Pemba in Summer

In summer (December, January and February), Pemba sees average daytime highs around 30°C and overnight lows near 25°C, with 631 mm of rain over about 68 wet days across the season. It is the warmest season of the year and the wettest season of the year.

Across summer, daytime highs hold fairly steady around 30°C. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 17% of the time across summer, and the air most often feels miserable.

Summer is Pemba's weakest season of the year to visit on our travel score. For the whole year in context, see Pemba's year-round climate.

Avg daytime high
30°C
warmest season of the year
Avg overnight low
25°C
Rainfall
631 mm
68 wet days
Avg wind
9 km/h
Travel score
3.2
weakest season of the year
Months
Dec · Jan · Feb

Temperature in Pemba in Summer

Average highAverage lowShaded bands: 10–90% of days

Across summer, daytime highs hold fairly steady around 30°C.

A typical summer day in Pemba reaches about 30°C and drops to 25°C overnight. The warmest of the three months is December, the coolest February.

20°25°30°35°DecJanFeb

How summer really feels in Pemba

Once humidity and wind are folded in, summer 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 summer is heat — humidity pushes the afternoon "feels like" well above the raw temperature.

Pemba weather by month

How the three summer 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
Jan30° / 25°25224.912.73.1
Feb30° / 25°21323.112.43.0
Mar30° / 25°20624.712.13.3
Apr30° / 24°9516.411.74.6
May29° / 23°23611.46.4
Jun28° / 21°103.411.37.6
Jul27° / 21°92.911.37.9
Aug28° / 21°114.211.67.7
Sep29° / 22°113.411.97.0
Oct30° / 23°185.212.36.0
Nov31° / 25°42912.64.9
Dec31° / 25°1662012.73.6

Cloud cover in Summer

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 17% of the time across summer.

0%25%50%75%100%DecJanFeb

Chance of precipitation in Summer

Any precipitation

Pemba gets around 631 mm of rain over 68 wet days across summer. The line is the day-by-day chance of measurable precipitation.

0%20%40%60%80%100%DecJanFeb

Humidity in Summer

DryComfortableHumidMuggyOppressiveMiserable

Most of summer feels miserable — the stacked bands show each day's mix of comfort levels, read off the dew point.

0%25%50%75%100%DecJanFeb

Wind in Summer

Winds average 9 km/h across summer.

051015DecJanFeb

Sunrise & sunset in Summer

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 12 h 42 min in early December to 12 h 18 min by late February. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AMDecJanFeb

Solar energy in Summer

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day across summer, about 5.9 kWh/m².

0246DecJanFeb
Planning a trip in summer

Hazard calendar for Pemba

In seasonPeak

In summer, Pemba overlaps its cyclone and monsoon season. The full year is below, with each hazard's peak months called out.

Pemba sits in the South Indian Ocean cyclone belt; the season peaks January–March.

Pemba's monsoon runs December–March, when most of the year's rain falls.

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

Is summer a good time to visit Pemba?

Our two travel scores rate summer for general sightseeing and for beach or pool weather — 0 (poor) to 10 (ideal), averaged across the three months.

3.2
Sightseeing
4th-best month of the year
4.6
Beach & pool
4th-best month of the year

summer is a weaker month for outdoor sightseeing in Pemba.

What to pack for Pemba in Summer

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

In summer, Pemba sees daytime highs around 30°C and nights near 25°C. Pack light clothes, rain gear and sun protection. About 68 days see rain.

light clothesrain gearsun protection

Sea temperature near Pemba in Summer

The nearest coast averages about 29°C across summer — the other half of the beach question. The full-year curve and swim-comfort zones are below.

The sea at the nearest coast (about 16 km away) is warmest in March at about 29°C and coldest in August near 26°C.

The water stays above 20°C all year — warm enough for a swim any month.

24°26°28°30°JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecwarmtropicalcomfortable to swim
Sea temperature (°C)Comfort
Jan29Tropical
Feb29Tropical
Mar29Tropical
Apr29Tropical
May28Tropical
Jun27Warm
Jul26Warm
Aug26Warm
Sep26Warm
Oct27Warm
Nov28Warm
Dec29Tropical

UV index in Pemba in Summer

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV across summer averages around 15 (very high — sun protection essential). The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.

Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Pemba peaks around February 11 at about 15 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near June 21 at about 9 (very high).

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

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecExtremeVery highExtremeFeb 11UV 15Jun 21UV 9
UV index (midday)Level
Jan15Extreme
Feb15Extreme
Mar14Extreme
Apr12Extreme
May10Very high
Jun9Very high
Jul9Very high
Aug10Extreme
Sep12Extreme
Oct13Extreme
Nov12Extreme
Dec14Extreme
Location & terrain

Where is Pemba?

Pemba sits at 13.0°S, 40.5°E, 50 m above sea level, in Mozambique. The nearest listed city is Macomia, 92 km away.

Namapa-eratiMontepuezNacalaMuedaMocímboa da PraiaMocímboa

Topography around Pemba

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Pemba has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 105 m around an average of 24 m above sea level; within 16 km, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 142 m; within 80 km, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 672 m.

The land around Pemba is covered by water (41%) and artificial surfaces (37%) within 3 km, water (55%) and grassland (24%) within 16 km, and water (36%) and trees (32%) within 80 km.

3 km
105 m
16 km
142 m
80 km
672 m
treesshrubsgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwaterwetlandmangroves
Summer weather nearby: Macomia 92 km · Chiúre 92 km · Namapa-erati 111 km · Montepuez 165 km · Nacala 178 km · Mueda 180 km · Mocímboa da Praia 181 km · Mocímboa 185 km

Mozambique travel facts

Travel advisory
Level 2
Exercise Increased Caution
Power plugs
Type C / F / M
220 V · 50 Hz
Prices
≈ 37% of US
price level, 2025
GDP per capita
$627
2025
Happiness
5.3 / 10
World Happiness, 2025
Safe drinking water
28%
of population, 2024
Homicide rate
3.6
per 100k, 2011
Road deaths
30
per 100k/yr, 2019
Income group
Low
World Bank
English
Low
EF EPI 465
Religion
Catholic 27%Islam 19%Pentecostal 17%Saio/Zione 16%

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 Pemba (-12.974°, 40.5177°, elevation 50 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.