Bale Hawassa in Winter
In winter (December, January and February), Bale Hawassa sees average daytime highs around 30°C and overnight lows near 16°C, with 39 mm of rain over about 10 wet days across the season. It is the warmest season of the year and the driest season of the year.
Across winter, daytime highs hold fairly steady around 30°C. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 41% of the time across winter, and the air most often feels dry.
Winter is Bale Hawassa's best season of the year to visit on our travel score. For the whole year in context, see Bale Hawassa's year-round climate.
- Avg daytime high
- 30°C
- warmest season of the year
- Avg overnight low
- 16°C
- Rainfall
- 39 mm
- 10 wet days
- Avg wind
- 4 km/h
- Travel score
- 5.7
- best season of the year
- Months
- Dec · Jan · Feb
Temperature in Bale Hawassa in Winter
Across winter, daytime highs hold fairly steady around 30°C.
A typical winter day in Bale Hawassa reaches about 30°C and drops to 16°C overnight. The warmest of the three months is February, the coolest December.
Bale Hawassa 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 | 30° / 16° | 13 | 3.2 | 11.6 | 5.9 |
| Feb | 31° / 17° | 15 | 3.8 | 11.8 | 5.0 |
| Mar | 31° / 18° | 51 | 10.9 | 12 | 4.4 |
| Apr | 29° / 18° | 135 | 20.8 | 12.1 | 4.0 |
| May | 27° / 17° | 184 | 26 | 12.3 | 4.1 |
| Jun | 25° / 16° | 136 | 26.6 | 12.4 | 4.2 |
| Jul | 24° / 16° | 149 | 27 | 12.4 | 4.3 |
| Aug | 25° / 16° | 164 | 27.4 | 12.2 | 4.2 |
| Sep | 26° / 16° | 186 | 27.3 | 12 | 4.1 |
| Oct | 27° / 16° | 104 | 17 | 11.8 | 5.3 |
| Nov | 29° / 16° | 31 | 5.3 | 11.7 | 6.1 |
| Dec | 30° / 16° | 11 | 2.5 | 11.6 | 6.3 |
Cloud cover in Winter
The sky is clear or mostly clear about 41% of the time across winter.
Chance of precipitation in Winter
Bale Hawassa gets around 39 mm of rain over 10 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 4 km/h across winter.
Sunrise & sunset in Winter
Daylight runs from about 11 h 36 min in early December to 11 h 54 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 6.1 kWh/m².
Hazard calendar for Bale Hawassa
None of Bale Hawassa's seasonal hazards peak in winter. The full-year calendar below shows when the rainy season, cyclone risk and dust haze do.
Bale Hawassa's rainy season runs April–October, when most of the year's rain falls.
Is winter a good time to visit Bale Hawassa?
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 Bale Hawassa for sightseeing. The water and warmth also suit a beach or pool day.
What to pack for Bale Hawassa in Winter
From winter's temperature range, rain chance, sun and wind — what's worth putting in the bag.
In winter, Bale Hawassa sees daytime highs around 30°C and nights near 16°C. Pack light clothes and sun protection. About 10 days see rain.
UV index in Bale Hawassa in Winter
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 Bale Hawassa peaks around March 16 at about 15 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near November 22 at about 11 (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) | 13 | 14 | 15 | 14 | 12 | 11 | 11 | 14 | 13 | 13 | 11 | 11 |
| Level | Extreme | Extreme | Extreme | Extreme | Extreme | Extreme | Extreme | Extreme | Extreme | Extreme | Extreme | Extreme |
| UV index (midday) | Level | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 13 | Extreme |
| Feb | 14 | Extreme |
| Mar | 15 | Extreme |
| Apr | 14 | Extreme |
| May | 12 | Extreme |
| Jun | 11 | Extreme |
| Jul | 11 | Extreme |
| Aug | 14 | Extreme |
| Sep | 13 | Extreme |
| Oct | 13 | Extreme |
| Nov | 11 | Extreme |
| Dec | 11 | Extreme |
Air quality in Bale Hawassa 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 Bale Hawassa is worst in January — around 69 µg/m³ PM2.5 (unhealthy), about 1.8× the cleanest month (May, 38 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) | 69 | 61 | 49 | 38 | 38 | 45 | 44 | 39 | 40 | 45 | 56 | 65 |
| Level | Unhealthy | Unhealthy | Poor | Poor | Poor | Poor | Poor | Poor | Poor | Poor | Unhealthy | Unhealthy |
| PM2.5 (µg/m³) | Level | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 69 | Unhealthy |
| Feb | 61 | Unhealthy |
| Mar | 49 | Poor |
| Apr | 38 | Poor |
| May | 38 | Poor |
| Jun | 45 | Poor |
| Jul | 44 | Poor |
| Aug | 39 | Poor |
| Sep | 40 | Poor |
| Oct | 45 | Poor |
| Nov | 56 | Unhealthy |
| Dec | 65 | Unhealthy |
Where is Bale Hawassa?
Bale Hawassa sits at 6.9°N, 37.5°E, 1,239 m above sea level, in Ethiopia. The nearest listed city is Gununo, 14 km away.
Topography around Bale Hawassa
How much the land rises and falls, and what covers it, within 3, 16 and 80 km of Bale Hawassa.
Within 3 km, the terrain around Bale Hawassa has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 242 m around an average of 1,225 m above sea level; within 16 km, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 2,062 m; within 80 km, extreme variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 2,948 m.
The land around Bale Hawassa is covered by cropland (61%) within 3 km, shrubs (38%) and cropland (24%) within 16 km, and shrubs (35%) and cropland (29%) within 80 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
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 Bale Hawassa (6.919°, 37.529°, elevation 1,239 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.