Asmara in Winter
In winter (December, January and February), Asmara sees average daytime highs around 22°C and overnight lows near 12°C, with 119 mm of rain over about 33 wet days across the season. It is the coldest season of the year and the 3rd-wettest season.
Across winter, daytime highs hold fairly steady around 22°C. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 42% of the time across winter, and the air most often feels dry.
Winter is Asmara's 2nd-best season to visit on our travel score. For the whole year in context, see Asmara's year-round climate.
- Avg daytime high
- 22°C
- coldest season of the year
- Avg overnight low
- 12°C
- Rainfall
- 119 mm
- 33 wet days
- Avg wind
- 5 km/h
- Travel score
- 6.8
- 2nd-best season
- Months
- Dec · Jan · Feb
Temperature in Asmara in Winter
Across winter, daytime highs hold fairly steady around 22°C.
A typical winter day in Asmara reaches about 22°C and drops to 12°C overnight. The warmest of the three months is February, the coolest January.
Asmara 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 | 22° / 12° | 49 | 12.9 | 11.2 | 6.5 |
| Feb | 23° / 12° | 34 | 9.3 | 11.5 | 7.1 |
| Mar | 25° / 14° | 48 | 12.2 | 11.9 | 6.8 |
| Apr | 26° / 15° | 63 | 16.1 | 12.3 | 6.1 |
| May | 27° / 16° | 47 | 10.8 | 12.7 | 6.8 |
| Jun | 28° / 16° | 39 | 8.3 | 12.9 | 6.3 |
| Jul | 26° / 16° | 182 | 27.3 | 12.8 | 4.2 |
| Aug | 26° / 17° | 211 | 26.9 | 12.5 | 4.3 |
| Sep | 27° / 16° | 38 | 6.1 | 12.1 | 7.5 |
| Oct | 25° / 14° | 28 | 5.7 | 11.7 | 8.1 |
| Nov | 23° / 13° | 32 | 8.4 | 11.3 | 7.6 |
| Dec | 22° / 12° | 36 | 10.9 | 11.1 | 6.9 |
Cloud cover in Winter
The sky is clear or mostly clear about 42% of the time across winter.
Chance of precipitation in Winter
Asmara gets around 119 mm of rain over 33 wet days across winter. The line is the day-by-day chance of measurable precipitation.
Humidity in Winter
Most of winter feels dry — the stacked bands show each day's mix of comfort levels, read off the dew point.
Wind in Winter
Winds average 5 km/h across winter.
Sunrise & sunset in Winter
Daylight runs from about 11 h 12 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 5.3 kWh/m².
Hazard calendar for Asmara
None of Asmara's seasonal hazards peak in winter. The full-year calendar below shows when the rainy season, cyclone risk and dust haze do.
Asmara's rainy season runs July–August, when most of the year's rain falls.
Asmara sees seasonal dust haze (June–August), heaviest in July.
Is winter a good time to visit Asmara?
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 Asmara for sightseeing.
What to pack for Asmara in Winter
From winter's temperature range, rain chance, sun and wind — what's worth putting in the bag.
In winter, Asmara sees daytime highs around 22°C and nights near 12°C. Worth packing: light clothes, rain gear and sun protection. About 33 days see rain.
UV index in Asmara in Winter
Clear-sky midday UV across winter averages around 11 (very high — sun protection essential). The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.
Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Asmara peaks around April 12 at about 15 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near December 13 at about 9 (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) | 11 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 13 | 11 | 11 | 11 | 13 | 12 | 9 | 9 |
| Level | Extreme | Extreme | Extreme | Extreme | Extreme | Extreme | Extreme | Extreme | Extreme | Extreme | Very high | Very high |
| UV index (midday) | Level | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 11 | Extreme |
| Feb | 13 | Extreme |
| Mar | 14 | Extreme |
| Apr | 15 | Extreme |
| May | 13 | Extreme |
| Jun | 11 | Extreme |
| Jul | 11 | Extreme |
| Aug | 11 | Extreme |
| Sep | 13 | Extreme |
| Oct | 12 | Extreme |
| Nov | 9 | Very high |
| Dec | 9 | Very high |
Air quality in Asmara 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 Asmara is worst in June — around 27 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), 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) | 22 | 22 | 26 | 25 | 26 | 27 | 24 | 22 | 24 | 24 | 21 | 19 |
| Level | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate |
| PM2.5 (µg/m³) | Level | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 22 | Moderate |
| Feb | 22 | Moderate |
| Mar | 26 | Moderate |
| Apr | 25 | Moderate |
| May | 26 | Moderate |
| Jun | 27 | Moderate |
| Jul | 24 | Moderate |
| Aug | 22 | Moderate |
| Sep | 24 | Moderate |
| Oct | 24 | Moderate |
| Nov | 21 | Moderate |
| Dec | 19 | Moderate |
Where is Asmara?
Asmara sits at 15.3°N, 38.9°E, 2,334 m above sea level, in Eritrea. The nearest listed city is Mendefera, 52 km away.
Topography around Asmara
How much the land rises and falls, and what covers it, within 3, 16 and 80 km of Asmara.
Within 3 km, the terrain around Asmara has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 125 m around an average of 2,341 m above sea level; within 16 km, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,574 m; within 80 km, extreme variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 2,865 m.
The land around Asmara is covered by artificial surfaces (52%) and cropland (29%) within 3 km, cropland (32%), grassland (31%) and shrubs (30%) within 16 km, and grassland (33%), shrubs (29%) and bare terrain (20%) within 80 km.
Eritrea travel facts
- Travel advisory
- Level 2
- Exercise Increased Caution
- Power plugs
- Type C / L
- 230 V · 50 Hz
- Prices
- ≈ 33% of US
- price level, 2021
- GDP per capita
- $689
- 2011
- Homicide rate
- 15.6
- per 100k, 2012
- Road deaths
- 37.9
- per 100k/yr, 2019
- Income group
- Low
- World Bank
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 Asmara (15.3381°, 38.9318°, elevation 2,334 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.