Butare in Winter
In winter (June, July and August), Butare sees average daytime highs around 26°C and overnight lows near 15°C, with 24 mm of rain over about 6 wet days across the season. It is the warmest season of the year and the driest season of the year.
Across winter, daytime highs hold fairly steady around 26°C. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 18% of the time across winter, and the air most often feels dry.
Winter is Butare's best season of the year to visit on our travel score. For the whole year in context, see Butare's year-round climate.
- Avg daytime high
- 26°C
- warmest season of the year
- Avg overnight low
- 15°C
- Rainfall
- 24 mm
- 6 wet days
- Avg wind
- 6 km/h
- Travel score
- 7.8
- best season of the year
- Months
- Jun · Jul · Aug
Temperature in Butare in Winter
Across winter, daytime highs hold fairly steady around 26°C.
A typical winter day in Butare reaches about 26°C and drops to 15°C overnight. The warmest of the three months is August, the coolest July.
Butare weather by month
How the three winter months (June, July and August) 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 | 25° / 15° | 72 | 15.1 | 12.1 | 5.7 |
| Feb | 26° / 15° | 67 | 14.6 | 12.1 | 5.6 |
| Mar | 25° / 15° | 91 | 18.7 | 12 | 5.2 |
| Apr | 24° / 15° | 107 | 21.5 | 11.9 | 4.8 |
| May | 24° / 15° | 48 | 11.9 | 11.9 | 6.5 |
| Jun | 25° / 14° | 9 | 2.4 | 11.9 | 7.8 |
| Jul | 25° / 14° | 3 | 0.8 | 11.9 | 8.0 |
| Aug | 26° / 15° | 13 | 2.6 | 11.9 | 7.5 |
| Sep | 26° / 16° | 31 | 7.5 | 12 | 6.7 |
| Oct | 25° / 15° | 84 | 17 | 12.1 | 5.5 |
| Nov | 24° / 15° | 96 | 21.1 | 12.1 | 4.9 |
| Dec | 25° / 15° | 81 | 16.7 | 12.1 | 5.6 |
Cloud cover in Winter
The sky is clear or mostly clear about 18% of the time across winter.
Chance of precipitation in Winter
Butare gets around 24 mm of rain over 6 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 6 km/h across winter.
Sunrise & sunset in Winter
Daylight runs from about 11 h 54 min in early June to 11 h 54 min by late August. 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 5.1 kWh/m².
Is winter a good time to visit Butare?
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 one of the better times to visit Butare for general sightseeing. The water and warmth also suit a beach or pool day.
What to pack for Butare in Winter
From winter's temperature range, rain chance, sun and wind — what's worth putting in the bag.
In winter, Butare sees daytime highs around 26°C and nights near 15°C. Worth packing: light clothes and sun protection. About 6 days see rain.
UV index in Butare in Winter
Clear-sky midday UV across winter averages around 11 (very high — sun protection essential). The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.
Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Butare peaks around March 18 at about 16 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near June 21 at about 10 (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) | 11 | 15 | 17 | 16 | 13 | 10 | 11 | 11 | 14 | 14 | 13 | 11 |
| Level | Extreme | Extreme | Extreme | Extreme | Extreme | Extreme | Extreme | Extreme | Extreme | Extreme | Extreme | Extreme |
| UV index (midday) | Level | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 11 | Extreme |
| Feb | 15 | Extreme |
| Mar | 17 | Extreme |
| Apr | 16 | Extreme |
| May | 13 | Extreme |
| Jun | 10 | Extreme |
| Jul | 11 | Extreme |
| Aug | 11 | Extreme |
| Sep | 14 | Extreme |
| Oct | 14 | Extreme |
| Nov | 13 | Extreme |
| Dec | 11 | Extreme |
Air quality in Butare 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 Butare is worst in January — around 82 µg/m³ PM2.5 (unhealthy), and holds fairly steady the rest of the year.
Modeled monthly averages (CAMS reanalysis, 2015–2024).
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PM2.5 (µg/m³) | 82 | 80 | 73 | 66 | 66 | 75 | 67 | 72 | 72 | 68 | 72 | 77 |
| Level | Unhealthy | Unhealthy | Unhealthy | Unhealthy | Unhealthy | Unhealthy | Unhealthy | Unhealthy | Unhealthy | Unhealthy | Unhealthy | Unhealthy |
| PM2.5 (µg/m³) | Level | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 82 | Unhealthy |
| Feb | 80 | Unhealthy |
| Mar | 73 | Unhealthy |
| Apr | 66 | Unhealthy |
| May | 66 | Unhealthy |
| Jun | 75 | Unhealthy |
| Jul | 67 | Unhealthy |
| Aug | 72 | Unhealthy |
| Sep | 72 | Unhealthy |
| Oct | 68 | Unhealthy |
| Nov | 72 | Unhealthy |
| Dec | 77 | Unhealthy |
Where is Butare?
Butare sits at 2.6°S, 29.7°E, 1,769 m above sea level, in Rwanda. The nearest listed city is Gikongoro, 24 km away.
Topography around Butare
How much the land rises and falls, and what covers it, within 3, 16 and 80 km of Butare.
Within 3 km, the terrain around Butare has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 209 m around an average of 1,710 m above sea level; within 16 km, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,012 m; within 80 km, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 2,146 m.
The land around Butare is covered by cropland (39%), trees (24%) and artificial surfaces (20%) within 3 km, cropland (51%) and grassland (34%) within 16 km, and cropland (34%), grassland (28%) and trees (27%) within 80 km.
Rwanda travel facts
- Travel advisory
- Level 3
- Reconsider Travel
- Power plugs
- Type C / E / G
- 230 V · 50 Hz
- Prices
- ≈ 27% of US
- price level, 2025
- GDP per capita
- $1,124
- 2025
- Happiness
- 3.3 / 10
- World Happiness, 2021
- Homicide rate
- 3.6
- per 100k, 2020
- Road deaths
- 29.4
- per 100k/yr, 2019
- Income group
- Low
- World Bank
- English
- Very low
- EF EPI 417
- 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 Butare (-2.5967°, 29.7394°, elevation 1,769 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.