Tamale in Winter

In winter (December, January and February), Tamale sees average daytime highs around 35°C and overnight lows near 22°C, with 9 mm of rain over about 2 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 37°C by late February. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 67% of the time across winter, and the air most often feels dry.

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

Avg daytime high
35°C
2nd-warmest season
Avg overnight low
22°C
Rainfall
9 mm
2 wet days
Avg wind
9 km/h
Travel score
3.2
3rd-best season
Months
Dec · Jan · Feb

Temperature in Tamale in Winter

Average highAverage lowShaded bands: 10–90% of days

Over the season highs climb from about 35°C in early December to 37°C by late February.

A typical winter day in Tamale 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 Tamale

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.

Tamale 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° / 22°20.311.53.7
Feb37° / 24°61.311.72.1
Mar38° / 27°214.711.91.3
Apr37° / 27°519.612.21.7
May35° / 26°6812.112.42.5
Jun32° / 24°7813.112.53.5
Jul30° / 24°1522112.53.6
Aug29° / 23°22525.512.33.4
Sep30° / 23°17922.812.13.4
Oct32° / 23°6911.411.83.9
Nov34° / 23°71.411.63.5
Dec34° / 21°20.111.53.8

Cloud cover in Winter

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 67% of the time across winter.

0%25%50%75%100%DecJanFeb

Chance of precipitation in Winter

Any precipitation

Tamale gets around 9 mm of rain over 2 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 9 km/h across winter.

051015DecJanFeb

Sunrise & sunset in Winter

DaylightNight

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.

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 Tamale

In seasonPeak

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

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

Tamale sees seasonal dust haze (January–May), heaviest in February.

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

Is winter a good time to visit Tamale?

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.

3.2
Sightseeing
3rd-best month of the year
6.9
Beach & pool
1st-best month of the year

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

What to pack for Tamale in Winter

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

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

light clothessun protection

UV index in Tamale in Winter

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV across winter averages around 8 — enough to warrant sun protection. The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.

Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Tamale peaks around April 13 at about 13 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near December 21 at about 7 (high).

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

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecVery highExtremeVery highApr 13UV 13Dec 21UV 7
UV index (midday)Level
Jan7Very high
Feb9Very high
Mar13Extreme
Apr13Extreme
May12Extreme
Jun11Extreme
Jul10Extreme
Aug12Extreme
Sep13Extreme
Oct11Extreme
Nov8Very high
Dec7High

Air quality in Tamale 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 Tamale is worst in December — around 113 µg/m³ PM2.5 (unhealthy), about 7.2× the cleanest month (August, 16 µg/m³).

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

0306090120JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecUnhealthyPoorModerateUnhealthyDec 22111 µg/m³Aug 1116 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan104Unhealthy
Feb84Unhealthy
Mar48Poor
Apr38Poor
May21Moderate
Jun18Moderate
Jul16Moderate
Aug16Moderate
Sep19Moderate
Oct29Moderate
Nov59Unhealthy
Dec113Unhealthy
Location & terrain

Where is Tamale?

Tamale sits at 9.4°N, 0.8°W, 196 m above sea level, in Ghana. The nearest listed city is Savelugu, 25 km away.

YendiSalagaDamongoBimbilaYegyiNaleriguBolgatanga

Topography around Tamale

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Tamale has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 57 m around an average of 173 m above sea level; within 16 km, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 106 m; within 80 km, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 206 m.

The land around Tamale is covered by artificial surfaces (76%) within 3 km, cropland (67%) within 16 km, and cropland (36%), grassland (32%) and shrubs (30%) within 80 km.

3 km
57 m
16 km
106 m
80 km
206 m
treesshrubsgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrain
Winter weather nearby: Savelugu 25 km · Yendi 91 km · Salaga 101 km · Damongo 113 km · Bimbila 116 km · Yegyi 132 km · Nalerigu 135 km · Bolgatanga 154 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 Tamale (9.4008°, -0.8393°, elevation 196 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.