‘Alemaya in Winter

In winter (December, January and February), ‘Alemaya sees average daytime highs around 24°C and overnight lows near 12°C, with 63 mm of rain over about 10 wet days across the season. It is the coldest season of the year and the driest season of the year.

Over the season highs climb from about 23°C in early December to 26°C by late February. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 59% of the time across winter, and the air most often feels dry.

Winter is ‘Alemaya's best season of the year to visit on our travel score. For the whole year in context, see ‘Alemaya's year-round climate.

Avg daytime high
24°C
coldest season of the year
Avg overnight low
12°C
Rainfall
63 mm
10 wet days
Avg wind
7 km/h
Travel score
8.3
best season of the year
Months
Dec · Jan · Feb

Temperature in ‘Alemaya in Winter

Average highAverage lowShaded bands: 10–90% of days

Over the season highs climb from about 23°C in early December to 26°C by late February.

A typical winter day in ‘Alemaya reaches about 24°C and drops to 12°C overnight. The warmest of the three months is February, the coolest December.

10°15°20°25°30°DecJanFeb

‘Alemaya 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.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan24° / 12°193.511.58.4
Feb25° / 13°273.811.78.1
Mar26° / 15°769.211.97.0
Apr26° / 16°12913.512.26.1
May26° / 16°9011.812.46.4
Jun26° / 16°266.712.57.3
Jul25° / 16°7515.612.56.2
Aug25° / 16°10919.412.35.7
Sep25° / 16°9915.612.16.1
Oct25° / 14°728.211.87.4
Nov24° / 13°324.111.68.4
Dec23° / 12°17311.58.5

Cloud cover in Winter

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 59% of the time across winter.

0%25%50%75%100%DecJanFeb

Chance of precipitation in Winter

Any precipitation

‘Alemaya gets around 63 mm of rain over 10 wet days across winter. The line is the day-by-day chance of measurable precipitation.

0%10%20%30%DecJanFeb

Humidity in Winter

DryComfortableHumidMuggyOppressiveMiserable

Most of winter feels dry — the stacked bands show each day's mix of comfort levels, read off the dew point.

0%25%50%75%100%DecJanFeb

Wind in Winter

Winds average 7 km/h across winter.

0246810DecJanFeb

Sunrise & sunset in Winter

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 11 h 30 min in early December to 11 h 48 min by late February. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AMDecJanFeb

Solar energy in Winter

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day across winter, about 6.0 kWh/m².

0246DecJanFeb
Planning a trip in winter

Hazard calendar for ‘Alemaya

In seasonPeak

None of ‘Alemaya's seasonal hazards peak in winter. The full-year calendar below shows when the rainy season, cyclone risk and dust haze do.

‘Alemaya sees seasonal dust haze (June–July), heaviest in July.

Dust
Jan
Feb
Mar
Apr
May
Jun
Jul
Aug
Sep
Oct
Nov
Dec

Is winter a good time to visit ‘Alemaya?

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.

8.3
Sightseeing
1st-best month of the year
6.9
Beach & pool
1st-best month of the year

winter is one of the better times to visit ‘Alemaya for general sightseeing. The water and warmth also suit a beach or pool day.

What to pack for ‘Alemaya in Winter

From winter's temperature range, rain chance, sun and wind — what's worth putting in the bag.

In winter, ‘Alemaya sees daytime highs around 24°C and nights near 12°C. Pack sun protection. Worth having: light clothes. About 10 days see rain.

sun protectionlight clothes

UV index in ‘Alemaya in Winter

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV across winter averages around 13 (very high — sun protection essential). The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.

Under clear skies, the midday UV index in ‘Alemaya peaks around March 17 at about 16 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near November 23 at about 11 (extreme).

The index reaches 3 or more — the level where the WHO recommends sun protection — every month of the year.

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecExtremeMar 17UV 16Nov 23UV 11
UV index (midday)Level
Jan13Extreme
Feb15Extreme
Mar16Extreme
Apr15Extreme
May13Extreme
Jun12Extreme
Jul11Extreme
Aug14Extreme
Sep13Extreme
Oct13Extreme
Nov11Extreme
Dec11Extreme

Air quality in ‘Alemaya in Winter

GoodModeratePoorUnhealthyVery unhealthy

Average fine-particle pollution (PM2.5) through the year — so you can see where winter falls, not just the annual average.

Air quality in ‘Alemaya is worst in June — around 30 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), and holds fairly steady the rest of the year.

Modeled monthly averages (CAMS reanalysis, 2015–2024).

010203040JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecModerateJun 1929 µg/m³Dec 1021 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan22Moderate
Feb24Moderate
Mar24Moderate
Apr21Moderate
May25Moderate
Jun30Moderate
Jul28Moderate
Aug22Moderate
Sep26Moderate
Oct24Moderate
Nov21Moderate
Dec21Moderate
Location & terrain

Where is ‘Alemaya?

‘Alemaya sits at 9.4°N, 42.0°E, 2,016 m above sea level, in Ethiopia. The nearest listed city is Harar, 15 km away.

Topography around ‘Alemaya

How much the land rises and falls, and what covers it, within 3, 16 and 80 km of ‘Alemaya.

Within 3 km, the terrain around ‘Alemaya has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 200 m around an average of 2,054 m above sea level; within 16 km, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 892 m; within 80 km, extreme variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 2,665 m.

The land around ‘Alemaya is covered by cropland (49%) and shrubs (30%) within 3 km, cropland (50%) and shrubs (44%) within 16 km, and shrubs (56%) and cropland (20%) within 80 km.

3 km
200 m
16 km
892 m
80 km
2,665 m
treesshrubsgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwaterwetland
Winter weather nearby: Harar 15 km · Felana 21 km · Dire Dawa 27 km · Funyan Bīra 34 km · Babīlē 40 km · Chelenko 49 km · Deder 63 km · Chinahsen 67 km

Ethiopia travel facts

Travel advisory
Level 3
Reconsider Travel
Power plugs
Type C / E / F / L
220 V · 50 Hz
Prices
≈ 37% of US
price level, 2025
GDP per capita
$933
2025
Happiness
4.0 / 10
World Happiness, 2025
Safe drinking water
14%
of population, 2024
Homicide rate
8.5
per 100k, 2012
Road deaths
28.2
per 100k/yr, 2019
Income group
Low
World Bank
English
Low
EF EPI 499
Religion
Ethiopian Orthodox 44%Muslim 31%Protestant 23%other 1%

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 ‘Alemaya (9.3933°, 42.0097°, elevation 2,016 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.