Gaborone in Summer
In summer (December, January and February), Gaborone sees average daytime highs around 31°C and overnight lows near 20°C, with 257 mm of rain over about 34 wet days across the season. It is the warmest season of the year and the wettest season of the year.
Across summer, daytime highs hold fairly steady around 31°C. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 44% of the time across summer, and the air most often feels humid.
Summer is Gaborone's weakest season of the year to visit on our travel score. For the whole year in context, see Gaborone's year-round climate.
- Avg daytime high
- 31°C
- warmest season of the year
- Avg overnight low
- 20°C
- Rainfall
- 257 mm
- 34 wet days
- Avg wind
- 10 km/h
- Travel score
- 4.6
- weakest season of the year
- Months
- Dec · Jan · Feb
Temperature in Gaborone in Summer
Across summer, daytime highs hold fairly steady around 31°C.
A typical summer day in Gaborone reaches about 31°C and drops to 20°C overnight. The warmest of the three months is December, the coolest December.
Gaborone 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° / 21° | 89 | 12.3 | 13.4 | 4.5 |
| Feb | 30° / 20° | 82 | 9.8 | 12.9 | 4.9 |
| Mar | 29° / 18° | 59 | 8.4 | 12.2 | 5.9 |
| Apr | 27° / 15° | 30 | 4.5 | 11.4 | 7.8 |
| May | 24° / 10° | 14 | 1.7 | 10.8 | 9.1 |
| Jun | 22° / 7° | 9 | 1.2 | 10.5 | 8.9 |
| Jul | 22° / 6° | 2 | 0.5 | 10.6 | 9.0 |
| Aug | 25° / 9° | 3 | 0.7 | 11.1 | 9.3 |
| Sep | 29° / 14° | 10 | 1.5 | 11.8 | 7.3 |
| Oct | 31° / 18° | 33 | 5.7 | 12.6 | 5.4 |
| Nov | 31° / 19° | 68 | 10.1 | 13.2 | 4.6 |
| Dec | 31° / 20° | 85 | 12.1 | 13.5 | 4.4 |
Cloud cover in Summer
The sky is clear or mostly clear about 44% of the time across summer.
Chance of precipitation in Summer
Gaborone gets around 257 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 10 km/h across summer.
Sunrise & sunset in Summer
Daylight runs from about 13 h 24 min in early December to 12 h 36 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 6.7 kWh/m².
Is summer a good time to visit Gaborone?
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 Gaborone for sightseeing. The water and warmth also suit a beach or pool day.
What to pack for Gaborone in Summer
From summer's temperature range, rain chance, sun and wind — what's worth putting in the bag.
In summer, Gaborone sees daytime highs around 31°C and nights near 20°C. Pack light clothes and sun protection. Worth having: rain gear. About 34 days see rain.
UV index in Gaborone 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 Gaborone peaks around January 13 at about 14 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near June 16 at about 5 (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) | 14 | 13 | 12 | 9 | 6 | 5 | 6 | 8 | 9 | 11 | 12 | 14 |
| Level | Extreme | Extreme | Extreme | Very high | High | High | High | Very high | Very high | Extreme | Extreme | Extreme |
| UV index (midday) | Level | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 14 | Extreme |
| Feb | 13 | Extreme |
| Mar | 12 | Extreme |
| Apr | 9 | Very high |
| May | 6 | High |
| Jun | 5 | High |
| Jul | 6 | High |
| Aug | 8 | Very high |
| Sep | 9 | Very high |
| Oct | 11 | Extreme |
| Nov | 12 | Extreme |
| Dec | 14 | Extreme |
Air quality in Gaborone in Summer
Average fine-particle pollution (PM2.5) through the year — so you can see where summer falls, not just the annual average.
Air quality in Gaborone is worst in June — around 17 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 3.3× the cleanest month (December, 5 µg/m³).
Modeled monthly averages (CAMS reanalysis, 2015–2024).
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PM2.5 (µg/m³) | 7 | 9 | 10 | 13 | 16 | 17 | 17 | 15 | 16 | 12 | 6 | 5 |
| Level | Good | Good | Good | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Good | Good | Good |
| PM2.5 (µg/m³) | Level | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 7 | Good |
| Feb | 9 | Good |
| Mar | 10 | Good |
| Apr | 13 | Moderate |
| May | 16 | Moderate |
| Jun | 17 | Moderate |
| Jul | 17 | Moderate |
| Aug | 15 | Moderate |
| Sep | 16 | Moderate |
| Oct | 12 | Good |
| Nov | 6 | Good |
| Dec | 5 | Good |
Where is Gaborone?
Gaborone sits at 24.7°S, 25.9°E, 1,011 m above sea level, in Botswana. The nearest listed city is Mogoditshane, 5.0 km away.
Topography around Gaborone
How much the land rises and falls, and what covers it, within 3, 16 and 80 km of Gaborone.
Within 3 km, the terrain around Gaborone has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 49 m around an average of 1,001 m above sea level; within 16 km, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 409 m; within 80 km, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 626 m.
The land around Gaborone is covered by artificial surfaces (72%) within 3 km, shrubs (47%) within 16 km, and shrubs (72%) 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 Gaborone (-24.6545°, 25.9086°, elevation 1,011 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.