Balbala in Winter
In winter (December, January and February), Balbala sees average daytime highs around 27°C and overnight lows near 22°C, with 74 mm of rain over about 19 wet days across the season. It is the coldest season of the year and the 2nd-wettest season.
Across winter, daytime highs hold fairly steady around 27°C. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 47% of the time across winter, and the air most often feels muggy.
Winter is Balbala's best season of the year to visit on our travel score. For the whole year in context, see Balbala's year-round climate.
- Avg daytime high
- 27°C
- coldest season of the year
- Avg overnight low
- 22°C
- Rainfall
- 74 mm
- 19 wet days
- Avg wind
- 13 km/h
- Travel score
- 7.4
- best season of the year
- Months
- Dec · Jan · Feb
Temperature in Balbala in Winter
Across winter, daytime highs hold fairly steady around 27°C.
A typical winter day in Balbala reaches about 27°C and drops to 22°C overnight. The warmest of the three months is December, the coolest January.
How winter really feels in Balbala
Once humidity and wind are folded in, winter brings about 0 days that feel above 32°C and 0 that feel at or below 0°C.
winter sits comfortably in between — no days that feel dangerously hot or drop to a hard freeze once humidity and wind are folded in.
Balbala weather by month
How the three winter 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 | 26° / 21° | 30 | 8.3 | 11.4 | 7.1 |
| Feb | 27° / 22° | 20 | 4.9 | 11.6 | 7.4 |
| Mar | 29° / 23° | 25 | 6.6 | 11.9 | 6.5 |
| Apr | 30° / 25° | 35 | 6.7 | 12.2 | 5.4 |
| May | 34° / 27° | 15 | 3.3 | 12.5 | 3.9 |
| Jun | 37° / 30° | 1 | 0.2 | 12.7 | 1.7 |
| Jul | 38° / 30° | 6 | 1.5 | 12.6 | 1.3 |
| Aug | 37° / 30° | 14 | 3.2 | 12.4 | 1.8 |
| Sep | 35° / 29° | 9 | 2 | 12.1 | 2.9 |
| Oct | 31° / 25° | 22 | 6.1 | 11.7 | 5.1 |
| Nov | 29° / 23° | 30 | 6.8 | 11.5 | 6.7 |
| Dec | 27° / 22° | 24 | 5.8 | 11.3 | 7.6 |
Cloud cover in Winter
The sky is clear or mostly clear about 47% of the time across winter.
Chance of precipitation in Winter
Balbala gets around 74 mm of rain over 19 wet days across winter. The line is the day-by-day chance of measurable precipitation.
Humidity in Winter
Most of winter feels muggy — the stacked bands show each day's mix of comfort levels, read off the dew point.
Wind in Winter
Winds average 13 km/h across winter.
Sunrise & sunset in Winter
Daylight runs from about 11 h 24 min in early December to 11 h 42 min by late February. 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 5.1 kWh/m².
Hazard calendar for Balbala
None of Balbala's seasonal hazards peak in winter. The full-year calendar below shows when the rainy season, cyclone risk and dust haze do.
Balbala sees seasonal dust haze (June–September), heaviest in July.
Is winter a good time to visit Balbala?
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 one of the better times to visit Balbala for general sightseeing. The water and warmth also suit a beach or pool day.
What to pack for Balbala in Winter
From winter's temperature range, rain chance, sun and wind — what's worth putting in the bag.
In winter, Balbala sees daytime highs around 27°C and nights near 22°C. Worth packing: light clothes, rain gear and sun protection. About 19 days see rain.
Sea temperature near Balbala in Winter
The nearest coast averages about 27°C across winter — the other half of the beach question. The full-year curve and swim-comfort zones are below.
The sea offshore is warmest in June at about 31°C and coldest in February near 26°C.
The water stays above 20°C all year — warm enough for a swim any month.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sea temperature (°C) | 27 | 26 | 27 | 29 | 31 | 31 | 30 | 30 | 31 | 31 | 29 | 28 |
| Comfort | Warm | Warm | Warm | Tropical | Tropical | Tropical | Tropical | Tropical | Tropical | Tropical | Tropical | Warm |
| Sea temperature (°C) | Comfort | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 27 | Warm |
| Feb | 26 | Warm |
| Mar | 27 | Warm |
| Apr | 29 | Tropical |
| May | 31 | Tropical |
| Jun | 31 | Tropical |
| Jul | 30 | Tropical |
| Aug | 30 | Tropical |
| Sep | 31 | Tropical |
| Oct | 31 | Tropical |
| Nov | 29 | Tropical |
| Dec | 28 | Warm |
UV index in Balbala 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 Balbala peaks around March 23 at about 13 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near December 11 at about 8 (very 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) | 10 | 12 | 13 | 13 | 11 | 10 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 10 | 8 | 8 |
| Level | Extreme | Extreme | Extreme | Extreme | Extreme | Extreme | Very high | Extreme | Extreme | Extreme | Very high | Very high |
| UV index (midday) | Level | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 10 | Extreme |
| Feb | 12 | Extreme |
| Mar | 13 | Extreme |
| Apr | 13 | Extreme |
| May | 11 | Extreme |
| Jun | 10 | Extreme |
| Jul | 9 | Very high |
| Aug | 10 | Extreme |
| Sep | 11 | Extreme |
| Oct | 10 | Extreme |
| Nov | 8 | Very high |
| Dec | 8 | Very high |
Air quality in Balbala 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 Balbala is worst in July — around 42 µg/m³ PM2.5 (poor), about 2.1× the cleanest month (November, 20 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) | 25 | 26 | 26 | 22 | 25 | 36 | 42 | 37 | 29 | 21 | 20 | 21 |
| Level | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Poor | Poor | Poor | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate |
| PM2.5 (µg/m³) | Level | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 25 | Moderate |
| Feb | 26 | Moderate |
| Mar | 26 | Moderate |
| Apr | 22 | Moderate |
| May | 25 | Moderate |
| Jun | 36 | Poor |
| Jul | 42 | Poor |
| Aug | 37 | Poor |
| Sep | 29 | Moderate |
| Oct | 21 | Moderate |
| Nov | 20 | Moderate |
| Dec | 21 | Moderate |
Where is Balbala?
Balbala sits at 11.6°N, 43.1°E, 56 m above sea level, in Djibouti. The nearest listed city is Djibouti, 5.0 km away.
Topography around Balbala
How much the land rises and falls, and what covers it, within 3, 16 and 80 km of Balbala.
Within 3 km, the terrain around Balbala has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 123 m around an average of 38 m above sea level; within 16 km, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 355 m; within 80 km, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,924 m.
The land around Balbala is covered by bare terrain (54%) and artificial surfaces (34%) within 3 km, bare terrain (47%) and water (46%) within 16 km, and bare terrain (61%) and water (32%) within 80 km.
Djibouti travel facts
- Travel advisory
- Level 2
- Exercise Increased Caution
- Power plugs
- Type C / E
- 220 V · 50 Hz
- Prices
- ≈ 46% of US
- price level, 2025
- GDP per capita
- $3,906
- 2025
- Happiness
- 4.4 / 10
- World Happiness, 2014
- Road deaths
- 23.5
- per 100k/yr, 2019
- Income group
- Lower 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 Balbala (11.5619°, 43.1067°, elevation 56 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.