Sumbawanga climate — normals and trends
Sumbawanga (Tanzania) has a subtropical highland, dry winter climate (Cwb) under the Köppen-Geiger classification. Its mean annual temperature is 17.2 °C and it receives 1,604 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 October (19.7 °C on average) and the coldest is July (15.7 °C). Rainfall peaks in December.
Sumbawanga averages 0 frost days, 0 hot days (≥ 30 °C) and 164 rainy days per year.
Sumbawanga has warmed by +1.6 °C between 1940 and 2025, or +0.19 °C per decade. This trend is statistically significant.
The hottest day of the period reached 29.4 °C (on 9 October 2023) and the coldest 4.8 °C (on 27 June 1981).
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
SumbawangaRukwa
- coords
- -7.97°, 31.62°
- period
- 1940–2025 · 86 yrs
Mean daily temperature
17.2°C
Average daily high
22.5°C
Average daily low
12.8°C
Annual rainfall
1,604mm
Sunshine / day
10.4h
Mean relative humidity
71%
Average peak wind
12.4km/h
Seasonal range
4.0°C
Frost days (< 0 °C)
0 d/yr
Hot days (≥ 30 °C)
0 d/yr
Rainy days (≥ 1 mm)
164 d/yr
Annual snowfall
0.0 cm
Average feels-like high
23.5 °C
Average feels-like low
12.0 °C
Average peak gust
32.0 km/h
Tropical nights (≥ 20 °C)
0 d/yr
Solar radiation
20.5 MJ/m²
Has the climate changed?
One stripe per year, 1940 to 2025
+1.6 °C
since 1940
+0.2 °C per decade · r² = 0.73 · 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
29.4 °C
9 October 2023
Coldest day
4.8 °C
27 June 1981
Wettest day
256 mm
14 March 1962
Windiest day
28.8 km/h
17 September 2002
Strongest gust
64.4 km/h
2 March 2018
Hottest feels-like
31.2 °C
9 February 2024
Coldest feels-like
1.3 °C
27 July 2024
Sunniest day
12.4 h
30 November 2025
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 | 22.0 °C | +0.6 °C | 342 mm | +47 mm |
| Feb | 23.7 °C | +1.9 °C | 207 mm | -57 mm |
| Mar | 23.2 °C | +1.4 °C | 330 mm | +44 mm |
| Apr | 23.3 °C | +1.6 °C | 123 mm | -59 mm |
| May | 23.1 °C | +1.2 °C | 83 mm | +42 mm |
| Jun | 23.5 °C | +1.4 °C | 2 mm | -2 mm |
| Jul | 23.5 °C | +1.3 °C | 1 mm | -1 mm |
| Aug | 24.4 °C | +1.1 °C | 1 mm | -3 mm |
| Sep | 26.4 °C | +1.9 °C | 5 mm | -5 mm |
| Oct | 26.8 °C | +1.8 °C | 8 mm | -33 mm |
| Nov | 24.6 °C | +1.4 °C | 152 mm | -22 mm |
| Dec | 22.7 °C | +1.1 °C | 331 mm | +30 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 Sumbawanga?
Sumbawanga has a subtropical highland, dry winter climate (Köppen Cwb). Over 1940-2025, the average annual temperature is 17.2 °C and it receives 1,604 mm of precipitation per year.
What is the hottest day ever recorded in Sumbawanga?
The hottest day measured in Sumbawanga between 1940 and 2025 was 9 October 2023, reaching 29.4 °C.
What is the coldest day in Sumbawanga?
The coldest day measured in Sumbawanga between 1940 and 2025 was 27 June 1981, at 4.8 °C.
Does it snow in Sumbawanga?
Almost never: Sumbawanga sees virtually no snow, with about 0 frost days per year.
Has the climate of Sumbawanga warmed?
Yes: Sumbawanga warmed by +1.6 °C between 1940 and 2025, a statistically significant trend.
What is the wettest day in Sumbawanga?
The wettest day measured in Sumbawanga between 1940 and 2025 was 14 March 1962, with 256 mm of rain in 24 hours.
What was the windiest day in Sumbawanga?
The windiest day measured in Sumbawanga between 1940 and 2025 was 17 September 2002, with winds reaching 28.8 km/h.
What is the warmest month in Sumbawanga?
The warmest month in Sumbawanga is October (19.7 °C on average); the coldest is July (15.7 °C).
How much does it rain in Sumbawanga?
Sumbawanga receives on average 1,604 mm of precipitation per year, spread over about 164 rainy days.
Is it sunny in Sumbawanga?
Sumbawanga gets on average 10.4 hours of sunshine per day, roughly 3,796 hours per year over 1940-2025.
Are there tropical nights in Sumbawanga?
Almost never: tropical nights (temperature staying above 20 °C) are virtually non-existent in Sumbawanga.
What was the most extreme apparent temperature in Sumbawanga?
In Sumbawanga, between 1940 and 2025, the highest apparent temperature reached 31.2 °C on 9 February 2024, and the lowest was 1.3 °C on 27 July 2024.
Compare Sumbawanga with another city
Pick a second city: its normals will be set against these, indicator by indicator.
Nearby cities
The climate around Sumbawanga