Climate and average weather in Burao
In Burao, the weather is hot, showery, and mostly clear and remarkably steady, with daytime highs holding near hot levels all year. The wettest stretch peaks around April.
Over the course of the year, the temperature in Burao typically varies from 15°C to 31°C, and is rarely below 12°C or above 33°C. September is the hottest month of the year, while December is the coldest.
Based on the travel score, the best times of year to visit Burao for warm-weather activities are from early January to late February and early November to late December.
- Hottest
- Sep
- 31°
- Coldest
- Dec
- 15°
- Wettest
- Apr
- 35 mm
- Driest
- Jan
- 0 mm
- Rain / yr
- 130 mm
- 30 wet days
- Daylight
- 11.4–12.6 h
- shortest–longest
- Elevation
- 1,041 m
- 9.5°N
- Clearest
- Dec
- 20% cloud
Burao is city in Somaliland.
- Density
- 3,545/km²
- people per km²
- Founded
- 1750
Air quality: WHO Ambient Air Quality Database. Density & description: Wikidata (CC0), GeoNames.
Burao weather by month, at a glance
The whole year in one picture — sky, rain, humidity, temperature and travel score. Click any band to jump to its full chart.
Each stripe is one measure across the whole year, stacked so a single day reads top to bottom. The sky band runs overcast grey on top down to clear blue at the base — more blue means sunnier — followed by the rainfall curve, the humidity band, a temperature strip that tints each stretch of the year by how warm its average high is, and the travel-score line at the foot. Scan straight down any date to read that day across every measure at once; the score climbs highest around early November to late December.
Temperature through the year
Daily average highs and lows in Burao, from 1991–2020 of climate data. The shaded bands show the range most days fall in — 10th to 90th percentile.
Temperatures in Burao stay fairly even through the year, without a distinct hot or cool season. The warmest month is September, with an average high of 31°C and low of 21°C; the coolest is December, with an average low of 15°C and high of 27°C.
Days typically run about 11°C warmer than nights, with the widest day–night swing (around 13°C) in February.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Avg high (°C) | 27 | 29 | 30 | 30 | 30 | 31 | 30 | 31 | 31 | 29 | 28 | 27 |
| Avg low (°C) | 15 | 16 | 18 | 20 | 21 | 21 | 20 | 21 | 21 | 19 | 17 | 15 |
| Avg high (°C) | Avg low (°C) | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 27 | 15 |
| Feb | 29 | 16 |
| Mar | 30 | 18 |
| Apr | 30 | 20 |
| May | 30 | 21 |
| Jun | 31 | 21 |
| Jul | 30 | 20 |
| Aug | 31 | 21 |
| Sep | 31 | 21 |
| Oct | 29 | 19 |
| Nov | 28 | 17 |
| Dec | 27 | 15 |
Average hourly temperature in Burao
A compact picture of the whole year, hour by hour: each column is a day, each row an hour, and the color is the modeled average temperature. Darker overlays mark night, lighter ones the civil-twilight hours around sunrise and sunset.
Read left to right for the day of the year and top to bottom for the hour of the day; the color is the modeled temperature, cool blues through to hot reds on the same scale as the other charts. A vertical slice is a single day's swing — coolest just before dawn, warmest in the mid-afternoon — while a horizontal slice follows one hour across the seasons. The darker overlay marks night and the lighter one the twilight around sunrise and sunset. Colors run warmest on September afternoons, near 31°C, and coldest before dawn in December, near 15°C.
Burao weather by month
Every month at a glance. Click a month for its detailed page.
| Month | High / Low (°C) | Rainfall (mm) | Wet days | Daylight (hours) | Travel score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 27° / 15° | 0 | 0.1 | 11.5 | 8.7 |
| Feb | 29° / 16° | 1 | 0.2 | 11.7 | 7.5 |
| Mar | 30° / 18° | 8 | 1.8 | 11.9 | 6.2 |
| Apr | 30° / 20° | 35 | 8.1 | 12.2 | 5.4 |
| May | 30° / 21° | 33 | 7.7 | 12.4 | 5.1 |
| Jun | 31° / 21° | 3 | 0.5 | 12.5 | 5.7 |
| Jul | 30° / 20° | 4 | 0.9 | 12.5 | 6.2 |
| Aug | 31° / 21° | 3 | 0.9 | 12.3 | 5.9 |
| Sep | 31° / 21° | 6 | 1.4 | 12.1 | 5.6 |
| Oct | 29° / 19° | 24 | 5.8 | 11.8 | 6.3 |
| Nov | 28° / 17° | 11 | 2 | 11.6 | 8.0 |
| Dec | 27° / 15° | 2 | 0.6 | 11.5 | 8.8 |
Chance of rain
How likely it is to rain on a typical day, and how that shifts across the wetter and drier seasons.
