Kercha in Winter

In winter (December, January and February), Kercha sees average daytime highs around 26°C and overnight lows near 12°C, with 35 mm of rain over about 7 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 24°C in early December to 28°C by late February. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 41% of the time across winter, and the air most often feels dry.

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

Avg daytime high
26°C
warmest season of the year
Avg overnight low
12°C
Rainfall
35 mm
7 wet days
Avg wind
6 km/h
Travel score
8.0
best season of the year
Months
Dec · Jan · Feb

Temperature in Kercha in Winter

Average highAverage lowShaded bands: 10–90% of days

Over the season highs climb from about 24°C in early December to 28°C by late February.

A typical winter day in Kercha reaches about 26°C and drops to 12°C overnight. The warmest of the three months is February, the coolest December.

10°20°30°DecJanFeb

Kercha 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
Jan26° / 11°91.811.78.1
Feb28° / 12°142.111.87.6
Mar27° / 13°528.8126.7
Apr24° / 14°12221.512.14.8
May22° / 14°15525.912.34.2
Jun21° / 14°7317.112.35.0
Jul20° / 13°6015.212.35.1
Aug21° / 13°5113.612.25.5
Sep22° / 13°5211.2126.2
Oct22° / 13°11623.211.94.7
Nov23° / 12°5212.211.76.5
Dec25° / 11°123.211.78.2

Cloud cover in Winter

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 41% of the time across winter.

0%25%50%75%100%DecJanFeb

Chance of precipitation in Winter

Any precipitation

Kercha gets around 35 mm of rain over 7 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 6 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 6.1 kWh/m².

0246DecJanFeb
Planning a trip in winter

Hazard calendar for Kercha

In seasonPeak

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

Kercha's rainy season runs April–June, when most of the year's rain falls.

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

Is winter a good time to visit Kercha?

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.

8.0
Sightseeing
1st-best month of the year
7.7
Beach & pool
1st-best month of the year

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

What to pack for Kercha in Winter

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

In winter, Kercha sees daytime highs around 26°C and nights near 12°C. Pack light clothes and sun protection. About 7 days see rain.

light clothessun protection

UV index in Kercha 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 Kercha peaks around March 15 at about 16 (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.

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecExtremeMar 15UV 16Nov 22UV 11
UV index (midday)Level
Jan14Extreme
Feb15Extreme
Mar16Extreme
Apr15Extreme
May13Extreme
Jun12Extreme
Jul12Extreme
Aug14Extreme
Sep14Extreme
Oct14Extreme
Nov11Extreme
Dec12Extreme

Air quality in Kercha 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 Kercha is worst in December — around 36 µg/m³ PM2.5 (poor), about 1.6× the cleanest month (August, 22 µg/m³).

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

010203040JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecModeratePoorDec 1736 µg/m³Aug 1922 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan33Moderate
Feb32Moderate
Mar27Moderate
Apr25Moderate
May23Moderate
Jun28Moderate
Jul27Moderate
Aug22Moderate
Sep24Moderate
Oct27Moderate
Nov33Moderate
Dec36Poor
Location & terrain

Where is Kercha?

Kercha sits at 5.8°N, 38.4°E, 1,959 m above sea level, in Ethiopia. The nearest listed city is Hagere Maryam, 25 km away.

Topography around Kercha

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Kercha has large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 688 m around an average of 2,055 m above sea level; within 16 km, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,098 m; within 80 km, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 2,300 m.

The land around Kercha is covered by trees (86%) within 3 km, trees (84%) within 16 km, and trees (42%) and shrubs (36%) within 80 km.

3 km
688 m
16 km
1,098 m
80 km
2,300 m
treesshrubsgrasslandcroplandartificial surfaceswater
Winter weather nearby: Hagere Maryam 25 km · Yirga Ch’efē 49 km · Kele 54 km · Shakiso 55 km · Wenago 62 km · Kibre Mengist 65 km · Dīla 72 km · Ch’iko 90 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 Kercha (5.7801°, 38.4089°, elevation 1,959 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.