Climate and average weather in Mbulu

In Mbulu, the weather is warm, showery, and partly cloudy and remarkably steady, with daytime highs holding near warm levels all year. The wettest stretch peaks around January.

Best: early May to mid November

Over the course of the year, the temperature in Mbulu typically varies from 13°C to 28°C, and is rarely below 12°C or above 31°C. February is the hottest month of the year, while July is the coldest.

Based on the travel score, the best time of year to visit Mbulu for warm-weather activities is from early May to mid November.

Hottest
Feb
28°
Coldest
Jul
13°
Wettest
Jan
131 mm
Driest
Aug
1 mm
Rain / yr
664 mm
76 wet days
Daylight
11.8–12.2 h
shortest–longest
Elevation
1,815 m
3.9°S
Clearest
Sep
42% cloud

Mbulu is city in Mbulu district, Manyara, Tanzania.

Founded
1907

Air quality: WHO Ambient Air Quality Database. Density & description: Wikidata (CC0), GeoNames.

Mbulu 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 May to mid November.

Temperature through the year

Average highAverage lowShaded bands: 10–90% of days

Daily average highs and lows in Mbulu, from 1991–2020 of climate data. The shaded bands show the range most days fall in — 10th to 90th percentile.

Temperatures in Mbulu stay fairly even through the year, without a distinct hot or cool season. The warmest month is February, with an average high of 28°C and low of 18°C; the coolest is July, with an average low of 13°C and high of 24°C.

Days typically run about 10°C warmer than nights, with the widest day–night swing (around 12°C) in September.

10°15°20°25°30°35°JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
Jan2717
Feb2818
Mar2718
Apr2517
May2416
Jun2414
Jul2413
Aug2514
Sep2615
Oct2816
Nov2717
Dec2717

Average hourly temperature in Mbulu

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 February afternoons, near 28°C, and coldest before dawn in July, near 13°C.

JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec12 AM2 AM4 AM6 AM8 AM10 AM12 PM2 PM4 PM6 PM8 PM10 PM12 AM

Mbulu weather by month

Every month at a glance. Click a month for its detailed page.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan27° / 17°13111.412.26.3
Feb28° / 18°831012.16.2
Mar27° / 18°11311.7126.2
Apr25° / 17°1061411.96.1
May24° / 16°336.211.87.6
Jun24° / 14°40.711.88.4
Jul24° / 13°10.311.88.6
Aug25° / 14°10.211.98.6
Sep26° / 15°10.2128.4
Oct28° / 16°132.712.17.6
Nov27° / 17°607.412.26.8
Dec27° / 17°11711.512.26.3

Chance of rain

How likely it is to rain on a typical day, and how that shifts across the wetter and drier seasons.

Mbulu gets about 664 mm of precipitation a year. On a typical day the chance of rain is some rain, but that rises and falls sharply with the seasons.

The wetter season lasts 6.2 months, from around Nov 8 to May 15, peaking in April at about 50% chance on a given day. The drier stretch runs the rest of the year, bottoming out around Sep 9.

January is the wettest month by volume, with 131 mm over about 11 wet days; August is the driest, with 1 mm.

0%10%20%30%40%50%60%JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecwetterdrierwettermostly drysome rainoften wetvery wetApr 7 · 50%Sep 9 · 0%
Rain on a day (%)Rain days
Jan3711
Feb3610
Mar3712
Apr4614
May216
Jun31
Jul10
Aug10
Sep10
Oct93
Nov247
Dec3712

Monthly rainfall

Over a full year, Mbulu collects about 664 mm of rain across 76 wet days — roughly 55 mm in an average month.

It doesn’t fall evenly. January is the wettest month with 131 mm, while August is the driest at just 1 mm. The three wettest months alone bring about 54% of the year’s total.

0255075100125150175JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec131831131063341111360117
Rainfall (mm)Rain days
Jan13111
Feb8310
Mar11312
Apr10614
May336
Jun41
Jul10
Aug10
Sep10
Oct133
Nov607
Dec11712

Clouds and sunshine

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

How often the daytime sky is clear, partly cloudy or overcast.

In Mbulu, 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 July 2 and lasts for 4.4 months, ending around November 12. The clearest month is September, when the sky is clear, mostly clear, or partly cloudy 73% of the time on average.

The cloudier part of the year begins around November 13 and lasts for 6.0 months, ending around May 13. The cloudiest month is April, when it is overcast or mostly cloudy 54% of the time.