Burao gets about 130 mm of precipitation a year. On a typical day the chance of rain is mostly dry, but that rises and falls sharply with the seasons.
The wetter season lasts 2.4 months, from around Mar 23 to Jun 2, peaking in April at about 36% chance on a given day. The drier stretch runs the rest of the year, bottoming out around Jan 8.
April is the wettest month by volume, with 35 mm over about 8 wet days; January is the driest, with 0 mm.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rain on a day (%) | 1 | 1 | 6 | 26 | 24 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 6 | 17 | 7 | 2 |
| Rain days | 0 | 0 | 2 | 8 | 8 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 6 | 2 | 1 |
| Rain on a day (%) | Rain days | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 1 | 0 |
| Feb | 1 | 0 |
| Mar | 6 | 2 |
| Apr | 26 | 8 |
| May | 24 | 8 |
| Jun | 3 | 1 |
| Jul | 3 | 1 |
| Aug | 3 | 1 |
| Sep | 6 | 1 |
| Oct | 17 | 6 |
| Nov | 7 | 2 |
| Dec | 2 | 1 |
Monthly rainfall
Over a full year, Burao collects about 130 mm of rain across 30 wet days — roughly 11 mm in an average month.
It doesn’t fall evenly. April is the wettest month with 35 mm, while January is the driest at just 0 mm. The three wettest months alone bring about 71% of the year’s total.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rainfall (mm) | 0 | 1 | 8 | 35 | 33 | 3 | 4 | 3 | 6 | 24 | 11 | 2 |
| Rain days | 0 | 0 | 2 | 8 | 8 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 6 | 2 | 1 |
| Rainfall (mm) | Rain days | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 0 | 0 |
| Feb | 1 | 0 |
| Mar | 8 | 2 |
| Apr | 35 | 8 |
| May | 33 | 8 |
| Jun | 3 | 1 |
| Jul | 4 | 1 |
| Aug | 3 | 1 |
| Sep | 6 | 1 |
| Oct | 24 | 6 |
| Nov | 11 | 2 |
| Dec | 2 | 1 |
Clouds and sunshine
How often the daytime sky is clear, partly cloudy or overcast.
In Burao, the average share of the sky covered by clouds shows moderate seasonal variation over the course of the year.
The clearer part of the year begins around October 29 and lasts for 5.0 months, ending around March 30. The clearest month is December, when the sky is clear, mostly clear, or partly cloudy 90% of the time on average.
The cloudier part of the year begins around March 31 and lasts for 4.7 months, ending around August 19. The cloudiest month is June, when it is overcast or mostly cloudy 31% of the time.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Clearer (%) | 86 | 85 | 84 | 72 | 72 | 69 | 71 | 77 | 85 | 80 | 85 | 90 |
| Cloudier (%) | 14 | 15 | 16 | 28 | 28 | 31 | 29 | 23 | 15 | 20 | 15 | 10 |
| Clearer (%) | Cloudier (%) | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 86 | 14 |
| Feb | 85 | 15 |
| Mar | 84 | 16 |
| Apr | 72 | 28 |
| May | 72 | 28 |
| Jun | 69 | 31 |
| Jul | 71 | 29 |
| Aug | 77 | 23 |
| Sep | 85 | 15 |
| Oct | 80 | 20 |
| Nov | 85 | 15 |
| Dec | 90 | 10 |
Daylight, sunrise and sunset
Hours of daylight through the year, with sunrise and sunset times.
