Kigali in Winter
In winter (June, July and August), Kigali sees average daytime highs around 26°C and overnight lows near 15°C, with 42 mm of rain over about 8 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 17% of the time across winter, and the air most often feels dry.
Winter is Kigali's best season of the year to visit on our travel score. For the whole year in context, see Kigali's year-round climate.
- Avg daytime high
- 26°C
- warmest season of the year
- Avg overnight low
- 15°C
- Rainfall
- 42 mm
- 8 wet days
- Avg wind
- 6 km/h
- Travel score
- 7.7
- best season of the year
- Months
- Jun · Jul · Aug
Temperature in Kigali in Winter
Across winter, daytime highs hold fairly steady around 26°C.
A typical winter day in Kigali reaches about 26°C and drops to 15°C overnight. The warmest of the three months is August, the coolest June.
Kigali 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 | 26° / 15° | 77 | 15.4 | 12.1 | 5.7 |
| Feb | 26° / 15° | 77 | 14.6 | 12.1 | 5.5 |
| Mar | 26° / 15° | 105 | 21 | 12 | 4.9 |
| Apr | 25° / 15° | 137 | 24 | 12 | 4.4 |
| May | 25° / 15° | 83 | 15.9 | 11.9 | 5.9 |
| Jun | 25° / 15° | 14 | 2.7 | 11.9 | 7.7 |
| Jul | 26° / 15° | 4 | 0.8 | 11.9 | 8.0 |
| Aug | 26° / 16° | 24 | 4 | 11.9 | 7.3 |
| Sep | 26° / 15° | 54 | 10.3 | 12 | 6.3 |
| Oct | 26° / 15° | 117 | 18.6 | 12 | 5.2 |
| Nov | 25° / 15° | 130 | 22.6 | 12.1 | 4.6 |
| Dec | 25° / 15° | 92 | 18.2 | 12.1 | 5.4 |
Cloud cover in Winter
The sky is clear or mostly clear about 17% of the time across winter.
Chance of precipitation in Winter
Kigali gets around 42 mm of rain over 8 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 12 hours 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 Kigali?
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 Kigali for general sightseeing. The water and warmth also suit a beach or pool day.
What to pack for Kigali in Winter
From winter's temperature range, rain chance, sun and wind — what's worth putting in the bag.
In winter, Kigali sees daytime highs around 26°C and nights near 15°C. Worth packing: light clothes and sun protection. About 8 days see rain.
UV index in Kigali 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 Kigali peaks around March 16 at about 16 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near June 19 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 | 16 | 15 | 12 | 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 | 16 | Extreme |
| Apr | 15 | Extreme |
| May | 12 | 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 Kigali 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 Kigali 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 Kigali?
Kigali sits at 1.9°S, 30.1°E, 1,542 m above sea level, in Rwanda. The nearest listed city is Kamuhanda / Ruyenzi, 8.0 km away.
Topography around Kigali
How much the land rises and falls, and what covers it, within 3, 16 and 80 km of Kigali.
Within 3 km, the terrain around Kigali has significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 491 m around an average of 1,481 m above sea level; within 16 km, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 734 m; within 80 km, extreme variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 2,788 m.
The land around Kigali is covered by artificial surfaces (67%) and trees (24%) within 3 km, cropland (27%), trees (24%) and artificial surfaces (21%) within 16 km, and cropland (41%), grassland (22%) and trees (21%) 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 Kigali (-1.95°, 30.0588°, elevation 1,542 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.