Zanzibar weather in August

In August, Zanzibar sees average daytime highs of 27°C and overnight lows near 23°C, with 21 mm of rain across 6.2 wet days and about 11.8 hours of daylight. It is the 11th-warmest and 11th-wettest month of the year here.

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 27°C through the month. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 52% of the time in August, and the air most often feels muggy.

Daylight stretches from about 11 h 42 min at the start of August to 11 h 54 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, August is Zanzibar's 3rd-clearest and 6th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Zanzibar's year-round climate.

Daytime high
27°
11th warmest
Overnight low
23°
1st coldest
Rainfall
21 mm
6.2 wet days
Daylight
11 h 48 min
6:33 AM – 6:21 PM
Cloud cover
45%
3rd clearest
Wind
14 km/h
6th windiest
Solar energy
5.17 kWh/m²
Travel score
7.2
out of 10

Zanzibar is city in Tanzania.

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

Temperature in August

Average highAverage lowShaded bands: 10–90% of days

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 27°C through the month.

A typical August day in Zanzibar reaches about 27°C in the afternoon and slips back to 23°C overnight — a 5°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 26°C and 28°C. Set against its neighbours, August runs on par with July and on par with September.

20°23°25°28°30°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
12723
22723
32723
42723
52723
62723
72723
82723
92723
102723
112723
122723
132723
142723
152723
162723
172723
182723
192723
202723
212723
222723
232823
242823
252823
262823
272823
282823
292823
302823
312823

How August really feels in Zanzibar

Once humidity and wind are folded in, August averages 0 days that feel above 32°C and 0 that feel at or below 0°C — the comfort signal a plain temperature reading hides.

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

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

Zanzibar weather by month

How August compares with the rest of the year at a glance. August is the 11th-warmest and 11th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan30° / 27°449.712.35.2
Feb30° / 27°367.712.25.1
Mar30° / 26°12221123.8
Apr29° / 25°20025.511.93.5
May28° / 25°14618.911.75.0
Jun28° / 24°359.611.66.6
Jul27° / 23°226.411.77.1
Aug27° / 23°216.211.87.2
Sep28° / 23°195.4127.1
Oct29° / 24°529.812.15.9
Nov29° / 25°841812.34.5
Dec30° / 26°9320.312.44.1

Cloud cover in August

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 52% of the time in August.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 28% of August, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 20%. Skies tend to open up as the month goes on.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
17525
27525
37525
47525
57624
67624
77624
87624
97723
107723
117822
127921
137921
148020
158020
168119
178119
188119
198218
208218
218218
228218
238416
248416
258416
268515
278515
288515
298614
308614
318713

Chance of precipitation in August

Any precipitation

Zanzibar gets around 21 mm of rain over 6.2 wet days in August. The line is the day-by-day chance of measurable precipitation.

Day to day, the chance of measurable rain averages around 20% and peaks near 22% on the wettest days.

0%10%20%30%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
119
219
319
419
519
619
720
820
920
1020
1120
1221
1321
1421
1522
1622
1722
1821
1921
2021
2121
2220
2320
2420
2520
2619
2719
2818
2918
3018
3118

Humidity in August

DryComfortableHumidMuggyOppressiveMiserable

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

By dew point, August lands in the muggy band about 81% of days. Sticky, muggy-or-worse air turns up on roughly 99% of them.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Humid (%)Muggy (%)Oppressive (%)
127721
227820
327820
427820
527919
627919
727919
828018
928018
1028018
1118118
1218118
1318217
1418217
1518217
1618217
1718217
1818217
1918217
2018217
2118217
2218217
2308317
2408317
2508317
2608317
2708218
2808218
2908119
3008119
3108020

Wind in August

Winds average 14 km/h in August.