The gold band is daylight — sunrise runs along its lower edge, sunset along the upper — so it widens toward summer and pinches toward winter, with night the dark area above and below. The longest day, around June 15, brings about 12 h 36 min of light; the shortest, around December 14, only 11 h 24 min — a swing of roughly 1 h 12 min.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Daylight (h) | 11.5 | 11.7 | 11.9 | 12.2 | 12.4 | 12.5 | 12.5 | 12.3 | 12.1 | 11.8 | 11.6 | 11.5 |
| Sunrise (AM) | 6:22 | 6:22 | 6:09 | 5:52 | 5:41 | 5:42 | 5:48 | 5:52 | 5:51 | 5:49 | 5:56 | 6:11 |
| Sunset (PM) | 5:52 | 6:03 | 6:06 | 6:04 | 6:07 | 6:15 | 6:19 | 6:11 | 5:54 | 5:36 | 5:30 | 5:37 |
| Daylight (h) | Sunrise (AM) | Sunset (PM) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 11.5 | 6:22 | 5:52 |
| Feb | 11.7 | 6:22 | 6:03 |
| Mar | 11.9 | 6:09 | 6:06 |
| Apr | 12.2 | 5:52 | 6:04 |
| May | 12.4 | 5:41 | 6:07 |
| Jun | 12.5 | 5:42 | 6:15 |
| Jul | 12.5 | 5:48 | 6:19 |
| Aug | 12.3 | 5:52 | 6:11 |
| Sep | 12.1 | 5:51 | 5:54 |
| Oct | 11.8 | 5:49 | 5:36 |
| Nov | 11.6 | 5:56 | 5:30 |
| Dec | 11.5 | 6:11 | 5:37 |
Sunny days
How many genuinely sunny days each month brings — days the sky stays clear or mostly clear — banded into plain-language zones.
Burao averages about 18 sunny days a month — counting the days the sky stays clear or mostly clear — with a clear seasonal swing between 12 and 24 days.
The sunnier stretch runs 5.1 months, from around Nov 1 to Apr 4. The sunniest month is December, with roughly 24 sunny days (brilliant).
The greyest month is May, down near 14 sunny days — about 42% fewer than the December peak.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sunny days | 23 | 21 | 22 | 15 | 14 | 15 | 15 | 17 | 19 | 16 | 21 | 25 |
| Sky | Bright | Bright | Bright | Bright | Mixed | Bright | Bright | Bright | Bright | Bright | Bright | Brilliant |
| Sunny days | Sky | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 23 | Bright |
| Feb | 21 | Bright |
| Mar | 22 | Bright |
| Apr | 15 | Bright |
| May | 14 | Mixed |
| Jun | 15 | Bright |
| Jul | 15 | Bright |
| Aug | 17 | Bright |
| Sep | 19 | Bright |
| Oct | 16 | Bright |
| Nov | 21 | Bright |
| Dec | 25 | Brilliant |
Humidity comfort
Share of days at each humidity comfort level, based on the dew point — the measure that tracks how muggy it actually feels.
Humidity comfort is graded by the dew point — the temperature at which the air would be fully saturated — because it tracks how muggy it actually feels far better than relative humidity does. A low dew point feels dry and crisp; a high one feels sticky and oppressive no matter the reading on a humidity gauge.
In Burao, how humid it feels changes dramatically over the year.
The more humid part of the year lasts 2.7 months, from around March 19 to June 7. The muggiest month is May, when the air feels humid, muggy or worse about 66% of the time.
The most comfortable stretch runs from around June 8 to September 27, and July is the most comfortable month — the air is dry or comfortable 100% of the time.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dry (%) | 70 | 68 | 58 | 27 | 7 | 24 | 52 | 65 | 59 | 34 | 55 | 71 |
| Comfortable (%) | 27 | 27 | 26 | 23 | 27 | 66 | 48 | 35 | 33 | 32 | 24 | 22 |
| Humid (%) | 3 | 5 | 13 | 27 | 39 | 9 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 29 | 18 | 7 |
| Muggy (%) | 0 | 0 | 3 | 23 | 27 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 5 | 3 | 0 |
| Dry (%) | Comfortable (%) | Humid (%) | Muggy (%) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 70 | 27 | 3 | 0 |
| Feb | 68 | 27 | 5 | 0 |
| Mar | 58 | 26 | 13 | 3 |
| Apr | 27 | 23 | 27 | 23 |
| May | 7 | 27 | 39 | 27 |
| Jun | 24 | 66 | 9 | 2 |
| Jul | 52 | 48 | 0 | 0 |
| Aug | 65 | 35 | 0 | 0 |
| Sep | 59 | 33 | 7 | 1 |
| Oct | 34 | 32 | 29 | 5 |
| Nov | 55 | 24 | 18 | 3 |
| Dec | 71 | 22 | 7 | 0 |
Wind
Average wind speed through the year, banded into plain-language speed zones so a number reads as 'breezy' or 'calm' without knowing the scale.
