Wau climate — normals and trends
Wau (South Sudan) has a tropical savanna climate (Aw) under the Köppen-Geiger classification. Its mean annual temperature is 27.3 °C and it receives 1,125 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 (30.3 °C on average) and the coldest is August (25.1 °C). Rainfall peaks in August.
Wau averages 0 frost days, 298 hot days (≥ 30 °C) and 164 rainy days per year.
Wau has warmed by +2.6 °C between 1940 and 2025, or +0.30 °C per decade. This trend is statistically significant.
The hottest day of the period reached 43.5 °C (on 26 February 2005) and the coldest 14.5 °C (on 6 February 1957).
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
WauWestern Bahr al Ghazal
- coords
- 7.70°, 27.99°
- period
- 1940–2025 · 86 yrs
Mean daily temperature
27.3°C
Average daily high
33.1°C
Average daily low
22.9°C
Annual rainfall
1,125mm
Sunshine / day
10.6h
Mean relative humidity
58%
Average peak wind
12.0km/h
Seasonal range
5.2°C
Frost days (< 0 °C)
0 d/yr
Hot days (≥ 30 °C)
298 d/yr
Rainy days (≥ 1 mm)
164 d/yr
Annual snowfall
0.0 cm
Average feels-like high
36.1 °C
Average feels-like low
24.2 °C
Average peak gust
29.3 km/h
Tropical nights (≥ 20 °C)
346 d/yr
Solar radiation
20.9 MJ/m²
Has the climate changed?
One stripe per year, 1940 to 2025
+2.6 °C
since 1940
+0.3 °C per decade · r² = 0.70 · 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
43.5 °C
26 February 2005
Coldest day
14.5 °C
6 February 1957
Wettest day
60 mm
5 September 1952
Windiest day
25.5 km/h
14 May 1968
Strongest gust
56.5 km/h
13 June 1943
Hottest feels-like
45.5 °C
28 March 2016
Coldest feels-like
9.9 °C
6 February 1957
Sunniest day
12.0 h
16 April 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 | 36.6 °C | +1.9 °C | 0 mm | -2 mm |
| Feb | 39.0 °C | +2.7 °C | 0 mm | -7 mm |
| Mar | 38.2 °C | +1.1 °C | 2 mm | -24 mm |
| Apr | 36.9 °C | +1.0 °C | 6 mm | -58 mm |
| May | 35.7 °C | +2.1 °C | 14 mm | -107 mm |
| Jun | 34.0 °C | +2.5 °C | 41 mm | -102 mm |
| Jul | 30.1 °C | +0.1 °C | 141 mm | -40 mm |
| Aug | 29.5 °C | -0.1 °C | 202 mm | +2 mm |
| Sep | 30.8 °C | +0.4 °C | 134 mm | -53 mm |
| Oct | 32.0 °C | +0.7 °C | 73 mm | -82 mm |
| Nov | 34.1 °C | +1.2 °C | 3 mm | -30 mm |
| Dec | 33.8 °C | -0.2 °C | 0 mm | -6 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 Wau?
Wau has a tropical savanna climate (Köppen Aw). Over 1940-2025, the average annual temperature is 27.3 °C and it receives 1,125 mm of precipitation per year.
What is the hottest day ever recorded in Wau?
The hottest day measured in Wau between 1940 and 2025 was 26 February 2005, reaching 43.5 °C.
What is the coldest day in Wau?
The coldest day measured in Wau between 1940 and 2025 was 6 February 1957, at 14.5 °C.
Does it snow in Wau?
Almost never: Wau sees virtually no snow, with about 0 frost days per year.
Has the climate of Wau warmed?
Yes: Wau warmed by +2.6 °C between 1940 and 2025, a statistically significant trend.
What is the wettest day in Wau?
The wettest day measured in Wau between 1940 and 2025 was 5 September 1952, with 60 mm of rain in 24 hours.
What was the windiest day in Wau?
The windiest day measured in Wau between 1940 and 2025 was 14 May 1968, with winds reaching 25.5 km/h.
What is the warmest month in Wau?
The warmest month in Wau is March (30.3 °C on average); the coldest is August (25.1 °C).
How much does it rain in Wau?
Wau receives on average 1,125 mm of precipitation per year, spread over about 164 rainy days.
Is it sunny in Wau?
Wau gets on average 10.6 hours of sunshine per day, roughly 3,869 hours per year over 1940-2025.
Are there tropical nights in Wau?
Yes: Wau has on average 346 tropical nights per year (temperature staying above 20 °C), over 1940-2025.
What was the most extreme apparent temperature in Wau?
In Wau, between 1940 and 2025, the highest apparent temperature reached 45.5 °C on 28 March 2016, and the lowest was 9.9 °C on 6 February 1957.
Compare Wau with another city
Pick a second city: its normals will be set against these, indicator by indicator.
Nearby cities
The climate around Wau