0%100%10%90%20%80%30%70%40%60%50%50%60%40%70%30%80%20%90%10%100%0%JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecSep 11 · 74%Apr 7 · 45%clearmostly clearpartly cloudymostly cloudyovercastcloudierclearercloudier
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
Jan4753
Feb4951
Mar5248
Apr4654
May5743
Jun5446
Jul6040
Aug6535
Sep7327
Oct6337
Nov5644
Dec5248

Daylight, sunrise and sunset

DaylightNight

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. Close to the equator, Mbulu barely changes through the year: days stay near 12 h 12 min of light in every season.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AMJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
Jan12.26:416:53
Feb12.16:496:56
Mar12.06:476:48
Apr11.96:416:36
May11.86:396:29
Jun11.86:456:31
Jul11.86:506:37
Aug11.96:466:38
Sep12.06:336:32
Oct12.16:206:25
Nov12.26:186:28
Dec12.26:276:41

Sunny days

How many genuinely sunny days each month brings — days the sky stays clear or mostly clear — banded into plain-language zones.

Mbulu averages about 10 sunny days a month — counting the days the sky stays clear or mostly clear — with a clear seasonal swing between 6 and 16 days.

The sunnier stretch runs 4.2 months, from around Jul 3 to Nov 8. The sunniest month is September, with roughly 15 sunny days (mixed).

The greyest month is April, down near 6 sunny days — about 57% fewer than the September peak.

05101520JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecgreyersunniergreyergloomymixedbrightSep 2116 daysApr 276 days
Sunny daysSky
Jan10Mixed
Feb8Mixed
Mar10Mixed
Apr6Gloomy
May9Mixed
Jun9Mixed
Jul11Mixed
Aug13Mixed
Sep15Mixed
Oct12Mixed
Nov10Mixed
Dec9Mixed

Humidity comfort

DryComfortableHumidMuggyOppressiveMiserable

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 Mbulu, how humid it feels changes dramatically over the year.

The more humid part of the year lasts 5.9 months, from around November 18 to May 15. The muggiest month is April, when the air feels humid, muggy or worse about 60% of the time.

The most comfortable stretch runs from around May 16 to November 17, and July is the most comfortable month — the air is dry or comfortable 100% of the time.

0%10%20%30%40%50%60%70%80%90%100%JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecJul 7 · 100%Apr 6 · 33%humiddrycomfortablehumidcomfortablehumid
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)Muggy (%)
Jan2839330
Feb3135330
Mar1735471
Apr238600
May1563220
Jun702910
Jul96400
Aug97300
Sep95500
Oct732430
Nov3150190
Dec2243350

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 Mbulu is typically light breeze, near 12 km/h, and varies moderately with the seasons.

The windier part of the year lasts 7.2 months, from around Apr 18 to Nov 21. The windiest month is September, averaging about 16 km/h (light breeze).

The calmer part of the year runs from around Nov 22 to Apr 17, with January the calmest month at about 8 km/h.

05101520JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDeccalmerwindiercalmercalmlight breezeSep 24 · 16 km/hJan 19 · 8 km/h
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
Jan8calm
Feb8calm
Mar10calm
Apr12light breeze
May13light breeze
Jun13light breeze
Jul14light breeze
Aug15light breeze
Sep16light breeze
Oct15light breeze
Nov13light breeze
Dec10calm

Hazard calendar for Mbulu

In seasonPeak

When the seasonal hazards worth planning around — the rainy season, tropical-cyclone risk and dust haze — are active through the year.

Mbulu's rainy season runs November–April, when most of the year's rain falls.

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

Best time to visit Mbulu

TravelBeach/poolTemperatureCloudsPrecipitation

To characterize how pleasant the weather is in Mbulu throughout the year, we compute two travel scores — one for general sightseeing, one for beach and pool weather.

Around early November, Mbulu is still near the tail of its best-weather window — great conditions with the peak-season crowds already thinning.

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 Mbulu for general outdoor tourist activities is from early May to mid November, with a peak score in the third week of July.

0246810JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecbest timetravel scoretemperaturecloudsprecipitationJul 17 · 8.6

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).

Travel score (0–10)Rating
Jan6.3good
Feb6.2good
Mar6.2good
Apr6.1good
May7.6ideal
Jun8.4ideal
Jul8.6ideal
Aug8.6ideal
Sep8.4ideal
Oct7.6ideal
Nov6.8good
Dec6.3good

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 Mbulu for hot-weather activities is from mid May to early December, with a peak score in the last week of September.

024681012JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecbest timebeach/pool scoretemperaturecloudsprecipitationSep 24 · 8.3

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 Mbulu, by month

EssentialRecommendedOptional

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.

Mbulu packs about the same all year — highs hold near 28°C. Across the year the things worth having are light clothes, rain gear and sun protection.

Light clothing
Warm layer
Winter coat
Rain gear
Sun protection
Windbreaker

In February, Mbulu sees daytime highs around 28°C and nights near 18°C. Pack light clothes and sun protection. Worth having: rain gear. About 10 days see rain.

