Qandala in Winter

In winter (December, January and February), Qandala sees average daytime highs around 25°C and overnight lows near 20°C, with 34 mm of rain over about 5 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 25°C. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 70% of the time across winter, and the air most often feels humid.

Winter is Qandala's best season of the year to visit on our travel score. For the whole year in context, see Qandala's year-round climate.

Avg daytime high
25°C
coldest season of the year
Avg overnight low
20°C
Rainfall
34 mm
5 wet days
Avg wind
12 km/h
Travel score
8.8
best season of the year
Months
Dec · Jan · Feb

Temperature in Qandala in Winter

Average highAverage lowShaded bands: 10–90% of days

Across winter, daytime highs hold fairly steady around 25°C.

A typical winter day in Qandala reaches about 25°C and drops to 20°C overnight. The warmest of the three months is February, the coolest January.

15°20°25°30°DecJanFeb

How winter really feels in Qandala

Once humidity and wind are folded in, winter brings about 0 days that feel above 32°C and 0 that feel at or below 0°C.

Days feeling ≥ 32°C
0
heat index over the day's high
Days feeling ≤ C
0
wind chill below the day's low

winter sits comfortably in between — no days that feel dangerously hot or drop to a hard freeze once humidity and wind are folded in.

Qandala 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.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan25° / 20°61.511.48.8
Feb26° / 20°40.711.68.9
Mar28° / 22°71.511.97.9
Apr30° / 24°224.312.26.3
May31° / 26°327.112.54.9
Jun34° / 28°20.512.73.7
Jul34° / 29°00.112.63.7
Aug34° / 29°0012.43.8
Sep33° / 27°4112.14.6
Oct29° / 24°234.111.77.0
Nov26° / 22°243.411.58.2
Dec25° / 20°242.911.38.6

Cloud cover in Winter

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 70% of the time across winter.

0%25%50%75%100%DecJanFeb

Chance of precipitation in Winter

Any precipitation

Qandala gets around 34 mm of rain over 5 wet days across winter. The line is the day-by-day chance of measurable precipitation.

0%10%20%30%DecJanFeb

Humidity in Winter

DryComfortableHumidMuggyOppressiveMiserable

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

0%25%50%75%100%DecJanFeb

Wind in Winter

Winds average 12 km/h across winter.

051015DecJanFeb

Sunrise & sunset in Winter

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 11 h 24 min in early December to 11 h 48 min by late February. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AMDecJanFeb

Solar energy in Winter

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day across winter, about 6.0 kWh/m².

0246DecJanFeb
Planning a trip in winter

Hazard calendar for Qandala

In seasonPeak

None of Qandala's seasonal hazards peak in winter. The full-year calendar below shows when the rainy season, cyclone risk and dust haze do.

Qandala sees seasonal dust haze (June–August), heaviest in July.

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

Is winter a good time to visit Qandala?

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.

8.8
Sightseeing
1st-best month of the year
7.9
Beach & pool
3rd-best month of the year

winter is one of the better times to visit Qandala for general sightseeing. The water and warmth also suit a beach or pool day.

What to pack for Qandala in Winter

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

In winter, Qandala sees daytime highs around 25°C and nights near 20°C. Pack sun protection. Worth having: light clothes. About 5 days see rain.

sun protectionlight clothes

Sea temperature near Qandala in Winter

The nearest coast averages about 26°C across winter — the other half of the beach question. The full-year curve and swim-comfort zones are below.

The sea at the nearest coast (about 17 km away) is warmest in June at about 31°C and coldest in January near 25°C.

The water stays above 20°C all year — warm enough for a swim any month.

24°26°28°30°32°JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecrefreshingwarmtropicalcomfortable to swim
Sea temperature (°C)Comfort
Jan25Warm
Feb26Warm
Mar27Warm
Apr28Tropical
May30Tropical
Jun31Tropical
Jul30Tropical
Aug30Tropical
Sep31Tropical
Oct29Tropical
Nov27Warm
Dec26Warm

UV index in Qandala in Winter

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV across winter averages around 10 (very high — sun protection essential). The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.

Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Qandala peaks around April 13 at about 13 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near December 13 at about 9 (very high).

The index reaches 3 or more — the level where the WHO recommends sun protection — every month of the year.

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecExtremeExtremeVery highApr 13UV 13Dec 13UV 9
UV index (midday)Level
Jan10Extreme
Feb12Extreme
Mar13Extreme
Apr14Extreme
May12Extreme
Jun10Extreme
Jul9Very high
Aug13Extreme
Sep11Extreme
Oct10Extreme
Nov9Very high
Dec9Very high

Air quality in Qandala in Winter

GoodModeratePoorUnhealthyVery unhealthy

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

Air quality in Qandala is worst in July — around 41 µg/m³ PM2.5 (poor), about 3.2× the cleanest month (April, 13 µg/m³).

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

0204060JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecModeratePoorModerateJul 1540 µg/m³Apr 1713 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan22Moderate
Feb21Moderate
Mar18Moderate
Apr13Moderate
May17Moderate
Jun33Moderate
Jul41Poor
Aug30Moderate
Sep18Moderate
Oct13Moderate
Nov16Moderate
Dec18Moderate
Location & terrain

Where is Qandala?

Qandala sits at 11.5°N, 49.9°E, 8 m above sea level, in Somalia. The nearest listed city is Bosaso, 78 km away.

El DibirCeerigaaboGarooweEylLaascaanood

Topography around Qandala

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Qandala has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 190 m around an average of 27 m above sea level; within 16 km, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,362 m; within 80 km, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 2,101 m.

The land around Qandala is covered by bare terrain (56%) and water (42%) within 3 km, water (46%), bare terrain (32%) and shrubs (21%) within 16 km, and bare terrain (39%), water (34%) and shrubs (26%) within 80 km.

3 km
190 m
16 km
1,362 m
80 km
2,101 m
shrubsgrasslandbare terrainwater
Winter weather nearby: Bosaso 78 km · El Dibir 150 km · Ceerigaabo 289 km · Mukalla 351 km · Ghayl Bā Wazīr 371 km · Garoowe 374 km · Eyl 388 km · Laascaanood 432 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
Muslim 100%ethnic religionist 0%

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 Qandala (11.472°, 49.8728°, elevation 8 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.