This is the average sustained wind speed at the standard 10 metres above open ground — the steady flow a weather station reports, not the sharper gusts that come and go, which can run half again as fast. It's the number that says whether a place is generally breezy or calm.
Across the year, average wind speed in Burao is typically light breeze, near 18 km/h, and varies a lot with the seasons.
The windier part of the year lasts 4.0 months, from around May 23 to Sep 21. The windiest month is July, averaging about 32 km/h (windy).
The calmer part of the year runs from around Sep 22 to May 22, with October the calmest month at about 11 km/h.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wind speed (km/h) | 15 | 13 | 12 | 11 | 16 | 29 | 32 | 30 | 21 | 11 | 13 | 15 |
| Feels | light breeze | light breeze | light breeze | calm | light breeze | breezy | windy | windy | breezy | calm | light breeze | light breeze |
| Wind speed (km/h) | Feels | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 15 | light breeze |
| Feb | 13 | light breeze |
| Mar | 12 | light breeze |
| Apr | 11 | calm |
| May | 16 | light breeze |
| Jun | 29 | breezy |
| Jul | 32 | windy |
| Aug | 30 | windy |
| Sep | 21 | breezy |
| Oct | 11 | calm |
| Nov | 13 | light breeze |
| Dec | 15 | light breeze |
Hazard calendar for Burao
When the seasonal hazards worth planning around — the rainy season, tropical-cyclone risk and dust haze — are active through the year.
Burao sees seasonal dust haze (June–August), heaviest in July.
Best time to visit Burao
To characterize how pleasant the weather is in Burao throughout the year, we compute two travel scores — one for general sightseeing, one for beach and pool weather.
Around mid November, Burao is still near the start of its best-weather window — great conditions with the peak-season crowds not yet at full swing.
Inferred from the travel-score curve; month-by-month visitor numbers are a planned addition.
The travel score favors clear, rainless days with daytime highs between 18°C and 28°C. Based on this score, the best time of year to visit Burao for general outdoor tourist activities is from early November to late February, with a peak score in the last week of December.
The travel score (filled area), and its constituents: the temperature score (red line), the cloud cover score (blue line), and the precipitation score (green line).
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Travel score (0–10) | 8.7 | 7.5 | 6.2 | 5.4 | 5.2 | 5.7 | 6.2 | 5.9 | 5.6 | 6.3 | 8.0 | 8.7 |
| Rating | ideal | ideal | good | fair | fair | good | good | good | good | good | ideal | ideal |
| Travel score (0–10) | Rating | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 8.7 | ideal |
| Feb | 7.5 | ideal |
| Mar | 6.2 | good |
| Apr | 5.4 | fair |
| May | 5.2 | fair |
| Jun | 5.7 | good |
| Jul | 6.2 | good |
| Aug | 5.9 | good |
| Sep | 5.6 | good |
| Oct | 6.3 | good |
| Nov | 8.0 | ideal |
| Dec | 8.7 | ideal |
The beach/pool score favors clear, rainless days with daytime highs between 24°C and 34°C. Based on this score, the best time of year to visit Burao for hot-weather activities is from mid May to mid April, with a peak score in the third week of February.
The beach/pool score (filled area), and its constituents: the temperature score (red line), the cloud cover score (blue line), and the precipitation score (green line).
What to pack for Burao, by month
Month by month, what's worth putting in the bag — from the temperature range, rain chance, sun and wind. Tap a month for a quick packing note.
Burao packs about the same all year — highs hold near 31°C. Across the year the things worth having are light clothes, sun protection and a windbreaker.
