Bolgatanga in Winter

In winter (December, January and February), Bolgatanga sees average daytime highs around 35°C and overnight lows near 22°C, with 2 mm of rain over about 1 wet days across the season. It is the 2nd-warmest season and the driest season of the year.

Over the season highs climb from about 35°C in early December to 38°C by late February. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 66% of the time across winter, and the air most often feels dry.

Winter is Bolgatanga's 3rd-best season to visit on our travel score. For the whole year in context, see Bolgatanga's year-round climate.

Avg daytime high
35°C
2nd-warmest season
Avg overnight low
22°C
Rainfall
2 mm
1 wet days
Avg wind
11 km/h
Travel score
3.4
3rd-best season
Months
Dec · Jan · Feb

Temperature in Bolgatanga in Winter

Average highAverage lowShaded bands: 10–90% of days

Over the season highs climb from about 35°C in early December to 38°C by late February.

A typical winter day in Bolgatanga reaches about 35°C and drops to 22°C overnight. The warmest of the three months is February, the coolest December.

15°20°25°30°35°40°DecJanFeb

How winter really feels in Bolgatanga

Once humidity and wind are folded in, winter brings about 90 days that feel above 32°C and 0 that feel at or below 0°C.

Days feeling ≥ 32°C
90
heat index over the day's high
Days feeling ≤ C
0
wind chill below the day's low

The story in winter is heat — humidity pushes the afternoon "feels like" well above the raw temperature.

Bolgatanga 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
Jan34° / 21°00.111.44.0
Feb36° / 24°20.511.62.3
Mar38° / 27°102.311.91.0
Apr38° / 27°326.212.21.2
May35° / 26°5310.312.52.2
Jun33° / 25°6211.412.63.4
Jul30° / 24°13219.212.63.7
Aug29° / 23°21125.212.43.4
Sep30° / 23°14418.512.13.7
Oct33° / 23°468.711.83.7
Nov35° / 22°40.611.53.0
Dec34° / 21°0011.43.8

Cloud cover in Winter

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 66% of the time across winter.

0%25%50%75%100%DecJanFeb

Chance of precipitation in Winter

Any precipitation

Bolgatanga gets around 2 mm of rain over 1 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 11 km/h across winter.

051015DecJanFeb

Sunrise & sunset in Winter

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 11 h 24 min in early December to 11 h 48 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 6.0 kWh/m².

0246DecJanFeb
Planning a trip in winter

Hazard calendar for Bolgatanga

In seasonPeak

In winter, Bolgatanga overlaps its dust season. The full year is below, with each hazard's peak months called out.

Bolgatanga's monsoon runs July–September, when most of the year's rain falls.

Bolgatanga sees seasonal dust haze (February–June), heaviest in March.

Monsoon
Dust
Jan
Feb
Mar
Apr
May
Jun
Jul
Aug
Sep
Oct
Nov
Dec

Is winter a good time to visit Bolgatanga?

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.

3.4
Sightseeing
3rd-best month of the year
7.0
Beach & pool
1st-best month of the year

winter is a weaker month for outdoor sightseeing in Bolgatanga. The water and warmth also suit a beach or pool day.

What to pack for Bolgatanga in Winter

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

In winter, Bolgatanga sees daytime highs around 35°C and nights near 22°C. Pack light clothes and sun protection.

light clothessun protection

UV index in Bolgatanga in Winter

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV across winter averages around 9 (very high — sun protection essential). The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.

Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Bolgatanga peaks around March 18 at about 13 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near December 14 at about 8 (very high).

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

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecVery highExtremeVery highMar 18UV 13Dec 14UV 8
UV index (midday)Level
Jan9Very high
Feb11Extreme
Mar13Extreme
Apr12Extreme
May12Extreme
Jun11Extreme
Jul11Extreme
Aug12Extreme
Sep13Extreme
Oct11Extreme
Nov8Very high
Dec8Very high

Air quality in Bolgatanga 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 Bolgatanga is worst in December — around 97 µg/m³ PM2.5 (unhealthy), about 6.3× the cleanest month (August, 15 µg/m³).

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

0306090120JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecUnhealthyPoorModerateUnhealthyDec 1895 µg/m³Aug 1015 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan78Unhealthy
Feb78Unhealthy
Mar56Unhealthy
Apr41Poor
May22Moderate
Jun18Moderate
Jul16Moderate
Aug15Moderate
Sep20Moderate
Oct31Moderate
Nov70Unhealthy
Dec97Unhealthy
Location & terrain

Where is Bolgatanga?

Bolgatanga sits at 10.8°N, 0.9°W, 191 m above sea level, in Ghana. The nearest listed city is Navrongo, 29 km away.

ZabréNaleriguGomboussougouBawkuBittouSinkassé

Topography around Bolgatanga

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Bolgatanga has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 67 m around an average of 186 m above sea level; within 16 km, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 253 m; within 80 km, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 380 m.

The land around Bolgatanga is covered by artificial surfaces (42%) and cropland (41%) within 3 km, cropland (55%) and grassland (27%) within 16 km, and cropland (43%), grassland (36%) and shrubs (20%) within 80 km.

3 km
67 m
16 km
253 m
80 km
380 m
treesshrubsgrasslandcroplandartificial surfaces
Winter weather nearby: Navrongo 29 km · Zabré 50 km · 53 km · Nalerigu 60 km · Gomboussougou 72 km · Bawku 73 km · Bittou 79 km · Sinkassé 100 km

Ghana travel facts

Travel advisory
Level 2
Exercise Increased Caution
Power plugs
Type D / G
230 V · 50 Hz
Prices
≈ 38% of US
price level, 2025
GDP per capita
$3,257
2025
Happiness
4.6 / 10
World Happiness, 2025
Safe drinking water
43%
of population, 2024
Homicide rate
1.8
per 100k, 2022
Road deaths
25.7
per 100k/yr, 2019
Income group
Lower middle
World Bank
English
Moderate
EF EPI 540
Religion
Christian 71%Muslim 20%other 5%traditionalist 3%

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 Bolgatanga (10.7856°, -0.8514°, elevation 191 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.