Francistown in Summer
In summer (December, January and February), Francistown sees average daytime highs around 30°C and overnight lows near 20°C, with 279 mm of rain over about 34 wet days across the season. It is the 2nd-warmest season and the wettest season of the year.
Across summer, daytime highs hold fairly steady around 30°C. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 35% of the time across summer, and the air most often feels humid.
Summer is Francistown's weakest season of the year to visit on our travel score. For the whole year in context, see Francistown's year-round climate.
- Avg daytime high
- 30°C
- 2nd-warmest season
- Avg overnight low
- 20°C
- Rainfall
- 279 mm
- 34 wet days
- Avg wind
- 13 km/h
- Travel score
- 4.6
- weakest season of the year
- Months
- Dec · Jan · Feb
Temperature in Francistown in Summer
Across summer, daytime highs hold fairly steady around 30°C.
A typical summer day in Francistown reaches about 30°C and drops to 20°C overnight. The warmest of the three months is December, the coolest February.
How summer really feels in Francistown
Once humidity and wind are folded in, summer brings about 0 days that feel above 32°C and 0 that feel at or below 0°C.
summer sits comfortably in between — no days that feel dangerously hot or drop to a hard freeze once humidity and wind are folded in.
Francistown weather by month
How the three summer months (December, January and February) compare with the rest of the year — the season's months are highlighted.
| Month | High / Low (°C) | Rainfall (mm) | Wet days | Daylight (hours) | Travel score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 31° / 20° | 95 | 11.7 | 13.1 | 4.6 |
| Feb | 30° / 20° | 87 | 9.5 | 12.7 | 4.9 |
| Mar | 30° / 19° | 45 | 6.8 | 12.1 | 5.8 |
| Apr | 28° / 16° | 11 | 2.5 | 11.5 | 7.4 |
| May | 26° / 11° | 4 | 0.9 | 11 | 8.9 |
| Jun | 24° / 9° | 4 | 0.5 | 10.7 | 9.3 |
| Jul | 23° / 8° | 4 | 0.4 | 10.8 | 9.2 |
| Aug | 27° / 11° | 1 | 0.1 | 11.3 | 9.0 |
| Sep | 30° / 15° | 6 | 1.1 | 11.9 | 6.6 |
| Oct | 32° / 18° | 15 | 3.4 | 12.5 | 5.0 |
| Nov | 32° / 20° | 55 | 9.3 | 13 | 4.3 |
| Dec | 31° / 20° | 96 | 12.8 | 13.3 | 4.4 |
Cloud cover in Summer
The sky is clear or mostly clear about 35% of the time across summer.
Chance of precipitation in Summer
Francistown gets around 279 mm of rain over 34 wet days across summer. The line is the day-by-day chance of measurable precipitation.
Humidity in Summer
Most of summer feels humid — the stacked bands show each day's mix of comfort levels, read off the dew point.
Wind in Summer
Winds average 13 km/h across summer.
Sunrise & sunset in Summer
Daylight runs from about 13 h 12 min in early December to 12 h 30 min by late February. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.
Solar energy in Summer
Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day across summer, about 6.3 kWh/m².
Is summer a good time to visit Francistown?
Our two travel scores rate summer for general sightseeing and for beach or pool weather — 0 (poor) to 10 (ideal), averaged across the three months.
summer is a reasonable time to visit Francistown for sightseeing. The water and warmth also suit a beach or pool day.
What to pack for Francistown in Summer
From summer's temperature range, rain chance, sun and wind — what's worth putting in the bag.
In summer, Francistown sees daytime highs around 30°C and nights near 20°C. Pack light clothes and sun protection. Worth having: rain gear. About 34 days see rain.
UV index in Francistown in Summer
Clear-sky midday UV across summer averages around 14 (very high — sun protection essential). The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.
Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Francistown peaks around January 18 at about 15 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near June 20 at about 6 (high).
The index reaches 3 or more — the level where the WHO recommends sun protection — every month of the year.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| UV index (midday) | 15 | 14 | 13 | 10 | 8 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 10 | 11 | 13 | 13 |
| Level | Extreme | Extreme | Extreme | Very high | Very high | High | High | Very high | Very high | Extreme | Extreme | Extreme |
| UV index (midday) | Level | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 15 | Extreme |
| Feb | 14 | Extreme |
| Mar | 13 | Extreme |
| Apr | 10 | Very high |
| May | 8 | Very high |
| Jun | 6 | High |
| Jul | 7 | High |
| Aug | 8 | Very high |
| Sep | 10 | Very high |
| Oct | 11 | Extreme |
| Nov | 13 | Extreme |
| Dec | 13 | Extreme |
Where is Francistown?
Francistown sits at 21.2°S, 27.5°E, 989 m above sea level, in Botswana. The nearest listed city is Tonota, 31 km away.
Topography around Francistown
How much the land rises and falls, and what covers it, within 3, 16 and 80 km of Francistown.
Within 3 km, the terrain around Francistown has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 110 m around an average of 993 m above sea level; within 16 km, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 138 m; within 80 km, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 588 m.
The land around Francistown is covered by artificial surfaces (39%), shrubs (25%) and trees (22%) within 3 km, shrubs (74%) within 16 km, and shrubs (75%) within 80 km.
Botswana travel facts
- Travel advisory
- Level 2
- Exercise Increased Caution
- Power plugs
- Type D / G / M
- 230 V · 50 Hz
- Prices
- ≈ 38% of US
- price level, 2025
- GDP per capita
- $7,778
- 2025
- Happiness
- 3.5 / 10
- World Happiness, 2025
- Safe drinking water
- 63%
- of population, 2024
- Homicide rate
- 11.4
- per 100k, 2021
- Road deaths
- 26.4
- per 100k/yr, 2019
- Income group
- Upper middle
- World Bank
- Religion
Sources: World Bank, US State Department, World Happiness Report, WHO/UNICEF, EF EPI, CIA World Factbook.
Data sources
Temperature, precipitation, cloud, humidity, wind and solar figures are a 1991–2020 climatology for Francistown (-21.17°, 27.5078°, elevation 989 m), computed from hourly ERA5 reanalysis — contains modified Copernicus Climate Change Service information. Sun figures are astronomical calculations, not observations. City data © GeoNames, CC BY 4.0. Map outlines from Natural Earth (public domain); interactive map © Google.