Gaalkacyo in Winter
In winter (December, January and February), Gaalkacyo sees average daytime highs around 33°C and overnight lows near 20°C, with 7 mm of rain over about 1 wet days across the season. It is the coldest season of the year and the 3rd-wettest season.
Across winter, daytime highs hold fairly steady around 33°C. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 73% of the time across winter, and the air most often feels comfortable.
Winter is Gaalkacyo's best season of the year to visit on our travel score. For the whole year in context, see Gaalkacyo's year-round climate.
- Avg daytime high
- 33°C
- coldest season of the year
- Avg overnight low
- 20°C
- Rainfall
- 7 mm
- 1 wet days
- Avg wind
- 20 km/h
- Travel score
- 4.7
- best season of the year
- Months
- Dec · Jan · Feb
Temperature in Gaalkacyo in Winter
Across winter, daytime highs hold fairly steady around 33°C.
A typical winter day in Gaalkacyo reaches about 33°C and drops to 20°C overnight. The warmest of the three months is February, the coolest January.
How winter really feels in Gaalkacyo
Once humidity and wind are folded in, winter brings about 90 days that feel above 32°C and 0 that feel at or below 0°C.
The story in winter is heat — humidity pushes the afternoon "feels like" well above the raw temperature.
Gaalkacyo weather by month
How the three winter months (December, January and February) 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 | 33° / 20° | 0 | 0.1 | 11.7 | 5.0 |
| Feb | 33° / 20° | 0 | 0 | 11.8 | 4.4 |
| Mar | 34° / 22° | 2 | 0.6 | 12 | 3.6 |
| Apr | 34° / 24° | 44 | 7.6 | 12.1 | 3.4 |
| May | 33° / 25° | 45 | 8.5 | 12.3 | 3.4 |
| Jun | 34° / 24° | 2 | 0.2 | 12.4 | 3.7 |
| Jul | 33° / 24° | 0 | 0.1 | 12.4 | 4.1 |
| Aug | 34° / 23° | 0 | 0 | 12.2 | 3.8 |
| Sep | 34° / 23° | 4 | 0.7 | 12 | 3.6 |
| Oct | 32° / 23° | 44 | 8.2 | 11.8 | 4.2 |
| Nov | 32° / 22° | 27 | 4.6 | 11.7 | 4.7 |
| Dec | 33° / 21° | 6 | 1.1 | 11.6 | 4.8 |
Cloud cover in Winter
The sky is clear or mostly clear about 73% of the time across winter.
Chance of precipitation in Winter
Gaalkacyo gets around 7 mm of rain over 1 wet days across winter. The line is the day-by-day chance of measurable precipitation.
Humidity in Winter
Most of winter feels comfortable — the stacked bands show each day's mix of comfort levels, read off the dew point.
Wind in Winter
Winds average 20 km/h across winter.
Sunrise & sunset in Winter
Daylight runs from about 11 h 36 min in early December to 11 h 54 min by late February. 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 6.5 kWh/m².
Hazard calendar for Gaalkacyo
None of Gaalkacyo's seasonal hazards peak in winter. The full-year calendar below shows when the rainy season, cyclone risk and dust haze do.
Gaalkacyo sees seasonal dust haze (June–July), heaviest in July.
Is winter a good time to visit Gaalkacyo?
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 a reasonable time to visit Gaalkacyo for sightseeing. The water and warmth also suit a beach or pool day.
What to pack for Gaalkacyo in Winter
From winter's temperature range, rain chance, sun and wind — what's worth putting in the bag.
In winter, Gaalkacyo sees daytime highs around 33°C and nights near 20°C. Pack light clothes and sun protection. Worth having: a windbreaker.
UV index in Gaalkacyo in Winter
Clear-sky midday UV across winter 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 Gaalkacyo peaks around April 10 at about 14 (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) | 12 | 14 | 14 | 14 | 13 | 12 | 11 | 13 | 13 | 12 | 10 | 11 |
| Level | Extreme | Extreme | Extreme | Extreme | Extreme | Extreme | Extreme | Extreme | Extreme | Extreme | Extreme | Extreme |
| UV index (midday) | Level | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 12 | Extreme |
| Feb | 14 | Extreme |
| Mar | 14 | Extreme |
| Apr | 14 | Extreme |
| May | 13 | Extreme |
| Jun | 12 | Extreme |
| Jul | 11 | Extreme |
| Aug | 13 | Extreme |
| Sep | 13 | Extreme |
| Oct | 12 | Extreme |
| Nov | 10 | Extreme |
| Dec | 11 | Extreme |
Air quality in Gaalkacyo 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 Gaalkacyo is worst in July — around 32 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 2.5× the cleanest month (October, 13 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) | 24 | 23 | 19 | 13 | 13 | 26 | 32 | 28 | 22 | 13 | 15 | 18 |
| Level | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate |
| PM2.5 (µg/m³) | Level | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 24 | Moderate |
| Feb | 23 | Moderate |
| Mar | 19 | Moderate |
| Apr | 13 | Moderate |
| May | 13 | Moderate |
| Jun | 26 | Moderate |
| Jul | 32 | Moderate |
| Aug | 28 | Moderate |
| Sep | 22 | Moderate |
| Oct | 13 | Moderate |
| Nov | 15 | Moderate |
| Dec | 18 | Moderate |
Where is Gaalkacyo?
Gaalkacyo sits at 6.8°N, 47.4°E, 288 m above sea level, in Somalia. The nearest listed city is Saaxo, 70 km away.
Topography around Gaalkacyo
How much the land rises and falls, and what covers it, within 3, 16 and 80 km of Gaalkacyo.
Within 3 km, the terrain around Gaalkacyo has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 16 m around an average of 287 m above sea level; within 16 km, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 62 m; within 80 km, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 343 m.
The land around Gaalkacyo is covered by bare terrain (45%), grassland (31%) and artificial surfaces (22%) within 3 km, grassland (59%) and shrubs (31%) within 16 km, and shrubs (61%) and grassland (36%) 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 Gaalkacyo (6.7697°, 47.4308°, elevation 288 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.