Kinshasa climate — normals and trends
Kinshasa (Democratic Republic of Congo) has a tropical savanna climate (Aw) under the Köppen-Geiger classification. Its mean annual temperature is 24.9 °C and it receives 1,038 mm of precipitation per year.
These figures are normals computed over 86 complete calendar years, from 1940 to 2025, using ERA5 reanalysis data from the Copernicus programme.
The warmest month is March (25.8 °C on average) and the coldest is July (23.3 °C). Rainfall peaks in November.
Kinshasa averages 0 frost days, 146 hot days (≥ 30 °C) and 171 rainy days per year.
Kinshasa has warmed by +1.1 °C between 1940 and 2025, or +0.12 °C per decade. This trend is statistically significant.
The hottest day of the period reached 36.2 °C (on 15 October 1941) and the coldest 9.6 °C (on 18 July 1950).
Data from ERA5 reanalysis (Copernicus Climate Change Service), redistributed under a CC-BY 4.0 licence. Normals are recomputed whenever the archive is updated.
Climate normals · ERA5
KinshasaKinshasa City
- coords
- -4.33°, 15.31°
- period
- 1940–2025 · 86 yrs
Mean daily temperature
24.9°C
Average daily high
29.5°C
Average daily low
21.4°C
Annual rainfall
1,038mm
Sunshine / day
9.7h
Mean relative humidity
78%
Average peak wind
9.1km/h
Seasonal range
2.5°C
Frost days (< 0 °C)
0 d/yr
Hot days (≥ 30 °C)
146 d/yr
Rainy days (≥ 1 mm)
171 d/yr
Annual snowfall
0.0 cm
Average feels-like high
33.8 °C
Average feels-like low
24.5 °C
Average peak gust
24.2 km/h
Tropical nights (≥ 20 °C)
301 d/yr
Solar radiation
17.5 MJ/m²
Has the climate changed?
One stripe per year, 1940 to 2025
+1.1 °C
since 1940
+0.1 °C per decade · r² = 0.34 · p = < 0.001
Trend fitted by linear regression (ordinary least squares) on annual means. A trend is shown only when it is statistically significant (p < 0.05).
A climograph overlays rainfall (bars) and temperature (line): the standard reading in climatology, where you can see at a glance whether the warm season is also the dry one.
Records for the period
Hottest day
36.2 °C
15 October 1941
Coldest day
9.6 °C
18 July 1950
Wettest day
121 mm
18 November 2014
Windiest day
21.9 km/h
3 September 1950
Strongest gust
45.0 km/h
17 August 1950
Hottest feels-like
42.2 °C
12 March 2010
Coldest feels-like
7.6 °C
18 July 1950
Sunniest day
12.0 h
3 January 1940
Normals computed over complete calendar years 1940–2025.
A specific year
Pick a year and see how it compares to normal — warmer, drier or more extreme than usual?
Across the whole year
Month by month
| High | vs. normal | Precipitation | vs. normal | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 30.5 °C | +1.3 °C | 110 mm | -11 mm |
| Feb | 31.4 °C | +1.5 °C | 80 mm | -23 mm |
| Mar | 31.3 °C | +1.0 °C | 178 mm | +54 mm |
| Apr | 31.2 °C | +1.1 °C | 169 mm | +30 mm |
| May | 30.2 °C | +0.8 °C | 135 mm | +49 mm |
| Jun | 29.2 °C | +0.4 °C | 9 mm | +5 mm |
| Jul | 27.2 °C | -1.5 °C | 3 mm | +2 mm |
| Aug | 28.3 °C | -1.2 °C | 1 mm | -3 mm |
| Sep | 31.0 °C | +0.4 °C | 19 mm | -1 mm |
| Oct | 31.5 °C | +1.3 °C | 46 mm | -58 mm |
| Nov | 30.2 °C | +1.3 °C | 317 mm | +141 mm |
| Dec | 30.0 °C | +1.3 °C | 173 mm | +15 mm |
The year's extremes
What was the weather like that day?
Your birthday, a wedding, a memorable trip: discover the actual weather for any date since 1940.
Frequently asked questions
What is the climate of Kinshasa?
Kinshasa has a tropical savanna climate (Köppen Aw). Over 1940-2025, the average annual temperature is 24.9 °C and it receives 1,038 mm of precipitation per year.
What is the hottest day ever recorded in Kinshasa?
The hottest day measured in Kinshasa between 1940 and 2025 was 15 October 1941, reaching 36.2 °C.
What is the coldest day in Kinshasa?
The coldest day measured in Kinshasa between 1940 and 2025 was 18 July 1950, at 9.6 °C.
Does it snow in Kinshasa?
Almost never: Kinshasa sees virtually no snow, with about 0 frost days per year.
Has the climate of Kinshasa warmed?
Yes: Kinshasa warmed by +1.1 °C between 1940 and 2025, a statistically significant trend.
What is the wettest day in Kinshasa?
The wettest day measured in Kinshasa between 1940 and 2025 was 18 November 2014, with 121 mm of rain in 24 hours.
What was the windiest day in Kinshasa?
The windiest day measured in Kinshasa between 1940 and 2025 was 3 September 1950, with winds reaching 21.9 km/h.
What is the warmest month in Kinshasa?
The warmest month in Kinshasa is March (25.8 °C on average); the coldest is July (23.3 °C).
How much does it rain in Kinshasa?
Kinshasa receives on average 1,038 mm of precipitation per year, spread over about 171 rainy days.
Is it sunny in Kinshasa?
Kinshasa gets on average 9.7 hours of sunshine per day, roughly 3,540 hours per year over 1940-2025.
Are there tropical nights in Kinshasa?
Yes: Kinshasa has on average 301 tropical nights per year (temperature staying above 20 °C), over 1940-2025.
What was the most extreme apparent temperature in Kinshasa?
In Kinshasa, between 1940 and 2025, the highest apparent temperature reached 42.2 °C on 12 March 2010, and the lowest was 7.6 °C on 18 July 1950.
Compare Kinshasa with another city
Pick a second city: its normals will be set against these, indicator by indicator.
Nearby cities
The climate around Kinshasa