Ch’ench’a in Winter
In winter (December, January and February), Ch’ench’a sees average daytime highs around 25°C and overnight lows near 14°C, with 449 mm of rain over about 37 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 25°C. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 32% of the time across winter, and the air most often feels dry.
Winter is Ch’ench’a's best season of the year to visit on our travel score. For the whole year in context, see Ch’ench’a's year-round climate.
- Avg daytime high
- 25°C
- warmest season of the year
- Avg overnight low
- 14°C
- Rainfall
- 449 mm
- 37 wet days
- Avg wind
- 4 km/h
- Travel score
- 6.5
- best season of the year
- Months
- Dec · Jan · Feb
Temperature in Ch’ench’a in Winter
Across winter, daytime highs hold fairly steady around 25°C.
A typical winter day in Ch’ench’a reaches about 25°C and drops to 14°C overnight. The warmest of the three months is February, the coolest December.
Ch’ench’a 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 | 25° / 14° | 149 | 12.6 | 11.7 | 6.6 |
| Feb | 26° / 15° | 144 | 12.1 | 11.8 | 6.2 |
| Mar | 26° / 15° | 345 | 21.5 | 12 | 5.0 |
| Apr | 25° / 15° | 633 | 27.5 | 12.1 | 3.9 |
| May | 23° / 15° | 671 | 30.2 | 12.3 | 3.6 |
| Jun | 22° / 15° | 274 | 27.7 | 12.4 | 3.8 |
| Jul | 21° / 14° | 232 | 27.7 | 12.3 | 3.8 |
| Aug | 21° / 15° | 265 | 27.1 | 12.2 | 3.9 |
| Sep | 22° / 15° | 489 | 28.6 | 12 | 3.8 |
| Oct | 23° / 14° | 699 | 29.4 | 11.9 | 3.8 |
| Nov | 24° / 14° | 308 | 19.1 | 11.7 | 5.4 |
| Dec | 25° / 14° | 156 | 12.4 | 11.6 | 6.7 |
Cloud cover in Winter
The sky is clear or mostly clear about 32% of the time across winter.
Chance of precipitation in Winter
Ch’ench’a gets around 449 mm of rain over 37 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 42 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 5.8 kWh/m².
Is winter a good time to visit Ch’ench’a?
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 Ch’ench’a for sightseeing.
What to pack for Ch’ench’a in Winter
From winter's temperature range, rain chance, sun and wind — what's worth putting in the bag.
In winter, Ch’ench’a sees daytime highs around 25°C and nights near 14°C. Pack sun protection. Worth having: light clothes and rain gear. About 37 days see rain.
UV index in Ch’ench’a 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 Ch’ench’a peaks around March 15 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 | 16 | 14 | 13 | 11 | 11 | 13 | 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 | 16 | Extreme |
| Apr | 14 | Extreme |
| May | 13 | Extreme |
| Jun | 11 | Extreme |
| Jul | 11 | Extreme |
| Aug | 13 | Extreme |
| Sep | 13 | Extreme |
| Oct | 13 | Extreme |
| Nov | 11 | Extreme |
| Dec | 11 | Extreme |
Air quality in Ch’ench’a 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 Ch’ench’a is worst in December — around 37 µg/m³ PM2.5 (poor), 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) | 36 | 35 | 29 | 24 | 24 | 32 | 30 | 25 | 25 | 25 | 32 | 37 |
| Level | Poor | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Poor |
| PM2.5 (µg/m³) | Level | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 36 | Poor |
| Feb | 35 | Moderate |
| Mar | 29 | Moderate |
| Apr | 24 | Moderate |
| May | 24 | Moderate |
| Jun | 32 | Moderate |
| Jul | 30 | Moderate |
| Aug | 25 | Moderate |
| Sep | 25 | Moderate |
| Oct | 25 | Moderate |
| Nov | 32 | Moderate |
| Dec | 37 | Poor |
Where is Ch’ench’a?
Ch’ench’a sits at 6.3°N, 37.6°E, 2,739 m above sea level, in Ethiopia. The nearest listed city is Arba Minch, 24 km away.
Topography around Ch’ench’a
How much the land rises and falls, and what covers it, within 3, 16 and 80 km of Ch’ench’a.
Within 3 km, the terrain around Ch’ench’a has significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 490 m around an average of 2,700 m above sea level; within 16 km, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 2,309 m; within 80 km, extreme variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 2,935 m.
The land around Ch’ench’a is covered by cropland (34%) and trees (27%) within 3 km, shrubs (30%), trees (26%) and grassland (23%) within 16 km, and shrubs (43%) 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 Ch’ench’a (6.25°, 37.5667°, elevation 2,739 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.