UV index (midday) in Mbulu by month

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

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 Mbulu peaks around March 13 at about 16 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near June 18 at about 10 (extreme).

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

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecExtremeMar 13UV 16Jun 18UV 10
UV index (midday)Level
Jan14Extreme
Feb16Extreme
Mar16Extreme
Apr15Extreme
May12Extreme
Jun10Extreme
Jul11Extreme
Aug12Extreme
Sep14Extreme
Oct15Extreme
Nov14Extreme
Dec13Extreme

Average hourly UV index in Mbulu

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

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 8.5 hours a day reach index 3 (protection recommended), and 7 hours reach 6 or more. Mornings and late afternoons stay comparatively gentle year round.

JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec12 AM2 AM4 AM6 AM8 AM10 AM12 PM2 PM4 PM6 PM8 PM10 PM12 AM
UV ≥ 3 (h/day)UV ≥ 6 (h/day)
Jan8.56.5
Feb8.56.5
Mar8.57
Apr86.5
May7.55.5
Jun7.55
Jul7.55.5
Aug7.55.5
Sep86.5
Oct86.5
Nov86.5
Dec86
Almanac & agriculture

Growing season

Chance of a frost-free dayFrost-free year round

Mbulu is frost-free year round — even the coldest nights rarely reach freezing, so there is no start or end to the growing season.

0%25%50%75%100%JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecfrost-free year round
Frost-free chance (%)Frost nights
Jan1000
Feb1000
Mar1000
Apr1000
May1000
Jun1000
Jul1000
Aug1000
Sep1000
Oct1000
Nov1000
Dec1000

Growing degree days

Degree days (base 10°C)Frost-free shaded

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. Mbulu banks about 4,010 degree days a year, and the running total — which growers use to time plantings and predict maturity — climbs fastest around February.

01,0002,0003,0004,000JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
Growing degree days (°C·days)
Jan378
Feb353
Mar385
Apr338
May311
Jun271
Jul262
Aug285
Sep317
Oct366
Nov368
Dec377

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.

Mbulu receives about 6.1 kWh/m² a day of solar energy on average — intense — with a clear seasonal swing between 5.3 and 6.9 kWh/m².

The brighter stretch of the year lasts 7.1 months, from around Aug 21 to Mar 25. The brightest month is September, averaging about 6.7 kWh/m² (intense).

The dimmest month is June, down near 5.3 kWh/m² — roughly 20% less than the September peak.

012345678JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecbrighterdimmerbrighterdimmoderatebrightintenseSep 296.9 kWhJun 225.3 kWh
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
Jan6.3Intense
Feb6.7Intense
Mar6.3Intense
Apr5.6Bright
May5.3Bright
Jun5.3Bright
Jul5.5Bright
Aug5.9Bright
Sep6.7Intense
Oct6.8Intense
Nov6.3Intense
Dec6.1Intense

Where is Mbulu?

Mbulu sits at 3.9°S, 35.5°E, 1,815 m above sea level, in Tanzania. The nearest listed city is Dongobesh, 29 km away.

Topography around Mbulu

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Mbulu has significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 321 m around an average of 1,792 m above sea level; within 16 km, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,175 m; within 80 km, extreme variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 2,403 m.

The land around Mbulu is covered by cropland (60%) within 3 km, shrubs (38%), trees (23%) and cropland (23%) within 16 km, and shrubs (28%), grassland (27%) and cropland (22%) within 80 km.

3 km
321 m
16 km
1,175 m
80 km
2,403 m
treesshrubsgrasslandcroplandartificial surfaceswater
Nearby: Dongobesh 29 km · Magugu 32 km · Dareda 41 km · Bashanet 45 km · Babati 47 km · Galappo 58 km · Kiratu 59 km · Mto wa Mbu 66 km

Tanzania travel facts

Travel advisory
Level 3
Reconsider Travel
Power plugs
Type D / G
230 V · 50 Hz
Prices
≈ 29% of US
price level, 2025
GDP per capita
$1,319
2025
Happiness
3.9 / 10
World Happiness, 2025
Safe drinking water
31%
of population, 2024
Homicide rate
3.7
per 100k, 2020
Road deaths
31.1
per 100k/yr, 2019
Income group
Lower middle
World Bank
English
Low
EF EPI 479
Religion
Christian 63%Muslim 34%folk religion 1%

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 Mbulu (-3.85°, 35.5333°, elevation 1,815 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. Topography is sampled from the Copernicus DEM GLO-90 elevation model (© ESA/Airbus) and ESA WorldCover 2021 land cover (CC BY 4.0).