Bako in Winter

In winter (December, January and February), Bako sees average daytime highs around 29°C and overnight lows near 17°C, with 292 mm of rain over about 30 wet days across the season. It is the warmest season of the year and the driest season of the year.

Over the season highs climb from about 27°C in early December to 30°C by late February. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 36% of the time across winter, and the air most often feels humid.

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

Avg daytime high
29°C
warmest season of the year
Avg overnight low
17°C
Rainfall
292 mm
30 wet days
Avg wind
4 km/h
Travel score
5.6
best season of the year
Months
Dec · Jan · Feb

Temperature in Bako in Winter

Average highAverage lowShaded bands: 10–90% of days

Over the season highs climb from about 27°C in early December to 30°C by late February.

A typical winter day in Bako reaches about 29°C and drops to 17°C overnight. The warmest of the three months is February, the coolest December.

15°20°25°30°35°DecJanFeb

Bako 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
Jan29° / 17°898.711.75.8
Feb30° / 18°56811.85.1
Mar30° / 18°16016.6124.4
Apr27° / 18°33024.812.14.0
May26° / 18°28723.912.34.4
Jun26° / 18°14117.812.35.4
Jul26° / 18°12015.312.35.7
Aug26° / 19°11815.212.25.6
Sep27° / 19°13617.5125.2
Oct27° / 18°27925.311.94.2
Nov27° / 17°25021.311.74.8
Dec28° / 17°14713.711.76.0

Cloud cover in Winter

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 36% of the time across winter.

0%25%50%75%100%DecJanFeb

Chance of precipitation in Winter

Any precipitation

Bako gets around 292 mm of rain over 30 wet days across winter. The line is the day-by-day chance of measurable precipitation.

0%20%40%60%DecJanFeb

Humidity in Winter

DryComfortableHumidMuggyOppressiveMiserable

Most of winter feels humid — 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 4 km/h across winter.

0246810DecJanFeb

Sunrise & sunset in Winter

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 11 h 42 min in early December to 11 h 54 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 5.2 kWh/m².

0246DecJanFeb
Planning a trip in winter

Is winter a good time to visit Bako?

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.

5.6
Sightseeing
1st-best month of the year
6.9
Beach & pool
1st-best month of the year

winter is a reasonable time to visit Bako for sightseeing. The water and warmth also suit a beach or pool day.

What to pack for Bako in Winter

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

In winter, Bako sees daytime highs around 29°C and nights near 17°C. Pack light clothes. Worth having: rain gear and sun protection. About 30 days see rain.

light clothesrain gearsun protection

UV index in Bako in Winter

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV across winter averages around 12 (very high — sun protection essential). The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.

Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Bako peaks around March 14 at about 15 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near November 21 at about 10 (extreme).

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

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecExtremeMar 14UV 15Nov 21UV 10
UV index (midday)Level
Jan13Extreme
Feb14Extreme
Mar15Extreme
Apr13Extreme
May12Extreme
Jun10Extreme
Jul11Extreme
Aug13Extreme
Sep13Extreme
Oct13Extreme
Nov10Very high
Dec11Extreme

Air quality in Bako 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 Bako is worst in February — around 46 µg/m³ PM2.5 (poor), about 2.1× the cleanest month (April, 22 µg/m³).

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

0204060JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecPoorModerateFeb 845 µg/m³Apr 2322 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan45Poor
Feb46Poor
Mar29Moderate
Apr22Moderate
May22Moderate
Jun30Moderate
Jul28Moderate
Aug23Moderate
Sep24Moderate
Oct22Moderate
Nov28Moderate
Dec36Poor
Location & terrain

Where is Bako?

Bako sits at 5.8°N, 36.6°E, 1,401 m above sea level, in Ethiopia. The nearest listed city is Jinka, 17 km away.

Arba MinchKonsoCh’ench’aGasubaWaka

Topography around Bako

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Bako has significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 433 m around an average of 1,439 m above sea level; within 16 km, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,969 m; within 80 km, extreme variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 3,025 m.

The land around Bako is covered by trees (44%) and shrubs (35%) within 3 km, trees (43%) and shrubs (39%) within 16 km, and shrubs (44%), trees (33%) and grassland (20%) within 80 km.

3 km
433 m
16 km
1,969 m
80 km
3,025 m
treesshrubsgrasslandcroplandartificial surfaces
Winter weather nearby: Jinka 17 km · Felege Neway 67 km · Gīdolē 90 km · Arba Minch 112 km · Konso 118 km · Ch’ench’a 122 km · Gasuba 152 km · Waka 157 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 Bako (5.7833°, 36.5667°, elevation 1,401 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.