Climate of Mozambique

Climate of Mozambique

Where is the country of Mozambique located? Mozambique is a country in the southeast of the African continent. The country has a variety of warm subtropical climates and tropical climates. Large parts of Mozambique consist of savanna, where the amount of precipitation in many places is not much higher than in the Netherlands. Mozambique has a distinct wet season, which coincides with the local summer, and a dry season, which coincides with the local winter. If you want to enjoy sunny weather and moderate temperatures, it is best to travel to Mozambique during the Dutch summer months. Mozambique is also quite suitable as a winter sun destination. This is because temperatures are almost guaranteed to be around or even above thirty degrees and the rain mainly falls in the form of tropical showers.

Precipitation

The annual sum of precipitation varies from over seven hundred in the south to over fourteen hundred in Beira. The rainy season starts in October and lasts until March. During the wettest months, it is possible that locally more than two hundred millimeters falls in a month. From April, the chances of precipitation decrease rapidly. In most places it hardly rains in winter. Because the temperatures in most places also drop reasonably compared to the summer months, it suddenly becomes much less clammy because the relative humidity also decreases.

Temperatures

In summer temperatures in almost all of Mozambique are around thirty degrees or even slightly higher. For example, the average afternoon temperature in Tete (west of Lake Cahora Bassa) in October and November is no less than 36 degrees Celsius. As soon as more rain falls, the temperature there is tempered by a few degrees. In the winter months the mercury drops to 23 to 29 degrees during the day, at night the mercury drops to 12 to 20 degrees. It can get a few degrees cooler on the high plateaus.

Hurricanes

Mozambique is on the supply route of hurricanes. The country is fortunate that the island of Madagascar, east of Mozambique, acts as a buffer of sorts, absorbing most of the tropical depressions before they can reach Mozambique. In the period from the end of October to mid-March, however, you should always take into account the chance of heavy showers, storms or even hurricane strength.

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 31℃ 22℃ 8 10 27℃
February 31℃ 22℃ 8 10 28℃
March 30℃ 22℃ 8 10 27℃
April 29℃ 19℃ 8 9 27℃
May 27℃ 16℃ 8 5 25℃
June 25℃ 14℃ 8 5 24℃
July 25℃ 13℃ 8 4 23℃
August 26℃ 15℃ 8 4 23℃
September 27℃ 17℃ 8 5 23℃
October 27℃ 18℃ 7 8 24℃
November 29℃ 20℃ 7 10 25℃
December 30℃ 21℃ 8 10 26℃

Best time to visit Mozambique

Do you want to know when is the best time to travel to Mozambique? 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. The Republic of Mozambique is a country located in the southeast of the continent of Africa. Mozambique is quite popular from a touristic point of view because the country is relatively safe, has beautiful beaches and the vast landscapes are perfect for a safari. Some travel companies offer Mozambique in combination with neighboring South Africa. Mozambique mainly has a tropical monsoon climate. In the western half you see fairly large areas with a warm steppe climate or the warmer C climate types. If you want to celebrate a holiday in Mozambique, you should especially look at the precipitation. During our winter period, Mozambique has the season with the most precipitation and the highest temperatures. That is because it is summer in Mozambique during that period. Since the country is south of the equator, the seasons there are opposite to our seasons.

Best months

The period from May to September can be seen as the best travel time for almost all of Mozambique. It is then dry, sunny and the temperatures are almost everywhere at pleasant values. In higher places it can even be cool during the night. If you go on safari during the local winter, you have a better chance of spotting wildlife. The shelter provided by the greenery decreases and the increasing drought during the winter lures the animals to places where water can be found. The unpaved roads are more passable in winter. In the summer these can turn into mud paths that you sometimes barely get through.

Sun holiday

Do you want to go to Mozambique for a sun holiday? That’s fine. The coast of Mozambique has several beaches and beach resorts where it is great to stay. It is not an everyday beach destination for the Dutch. The larger travel organizations do not offer Mozambique as a holiday in the sun. The lack of mass tourism may make Mozambique even more attractive for those who do fly in that direction. September and October are the best travel times for the southern half of the coast . It is then pleasantly warm with afternoon temperatures around 25 to 28 degrees. The northern half of the coast and the island of Pemba have higher temperatures: around 30 degrees Celsius. You can visit this part of Mozambique from May to mid-Novembergo for a beach holiday.

Mozambique