In September, Burao sees daytime highs around 31°C and nights near 21°C. Pack light clothes and sun protection. Worth having: a windbreaker.
UV index (midday) in Burao by month
Clear-sky midday UV index through the year, shaded by the WHO exposure levels — how much sun protection each month calls for.
Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Burao peaks around March 22 at about 15 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near November 22 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) | 13 | 14 | 15 | 15 | 14 | 12 | 11 | 14 | 13 | 13 | 10 | 10 |
| Level | Extreme | Extreme | Extreme | Extreme | Extreme | Extreme | Extreme | Extreme | Extreme | Extreme | Extreme | Extreme |
| UV index (midday) | Level | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 13 | Extreme |
| Feb | 14 | Extreme |
| Mar | 15 | Extreme |
| Apr | 15 | Extreme |
| May | 14 | Extreme |
| Jun | 12 | Extreme |
| Jul | 11 | Extreme |
| Aug | 14 | Extreme |
| Sep | 13 | Extreme |
| Oct | 13 | Extreme |
| Nov | 10 | Extreme |
| Dec | 10 | Extreme |
Average hourly UV index in Burao
Modeled clear-sky UV for every hour of every day — when in the day sun protection actually matters.
The whole year hour by hour: each column is a day, each row an hour, and the color is the modeled clear-sky UV index — the midday peak scaled down as the sun sits lower in the sky. Darker overlays mark night, lighter ones the civil-twilight hours around sunrise and sunset.
UV falls off far faster than brightness as the sun drops, so even in March the burn window is concentrated in the middle of the day: about 8 hours a day reach index 3 (protection recommended), and 6.5 hours reach 6 or more. Mornings and late afternoons stay comparatively gentle year round.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| UV ≥ 3 (h/day) | 7.5 | 8 | 8 | 8.5 | 8.5 | 8.5 | 8 | 8.5 | 8 | 8 | 7.5 | 7 |
| UV ≥ 6 (h/day) | 5.5 | 6.5 | 6.5 | 7 | 6.5 | 6.5 | 6 | 6.5 | 6 | 6 | 5 | 5 |
| UV ≥ 3 (h/day) | UV ≥ 6 (h/day) | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 7.5 | 5.5 |
| Feb | 8 | 6.5 |
| Mar | 8 | 6.5 |
| Apr | 8.5 | 7 |
| May | 8.5 | 6.5 |
| Jun | 8.5 | 6.5 |
| Jul | 8 | 6 |
| Aug | 8.5 | 6.5 |
| Sep | 8 | 6 |
| Oct | 8 | 6 |
| Nov | 7.5 | 5 |
| Dec | 7 | 5 |
Air quality in Burao by month
Average fine-particle pollution (PM2.5) through the year — so you can see which months the air is worst, not just the yearly average.
Air quality in Burao is worst in July — around 44 µg/m³ PM2.5 (poor), about 4.1× the cleanest month (November, 11 µg/m³).
Modeled monthly averages (CAMS reanalysis, 2015–2024).
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PM2.5 (µg/m³) | 14 | 17 | 14 | 13 | 15 | 34 | 44 | 32 | 20 | 12 | 11 | 12 |
| Level | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Poor | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Good | Good |
| PM2.5 (µg/m³) | Level | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 14 | Moderate |
| Feb | 17 | Moderate |
| Mar | 14 | Moderate |
| Apr | 13 | Moderate |
| May | 15 | Moderate |
| Jun | 34 | Moderate |
| Jul | 44 | Poor |
| Aug | 32 | Moderate |
| Sep | 20 | Moderate |
| Oct | 12 | Moderate |
| Nov | 11 | Good |
| Dec | 12 | Good |
Growing season
Burao is frost-free year round — even the coldest nights rarely reach freezing, so there is no start or end to the growing season.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Frost-free chance (%) | 100 | 100 | 100 | 100 | 100 | 100 | 100 | 100 | 100 | 100 | 100 | 100 |
| Frost nights | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Frost-free chance (%) | Frost nights | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 100 | 0 |
| Feb | 100 | 0 |
| Mar | 100 | 0 |
| Apr | 100 | 0 |
| May | 100 | 0 |
| Jun | 100 | 0 |
| Jul | 100 | 0 |
| Aug | 100 | 0 |
| Sep | 100 | 0 |
| Oct | 100 | 0 |
| Nov | 100 | 0 |
| Dec | 100 | 0 |
Growing degree days
Growing degree days tally heat above 10°C: each day adds however many degrees its average temperature runs over that threshold, and cold days add nothing. Burao banks about 5,086 degree days a year, and the running total — which growers use to time plantings and predict maturity — climbs fastest around September.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Growing degree days (°C·days) | 335 | 342 | 439 | 448 | 481 | 471 | 467 | 485 | 483 | 432 | 364 | 338 |
| Growing degree days (°C·days) | |
|---|---|
| Jan | 335 |
| Feb | 342 |
| Mar | 439 |
| Apr | 448 |
| May | 481 |
| Jun | 471 |
| Jul | 467 |
| Aug | 485 |
| Sep | 483 |
| Oct | 432 |
| Nov | 364 |
| Dec | 338 |
Solar energy
Average daily shortwave solar energy reaching the ground, banded into brightness zones so the number means something at a glance.
