São Tomé in Fall

In fall (September, October and November), São Tomé sees average daytime highs around 26°C and overnight lows near 25°C, with 408 mm of rain over about 55 wet days across the season. It is the 3rd-warmest season and the 2nd-wettest season.

Across fall, daytime highs hold fairly steady around 26°C. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 9% of the time across fall, and the air most often feels oppressive.

Fall is São Tomé's 2nd-best season to visit on our travel score. São Tomé has little temperature swing across the year, so its calendar seasons blur — the season framing matters less here than for a place with four distinct seasons. For the whole year in context, see São Tomé's year-round climate.

Avg daytime high
26°C
3rd-warmest season
Avg overnight low
25°C
Rainfall
408 mm
55 wet days
Avg wind
17 km/h
Travel score
5.3
2nd-best season
Months
Sep · Oct · Nov

Temperature in São Tomé in Fall

Average highAverage lowShaded bands: 10–90% of days

Across fall, daytime highs hold fairly steady around 26°C.

A typical fall day in São Tomé reaches about 26°C and drops to 25°C overnight. The warmest of the three months is November, the coolest September.

20°23°25°28°30°SepOctNov

São Tomé weather by month

How the three fall months (September, October and November) compare with the rest of the year — the season's months are highlighted.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan27° / 26°13523.6124.3
Feb28° / 26°11319.3124.6
Mar28° / 26°13320.5124.4
Apr28° / 26°13018.7124.8
May27° / 26°11917125.3
Jun25° / 24°234127.5
Jul24° / 24°82128.0
Aug24° / 24°142.6127.9
Sep25° / 24°467.8126.9
Oct26° / 25°15221.5124.9
Nov26° / 25°21025.7124.1
Dec27° / 25°17426.1124.1

Cloud cover in Fall

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 9% of the time across fall.

0%25%50%75%100%SepOctNov

Chance of precipitation in Fall

Any precipitation

São Tomé gets around 408 mm of rain over 55 wet days across fall. The line is the day-by-day chance of measurable precipitation.

0%20%40%60%80%100%SepOctNov

Humidity in Fall

DryComfortableHumidMuggyOppressiveMiserable

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

0%25%50%75%100%SepOctNov

Wind in Fall

Winds average 17 km/h across fall.

0510152025SepOctNov

Sunrise & sunset in Fall

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 12 hours in early September to 12 hours by late November. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AMSepOctNov

Solar energy in Fall

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day across fall, about 5.1 kWh/m².

0246SepOctNov
Planning a trip in fall

Hazard calendar for São Tomé

In seasonPeak

In fall, São Tomé overlaps its rainy season season. The full year is below, with each hazard's peak months called out.

São Tomé's rainy season runs October–May, when most of the year's rain falls.

Rainy season
Jan
Feb
Mar
Apr
May
Jun
Jul
Aug
Sep
Oct
Nov
Dec

Is fall a good time to visit São Tomé?

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

5.3
Sightseeing
2nd-best month of the year
5.0
Beach & pool
3rd-best month of the year

fall is a reasonable time to visit São Tomé for sightseeing.

What to pack for São Tomé in Fall

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

In fall, São Tomé sees daytime highs around 26°C and nights near 25°C. Pack rain gear. Worth having: light clothes and sun protection. About 55 days see rain.

rain gearlight clothessun protection

Sea temperature near São Tomé in Fall

The nearest coast averages about 27°C across fall — the other half of the beach question. The full-year curve and swim-comfort zones are below.

The sea offshore 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
Dec28Tropical

UV index in São Tomé in Fall

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV across fall averages around 12 (very high — sun protection essential). The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.

Under clear skies, the midday UV index in São Tomé peaks around March 21 at about 14 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near August 12 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 highExtremeMar 21UV 14Aug 12UV 9
UV index (midday)Level
Jan11Extreme
Feb12Extreme
Mar14Extreme
Apr13Extreme
May11Extreme
Jun9Very high
Jul9Very high
Aug8Very high
Sep12Extreme
Oct13Extreme
Nov12Extreme
Dec11Extreme

Air quality in São Tomé in Fall

GoodModeratePoorUnhealthyVery unhealthy

Average fine-particle pollution (PM2.5) through the year — so you can see where fall falls, not just the annual average.

Air quality in São Tomé is worst in February — around 24 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 4.6× the cleanest month (October, 5 µg/m³).

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

0102030JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecModerateGoodModerateGoodModerateFeb 1023 µg/m³Oct 175 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan22Moderate
Feb24Moderate
Mar15Moderate
Apr11Good
May12Moderate
Jun16Moderate
Jul17Moderate
Aug13Moderate
Sep8Good
Oct5Good
Nov8Good
Dec15Moderate
Location & terrain

Where is São Tomé?

São Tomé sits at 0.3°N, 6.7°E, 140 m above sea level, in Sao Tome and Principe. The nearest listed city is Port-Gentil, 257 km away.

Topography around São Tomé

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around São Tomé has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 111 m around an average of 23 m above sea level; within 16 km, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,396 m; within 80 km, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,938 m.

The land around São Tomé is covered by water (43%), trees (31%) and artificial surfaces (24%) within 3 km, water (60%) and trees (36%) within 16 km, and water (90%) within 80 km.

3 km
111 m
16 km
1,396 m
80 km
1,938 m
treesgrasslandartificial surfaceswater
Fall weather nearby: Port-Gentil 257 km · Akanda 291 km · Libreville 303 km · Owendo 309 km · Ntoum 337 km · Bata 378 km · Lambaréné 407 km · Malabo 443 km

Sao Tome and Principe travel facts

Travel advisory
Level 3
Reconsider Travel
Power plugs
Type C / F
220 V · 50 Hz
Prices
≈ 61% of US
price level, 2025
GDP per capita
$4,084
2025
Safe drinking water
37%
of population, 2024
Homicide rate
3.2
per 100k, 2011
Road deaths
27.9
per 100k/yr, 2019
Income group
Lower middle
World Bank
Religion
Catholic 56%none 21%other 6%Adventist 4%

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 São Tomé (0.3376°, 6.7299°, elevation 140 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.