Goma in Winter
In winter (June, July and August), Goma sees average daytime highs around 20°C and overnight lows near 17°C, with 182 mm of rain over about 36 wet days across the season. It is the coldest season of the year and the driest season of the year.
Across winter, daytime highs hold fairly steady around 20°C. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 20% of the time across winter, and the air most often feels comfortable.
Winter is Goma's best season of the year to visit on our travel score. Goma has little temperature swing across the year, so its calendar seasons blur — the season framing matters less here than for a place with four distinct seasons. For the whole year in context, see Goma's year-round climate.
- Avg daytime high
- 20°C
- coldest season of the year
- Avg overnight low
- 17°C
- Rainfall
- 182 mm
- 36 wet days
- Avg wind
- 7 km/h
- Travel score
- 6.0
- best season of the year
- Months
- Jun · Jul · Aug
Temperature in Goma in Winter
Across winter, daytime highs hold fairly steady around 20°C.
A typical winter day in Goma reaches about 20°C and drops to 17°C overnight. The warmest of the three months is August, the coolest July.
Goma weather by month
How the three winter months (June, July and August) 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 | 21° / 17° | 231 | 26.2 | 12.1 | 3.9 |
| Feb | 21° / 17° | 221 | 23.7 | 12.1 | 3.9 |
| Mar | 21° / 17° | 335 | 29.4 | 12 | 3.5 |
| Apr | 21° / 17° | 257 | 27 | 12 | 3.6 |
| May | 21° / 18° | 155 | 21.8 | 11.9 | 4.6 |
| Jun | 20° / 17° | 78 | 14.2 | 11.9 | 5.6 |
| Jul | 20° / 17° | 31 | 7.9 | 11.9 | 6.6 |
| Aug | 20° / 17° | 72 | 13.5 | 11.9 | 5.7 |
| Sep | 21° / 17° | 173 | 22.9 | 12 | 4.3 |
| Oct | 20° / 17° | 331 | 28.9 | 12 | 3.5 |
| Nov | 20° / 17° | 372 | 29.3 | 12.1 | 3.3 |
| Dec | 20° / 17° | 319 | 29.2 | 12.1 | 3.5 |
Cloud cover in Winter
The sky is clear or mostly clear about 20% of the time across winter.
Chance of precipitation in Winter
Goma gets around 182 mm of rain over 36 wet days across winter. The line is the day-by-day chance of measurable precipitation.
Humidity in Winter
Most of winter feels comfortable — the stacked bands show each day's mix of comfort levels, read off the dew point.
Wind in Winter
Winds average 7 km/h across winter.
Sunrise & sunset in Winter
Daylight runs from about 11 h 54 min in early June to 12 hours by late August. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.
Solar energy in Winter
Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day across winter, about 4.9 kWh/m².
Is winter a good time to visit Goma?
Our two travel scores rate winter for general sightseeing and for beach or pool weather — 0 (poor) to 10 (ideal), averaged across the three months.
winter is a reasonable time to visit Goma for sightseeing.
What to pack for Goma in Winter
From winter's temperature range, rain chance, sun and wind — what's worth putting in the bag.
In winter, Goma sees daytime highs around 20°C and nights near 17°C. Pack rain gear. Worth having: sun protection. About 36 days see rain.
UV index in Goma in Winter
Clear-sky midday UV across winter averages around 10 (very high — sun protection essential). The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.
Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Goma peaks around March 21 at about 16 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near June 21 at about 10 (extreme).
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) | 11 | 14 | 16 | 16 | 12 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 14 | 13 | 12 | 10 |
| Level | Extreme | Extreme | Extreme | Extreme | Extreme | Extreme | Extreme | Extreme | Extreme | Extreme | Extreme | Extreme |
| UV index (midday) | Level | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 11 | Extreme |
| Feb | 14 | Extreme |
| Mar | 16 | Extreme |
| Apr | 16 | Extreme |
| May | 12 | Extreme |
| Jun | 10 | Extreme |
| Jul | 10 | Extreme |
| Aug | 10 | Extreme |
| Sep | 14 | Extreme |
| Oct | 13 | Extreme |
| Nov | 12 | Extreme |
| Dec | 10 | Extreme |
Air quality in Goma in Winter
Average fine-particle pollution (PM2.5) through the year — so you can see where winter falls, not just the annual average.
Air quality in Goma is worst in July — around 106 µg/m³ PM2.5 (unhealthy), and holds fairly steady the rest of the year.
Modeled monthly averages (CAMS reanalysis, 2015–2024).
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PM2.5 (µg/m³) | 92 | 96 | 82 | 77 | 80 | 100 | 106 | 100 | 89 | 82 | 83 | 88 |
| Level | Unhealthy | Unhealthy | Unhealthy | Unhealthy | Unhealthy | Unhealthy | Unhealthy | Unhealthy | Unhealthy | Unhealthy | Unhealthy | Unhealthy |
| PM2.5 (µg/m³) | Level | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 92 | Unhealthy |
| Feb | 96 | Unhealthy |
| Mar | 82 | Unhealthy |
| Apr | 77 | Unhealthy |
| May | 80 | Unhealthy |
| Jun | 100 | Unhealthy |
| Jul | 106 | Unhealthy |
| Aug | 100 | Unhealthy |
| Sep | 89 | Unhealthy |
| Oct | 82 | Unhealthy |
| Nov | 83 | Unhealthy |
| Dec | 88 | Unhealthy |
Where is Goma?
Goma sits at 1.7°S, 29.2°E, 1,518 m above sea level, in Democratic Republic of the Congo. The nearest listed city is Gisenyi, 4.0 km away.
Topography around Goma
How much the land rises and falls, and what covers it, within 3, 16 and 80 km of Goma.
Within 3 km, the terrain around Goma has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 129 m around an average of 1,515 m above sea level; within 16 km, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,793 m; within 80 km, extreme variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 3,521 m.
The land around Goma is covered by artificial surfaces (72%) and water (20%) within 3 km, water (37%) within 16 km, and trees (41%) and grassland (25%) within 80 km.
Democratic Republic of the Congo travel facts
- Travel advisory
- Level 4
- Do Not Travel
- Power plugs
- Type C / E
- 220 V · 50 Hz
- Prices
- ≈ 42% of US
- price level, 2025
- GDP per capita
- $807
- 2025
- Happiness
- 3.8 / 10
- World Happiness, 2025
- Safe drinking water
- 12%
- of population, 2024
- Road deaths
- 34.9
- per 100k/yr, 2019
- Income group
- Low
- World Bank
- English
- Very low
- EF EPI 400
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 Goma (-1.6741°, 29.2284°, elevation 1,518 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.