eritrea is a country located in eastern Africa. Until 1991 Eritrea was a province of neighboring Ethiopia for many years. Eritrea has a variation of two climate types: the warm desert climate in the lower areas on the coast and inland a warm steppe climate ( type BSh according to the Köppen climate classification ). The elongated Eritrea has to deal with fairly significant height differences within the foothills of the Ethiopian Highlands, so that the temperatures are moderated. This is especially noticeable during the nights, where the mercury can drop towards freezing in the winter months. For example, night frost is regularly registered in the mountains around the capital Asmara.

Temperature

Due to the height differences, there are fairly large variations in temperature. The lower areas of Eritrea have to deal with continuously warm weather, where the temperature in the winter is around thirty degrees in both the southwest and along the coast and in summer the mercury easily reaches forty degrees. In the interior, the mercury wants to pass the 40-degree limit fairly often in the summer. Along the coast, the seawater still has a slightly cooling effect, although this effect should not be overestimated because of the relatively high seawater temperatures.

Precipitation

Eritrea has two variants with regard to precipitation: along the coast, the number of precipitation days is very limited and there is actually an almost permanent drought. On an annual basis, in the coastal areas in most places less than a hundred millimeters falls on an annual basis. Precipitation is more common in the mountains. The summer months of July and August are good for sometimes more than a hundred millimeters of rain per month. Some years it happens that the amount of precipitation is considerably less, which has major consequences for flora and fauna.

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
January 23℃ 6℃ 9 2
February 24℃ 6℃ 9 2
March 26℃ 8℃ 9 3
April 26℃ 10℃ 9 5
May 26℃ 11℃ 8 7
June 26℃ 11℃ 7 6
July 23℃ 12℃ 5 7
August 22℃ 12℃ 5 8
September 24℃ 10℃ 7 5
October 23℃ 9℃ 9 3
November 22℃ 8℃ 9 3
December 22℃ 6℃ 9 3

Best time to visit Eritrea

Do you want to know when is the best time to travel to Eritrea? 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. Eritrea has been an independent country in eastern Africa since 1993. The country is located on the Red Sea. This does not mean that the temperatures are tempered by the seawater. In the period October to April the wind mainly blows from the east, so over the water of the Red Sea, but you do not see that this has a seriously cooling effect on Eritrea. In summer the wind suddenly blows mainly from the western directions and the wind speed increases. Hot air is then supplied from the Sahara, pushing up afternoon temperatures in many places within Eritrea to values ​​that are usually around forty degrees Celsius. Serious heat, which makes it unpleasant to stay in Eritrea.

Best months

The best time to go to Eritrea is from December to February. This is the relatively coolest period and there is little precipitation in winter. Even in the wetter mountain areas in central Eritrea there is hardly any rain. The temperatures during the day are between 28 and 33 degrees, which makes Eritrea an excellent winter sun destination. In the mountains it is a bit milder: count on maximums between 21 and 25 degrees Celsius. During the night it can even cool down considerably. Minimums are on average five to seven degrees above freezing in December, January and February. Exceptionally, it can snow in these areas. In the capital Asmara, snowfall occurs every now and then.

Eritrea