Debre Birhan in Winter
In winter (December, January and February), Debre Birhan sees average daytime highs around 20°C and overnight lows near 7°C, with 122 mm of rain over about 22 wet days across the season. It is the 2nd-warmest season and the driest season of the year.
Across winter, daytime highs hold fairly steady around 20°C. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 45% of the time across winter, and the air most often feels dry.
Winter is Debre Birhan's best season of the year to visit on our travel score. For the whole year in context, see Debre Birhan's year-round climate.
- Avg daytime high
- 20°C
- 2nd-warmest season
- Avg overnight low
- 7°C
- Rainfall
- 122 mm
- 22 wet days
- Avg wind
- 7 km/h
- Travel score
- 6.8
- best season of the year
- Months
- Dec · Jan · Feb
Temperature in Debre Birhan in Winter
Across winter, daytime highs hold fairly steady around 20°C.
A typical winter day in Debre Birhan reaches about 20°C and drops to 7°C overnight. The warmest of the three months is February, the coolest December.
Debre Birhan 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 | 19° / 7° | 49 | 8.4 | 11.5 | 6.6 |
| Feb | 20° / 8° | 56 | 9.2 | 11.7 | 6.6 |
| Mar | 21° / 9° | 152 | 15.5 | 11.9 | 5.8 |
| Apr | 21° / 10° | 161 | 16 | 12.2 | 5.6 |
| May | 21° / 10° | 78 | 9.3 | 12.4 | 6.7 |
| Jun | 21° / 10° | 113 | 12 | 12.6 | 6.2 |
| Jul | 18° / 10° | 484 | 29.6 | 12.5 | 3.3 |
| Aug | 17° / 10° | 579 | 30.6 | 12.3 | 3.1 |
| Sep | 18° / 9° | 252 | 21.7 | 12.1 | 4.4 |
| Oct | 19° / 8° | 47 | 6.4 | 11.8 | 6.9 |
| Nov | 19° / 7° | 23 | 4.2 | 11.6 | 7.4 |
| Dec | 19° / 7° | 17 | 4 | 11.4 | 7.3 |
Cloud cover in Winter
The sky is clear or mostly clear about 45% of the time across winter.
Chance of precipitation in Winter
Debre Birhan gets around 122 mm of rain over 22 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 7 km/h across winter.
Sunrise & sunset in Winter
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.
Solar energy in Winter
Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day across winter, about 5.9 kWh/m².
Hazard calendar for Debre Birhan
None of Debre Birhan's seasonal hazards peak in winter. The full-year calendar below shows when the rainy season, cyclone risk and dust haze do.
Debre Birhan's monsoon runs July–August, when most of the year's rain falls.
Debre Birhan sees seasonal dust haze (June–July), heaviest in June.
Is winter a good time to visit Debre Birhan?
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 Debre Birhan for sightseeing.
What to pack for Debre Birhan in Winter
From winter's temperature range, rain chance, sun and wind — what's worth putting in the bag.
In winter, Debre Birhan sees daytime highs around 20°C and nights near 7°C. Pack sun protection. Worth having: a warm layer and rain gear. About 22 days see rain.
UV index in Debre Birhan 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 Debre Birhan peaks around March 19 at about 16 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near December 10 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 | 15 | 14 | 13 | 12 | 15 | 14 | 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 | 15 | Extreme |
| May | 14 | Extreme |
| Jun | 13 | Extreme |
| Jul | 12 | Extreme |
| Aug | 15 | Extreme |
| Sep | 14 | Extreme |
| Oct | 13 | Extreme |
| Nov | 11 | Extreme |
| Dec | 11 | Extreme |
Air quality in Debre Birhan 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 Debre Birhan is worst in June — around 43 µg/m³ PM2.5 (poor), about 1.7× the cleanest month (November, 25 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) | 27 | 28 | 30 | 28 | 32 | 43 | 37 | 34 | 38 | 28 | 25 | 26 |
| Level | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Poor | Poor | Moderate | Poor | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate |
| PM2.5 (µg/m³) | Level | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 27 | Moderate |
| Feb | 28 | Moderate |
| Mar | 30 | Moderate |
| Apr | 28 | Moderate |
| May | 32 | Moderate |
| Jun | 43 | Poor |
| Jul | 37 | Poor |
| Aug | 34 | Moderate |
| Sep | 38 | Poor |
| Oct | 28 | Moderate |
| Nov | 25 | Moderate |
| Dec | 26 | Moderate |
Where is Debre Birhan?
Debre Birhan sits at 9.7°N, 39.5°E, 2,830 m above sea level, in Ethiopia. The nearest listed city is Sheno, 47 km away.
Topography around Debre Birhan
How much the land rises and falls, and what covers it, within 3, 16 and 80 km of Debre Birhan.
Within 3 km, the terrain around Debre Birhan has significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 459 m around an average of 2,763 m above sea level; within 16 km, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,339 m; within 80 km, extreme variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 3,027 m.
The land around Debre Birhan is covered by cropland (52%) and artificial surfaces (25%) within 3 km, cropland (73%) within 16 km, and cropland (51%) and shrubs (33%) 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 Debre Birhan (9.6795°, 39.5326°, elevation 2,830 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.