Mek'ele climate — normals and trends
Mek'ele (Ethiopia) has a subtropical highland, dry winter climate (Cwb) under the Köppen-Geiger classification. Its mean annual temperature is 16.9 °C and it receives 936 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 May (19.3 °C on average) and the coldest is December (14.6 °C). Rainfall peaks in August.
Mek'ele averages 0 frost days, 0 hot days (≥ 30 °C) and 142 rainy days per year.
Mek'ele has warmed by +1.9 °C between 1940 and 2025, or +0.22 °C per decade. This trend is statistically significant.
The hottest day of the period reached 31.3 °C (on 12 June 2016) and the coldest 1.5 °C (on 18 December 2010).
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
Mek'eleTigray
- coords
- 13.50°, 39.48°
- period
- 1940–2025 · 86 yrs
Mean daily temperature
16.9°C
Average daily high
23.3°C
Average daily low
11.7°C
Annual rainfall
936mm
Sunshine / day
10.7h
Mean relative humidity
65%
Average peak wind
14.0km/h
Seasonal range
4.7°C
Frost days (< 0 °C)
0 d/yr
Hot days (≥ 30 °C)
0 d/yr
Rainy days (≥ 1 mm)
142 d/yr
Annual snowfall
0.0 cm
Average feels-like high
23.3 °C
Average feels-like low
10.8 °C
Average peak gust
36.2 km/h
Tropical nights (≥ 20 °C)
0 d/yr
Solar radiation
21.7 MJ/m²
Has the climate changed?
One stripe per year, 1940 to 2025
+1.9 °C
since 1940
+0.2 °C per decade · r² = 0.69 · 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
31.3 °C
12 June 2016
Coldest day
1.5 °C
18 December 2010
Wettest day
60 mm
6 March 1991
Windiest day
29.8 km/h
26 July 1966
Strongest gust
69.5 km/h
26 July 1966
Hottest feels-like
31.4 °C
17 March 1998
Coldest feels-like
-1.6 °C
18 December 2010
Sunniest day
12.4 h
15 May 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 | 23.5 °C | +1.3 °C | 2 mm | -21 mm |
| Feb | 24.7 °C | +1.5 °C | 5 mm | -29 mm |
| Mar | 25.0 °C | +0.8 °C | 64 mm | -2 mm |
| Apr | 26.3 °C | +1.6 °C | 18 mm | -50 mm |
| May | 27.2 °C | +1.4 °C | 18 mm | -20 mm |
| Jun | 28.1 °C | +2.4 °C | 12 mm | -66 mm |
| Jul | 23.1 °C | +0.9 °C | 222 mm | -8 mm |
| Aug | 21.4 °C | -0.5 °C | 359 mm | +89 mm |
| Sep | 23.7 °C | +0.6 °C | 169 mm | +85 mm |
| Oct | 22.9 °C | 0.0 °C | 6 mm | -11 mm |
| Nov | 22.9 °C | +0.6 °C | 0 mm | -14 mm |
| Dec | 22.8 °C | +1.0 °C | 17 mm | +1 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 Mek'ele?
Mek'ele has a subtropical highland, dry winter climate (Köppen Cwb). Over 1940-2025, the average annual temperature is 16.9 °C and it receives 936 mm of precipitation per year.
What is the hottest day ever recorded in Mek'ele?
The hottest day measured in Mek'ele between 1940 and 2025 was 12 June 2016, reaching 31.3 °C.
What is the coldest day in Mek'ele?
The coldest day measured in Mek'ele between 1940 and 2025 was 18 December 2010, at 1.5 °C.
Does it snow in Mek'ele?
Almost never: Mek'ele sees virtually no snow, with about 0 frost days per year.
Has the climate of Mek'ele warmed?
Yes: Mek'ele warmed by +1.9 °C between 1940 and 2025, a statistically significant trend.
What is the wettest day in Mek'ele?
The wettest day measured in Mek'ele between 1940 and 2025 was 6 March 1991, with 60 mm of rain in 24 hours.
What was the windiest day in Mek'ele?
The windiest day measured in Mek'ele between 1940 and 2025 was 26 July 1966, with winds reaching 29.8 km/h.
What is the warmest month in Mek'ele?
The warmest month in Mek'ele is May (19.3 °C on average); the coldest is December (14.6 °C).
How much does it rain in Mek'ele?
Mek'ele receives on average 936 mm of precipitation per year, spread over about 142 rainy days.
Is it sunny in Mek'ele?
Mek'ele gets on average 10.7 hours of sunshine per day, roughly 3,905 hours per year over 1940-2025.
Are there tropical nights in Mek'ele?
Almost never: tropical nights (temperature staying above 20 °C) are virtually non-existent in Mek'ele.
What was the most extreme apparent temperature in Mek'ele?
In Mek'ele, between 1940 and 2025, the highest apparent temperature reached 31.4 °C on 17 March 1998, and the lowest was -1.6 °C on 18 December 2010.
Compare Mek'ele with another city
Pick a second city: its normals will be set against these, indicator by indicator.
Nearby cities
The climate around Mek'ele