Discover the best time of year, based on historical climate, temperature, and precipitation.
The best weather in Mogadishu is from January, February, December. — consistent weather climate
🌡Hot & dry
| Score | 92 | 91 | 83 | 67 | 74 | 81 | 79 | 81 | 84 | 81 | 71 | 85 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Climate | Hot & dry | Hot & dry | Hot & dry | Hot & dry | Hot & dry | Hot & dry | Pleasant | Hot & dry | Hot & dry | Hot & dry | Hot & dry | Hot & dry |
| Temperature | 24–31°C | 25–31°C | 26–32°C | 26–32°C | 26–30°C | 25–29°C | 24–27°C | 24–28°C | 24–28°C | 25–29°C | 25–30°C | 25–31°C |
| Feels like | 26–33°C | 27–34°C | 29–35°C | 31–37°C | 29–34°C | 27–30°C | 25–29°C | 25–29°C | 26–31°C | 28–34°C | 29–35°C | 27–34°C |
| Precipitation | 4mm 1 days | 3mm 1 days | 11mm 4 days | 60mm 11 days | 71mm 19 days | 48mm 20 days | 64mm 24 days | 59mm 22 days | 35mm 15 days | 39mm 13 days | 99mm 14 days | 18mm 5 days |
| Sunshine | 11.7h ☀︎ 97% | 11.6h ☀︎ 96% | 11.8h ☀︎ 98% | 11.6h ☀︎ 95% | 11.5h ☀︎ 94% | 11.1h ☀︎ 90% | 10.0h ☀︎ 82% | 11.4h ☀︎ 94% | 11.6h ☀︎ 96% | 11.3h ☀︎ 94% | 11.1h ☀︎ 93% | 11.7h ☀︎ 98% |
| Wind | E · 30 km/h | E · 29 km/h | E · 24 km/h | S · 18 km/h | SW · 24 km/h | SW · 29 km/h | SW · 30 km/h | SW · 28 km/h | SW · 26 km/h | S · 20 km/h | E · 17 km/h | E · 25 km/h |
| Humidity (%) | 72% | 73% | 74% | 75% | 80% | 78% | 79% | 79% | 79% | 79% | 80% | 75% |
| Day length | 12.0h | 12.1h | 12.1h | 12.2h | 12.2h | 12.2h | 12.2h | 12.2h | 12.1h | 12.1h | 12.0h | 12.0h |
Somalia's largest literary gathering brings together writers, poets, and readers from across the country each December.…
Mogadishu is at its most radiant when the northeast monsoon settles in from December through February, bringing bone-dry sea air, bright sunshine, and evenings where the entire coastline exhales.
Known for millennia as Hamar, this ancient Indian Ocean trading capital in the Banaadir region has weathered centuries of profound transformation, yet its geographical soul remains unchanged. The city perches directly on the Indian Ocean, where maritime breezes collide with equatorial sun. While travel here requires deliberate intent and careful planning, the rhythms of its coastal climate are extraordinarily distinct. When the weather is right, the blue of the sea off the old coral stone quarters is staggering, and the ocean air softens what can otherwise be a punishing tropical climate.
If you are coming to Mogadishu, this is the window that rewards you. The winter months mark the arrival of the dry northeast monsoon, known locally as the Jilal dry spell, but along the shoreline, the weather feels nothing like the harsh inland drought. December kicks off the peak season as the city swells with returning diaspora and regional visitors, drawn in part by the Mogadishu Book Fair, which fills central venues with poets, novelists, and packed literary panels celebrating Somali intellectual life. The energy on the streets during this month is electric, though the crowds reach their annual peak.
January and February offer the absolute peak meteorological conditions of the entire year. Rainfall drops to virtually nothing—just a few stray droplets across the entire month—and the sky remains a high, cloudless vault of brilliant blue. While midday temperatures routinely reach 31 degrees, the air off the Indian Ocean keeps the heat from stagnating, making early mornings along Lido Beach genuinely refreshing.
In Hamar Weyne, the ancient core where whitewashed coral-rag buildings line narrow alleyways, the dry air prevents the heavy, suffocating dampness that plagues other months. You can navigate the textile stalls and historic quarters without retreating constantly into air conditioning. By sunset, as the ocean breeze stiffens, families and youth gather along the waterfront promenades to drink spiced tea and watch the surf pound against the crumbling breakwaters.
The transition into spring is sharp and physically demanding. March begins the shift as the winds die down and the atmosphere thickens with moisture. By April, the Gu rainy season makes landfall, transforming the city's climate into a dense, oppressive steam bath. Daytime highs push well past 32 degrees, but the apparent temperature routinely sits around 37 degrees, trapping heat between the sun-baked asphalt and the humid sea.
April and May bring genuine cloudbursts. While rain arrives in short, intense episodes rather than steady days-long deluges, the runoff quickly pools in the lower streets and makes traversing busy thoroughfares like those around Bakara Market a sodden, chaotic affair. The humidity during these months rarely breaks, even well after the sun dips below the horizon.
Unless you have pressing business, May and April are months to sidestep. The bright coastal sparkle vanishes under leaden skies, the ocean surf turns turbulent and murky, and the heat creates an inescapable lethargy that discourages anyone from spending extended hours outside.
Come June, the weather does something counterintuitive for the tropics: it cools down significantly. The southwest monsoon sweeps in over the ocean, dragging brisk gales and thick cloud cover along the southern Somali coast. July is actually the coolest period of the year, with afternoon temperatures hovering around 27 degrees and apparent temperatures staying comfortably below 30.
Yet this coolness comes at the expense of sunshine. The skies over Shangani and the coastal cliffs remain overcast for days on end, filled with a persistent sea haze and frequent, fine coastal mists. The ocean churns with powerful swells that make swimming risky, and the breezy air carries a constant salt spray into the city streets.
For residents, the Hagaa season brings immense relief from the swelter of April, and crowd levels remain refreshingly moderate. If you don't mind grey, wind-scoured days and an unpredictable dampness in the air, this mid-year stretch is surprisingly manageable for outdoor movement, offering a brooding, atmospheric glimpse of the ocean city at work.
September provides a brief, pleasant pause. As the southwest monsoon wanes, the sun breaks back through the clouds, temperatures remain modest, and the ocean calms down. For a few weeks, walking through the historic ruins of Shangani or lingering at a beachside lookout feels easy and inviting.
That reprieve is brief. October and November usher in the Dayr rains, the second wet season of the calendar. November is particularly notorious: it receives the heaviest downpours of the entire year, with intense, disruptive torrents that overwhelm drainage and bring traffic to a crawling standstill. The apparent temperature spikes back up into the mid-thirties as suffocating humidity settles over the Banaadir municipality.
November combines the damp friction of rainstorms with an unrelenting stickiness that leaves clothes soaked through within minutes of stepping outdoors. It is easily the least comfortable month on the calendar, serving as the final, sodden hurdle before the clean winter winds return in December to clear the air once more.