Solar energy is how much sunlight actually reaches the ground each day, measured in kilowatt-hours per square metre (kWh/m²) — the combined effect of how long the sun is up, how high it climbs, and how much cloud gets in the way. It's the raw fuel a solar panel has to work with: for scale, 1 kWh/m² a day is dim and wintry, while 7+ is desert-bright.
Burao receives about 6.2 kWh/m² a day of solar energy on average — intense — with a clear seasonal swing between 5.3 and 7.1 kWh/m².
The brighter stretch of the year lasts 4.4 months, from around Dec 26 to May 7. The brightest month is March, averaging about 7.1 kWh/m² (intense).
The dimmest month is June, down near 5.4 kWh/m² — roughly 24% less than the March peak.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Solar energy (kWh/m²) | 6.4 | 6.9 | 7.1 | 6.6 | 6.0 | 5.3 | 5.4 | 5.8 | 6.1 | 6.0 | 6.2 | 6.1 |
| Level | Intense | Intense | Intense | Intense | Intense | Bright | Bright | Bright | Intense | Intense | Intense | Intense |
| Solar energy (kWh/m²) | Level | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 6.4 | Intense |
| Feb | 6.9 | Intense |
| Mar | 7.1 | Intense |
| Apr | 6.6 | Intense |
| May | 6.0 | Intense |
| Jun | 5.3 | Bright |
| Jul | 5.4 | Bright |
| Aug | 5.8 | Bright |
| Sep | 6.1 | Intense |
| Oct | 6.0 | Intense |
| Nov | 6.2 | Intense |
| Dec | 6.1 | Intense |
Where is Burao?
Burao sits at 9.5°N, 45.5°E, 1,041 m above sea level, in Somalia. The nearest listed city is Berbera, 117 km away.
Topography around Burao
How much the land rises and falls, and what covers it, within 3, 16 and 80 km of Burao.
Within 3 km, the terrain around Burao has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 33 m around an average of 1,041 m above sea level; within 16 km, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 150 m; within 80 km, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,659 m.
The land around Burao is covered by artificial surfaces (36%), bare terrain (32%) and grassland (22%) within 3 km, grassland (67%) and bare terrain (20%) within 16 km, and grassland (49%), shrubs (31%) and bare terrain (20%) within 80 km.
Somalia travel facts
- Travel advisory
- Level 4
- Do Not Travel
- Power plugs
- Type C / G
- 220 V · 50 Hz
- Prices
- ≈ 52% of US
- price level, 2025
- GDP per capita
- $661
- 2025
- Happiness
- 4.5 / 10
- World Happiness, 2025
- Road deaths
- 27.4
- per 100k/yr, 2019
- Income group
- Low
- World Bank
- English
- Very low
- EF EPI 399
- 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 Burao (9.5221°, 45.5336°, elevation 1,041 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. UV index is derived from CAMS (Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service) clear-sky UV data — contains modified Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service information. Monthly air-quality (PM2.5) seasonality is from the CAMS EAC4 reanalysis (Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service), scaled to the WHO annual mean where available. Topography is sampled from the Copernicus DEM GLO-90 elevation model (© ESA/Airbus) and ESA WorldCover 2021 land cover (CC BY 4.0).