Across August, daily wind ranges from about 14 km/h on the calmest days to 15 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

05101520151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
115light breeze
215light breeze
315light breeze
415light breeze
515light breeze
615light breeze
715light breeze
815light breeze
915light breeze
1015light breeze
1115light breeze
1215light breeze
1315light breeze
1414light breeze
1514light breeze
1614light breeze
1714light breeze
1814light breeze
1914light breeze
2014light breeze
2114light breeze
2214light breeze
2314light breeze
2414light breeze
2514light breeze
2614light breeze
2714light breeze
2814light breeze
2914light breeze
3014light breeze
3114light breeze

Sunrise & sunset in August

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 11 h 42 min at the start of August to 11 h 54 min by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days grow by about 12 minutes over August. Sunrise moves from 6:37 AM to 6:27 AM, and sunset from 6:21 PM to 6:20 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
111.76:376:21
211.76:376:21
311.76:376:21
411.76:376:21
511.76:376:21
611.76:366:21
711.86:366:21
811.86:366:21
911.86:366:21
1011.86:356:21
1111.86:356:21
1211.86:356:21
1311.86:346:21
1411.86:346:21
1511.86:346:21
1611.86:336:21
1711.86:336:21
1811.86:336:21
1911.86:326:21
2011.86:326:21
2111.86:316:21
2211.86:316:21
2311.86:316:21
2411.86:306:20
2511.86:306:20
2611.86:296:20
2711.96:296:20
2811.96:286:20
2911.96:286:20
3011.96:276:20
3111.96:276:20

Solar energy in August

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in August, about 5.17 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 4.36 kWh/m² to a high of 6.3 kWh/m² in February across the year — August's 5.17 kWh/m² falls in the middle.

0246151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
14.9Bright
24.9Bright
34.9Bright
44.9Bright
55.0Bright
65.0Bright
75.0Bright
85.0Bright
95.0Bright
105.0Bright
115.0Bright
125.1Bright
135.1Bright
145.1Bright
155.1Bright
165.2Bright
175.2Bright
185.2Bright
195.2Bright
205.3Bright
215.3Bright
225.3Bright
235.3Bright
245.3Bright
255.4Bright
265.4Bright
275.4Bright
285.4Bright
295.5Bright
305.5Bright
315.5Bright
Planning a trip in August

Hazard calendar for Zanzibar

In seasonPeak

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

Zanzibar sits in the South Indian Ocean cyclone belt; the season peaks January–March.

Zanzibar's rainy season runs March–May, when most of the year's rain falls.

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

Is August a good time to visit Zanzibar?

Our two travel scores rate August for general sightseeing and for beach or pool weather — 0 (poor) to 10 (ideal).

7.2
Sightseeing
1st-best month of the year
7.5
Beach & pool
2nd-best month of the year

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

What to pack for Zanzibar in August

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

In August, Zanzibar sees daytime highs around 27°C and nights near 23°C. Pack light clothes. Worth having: sun protection. About 6 days see rain.

light clothessun protection

Sea temperature near Zanzibar in August

The nearest coast averages about 26°C in August — 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
Jan28Tropical
Feb29Tropical
Mar29Tropical
Apr29Tropical
May28Tropical
Jun27Warm
Jul26Warm
Aug26Warm
Sep26Warm
Oct27Warm
Nov28Warm
Dec29Tropical

UV index in Zanzibar in August

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in August peaks 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 Zanzibar peaks around March 16 at about 15 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near June 17 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 16UV 15Jun 17UV 9
UV index (midday)Level
Jan13Extreme
Feb14Extreme
Mar15Extreme
Apr14Extreme
May10Extreme
Jun9Very high
Jul10Extreme
Aug10Extreme
Sep12Extreme
Oct13Extreme
Nov12Extreme
Dec12Extreme

Air quality in Zanzibar in August

GoodModeratePoorUnhealthyVery unhealthy

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

Air quality in Zanzibar is worst in January — around 18 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 2.2× the cleanest month (November, 8 µg/m³).

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

01020JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecModerateGoodModerateGoodJan 2018 µg/m³Nov 118 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan18Moderate
Feb16Moderate
Mar13Moderate
Apr11Good
May14Moderate
Jun16Moderate
Jul17Moderate
Aug15Moderate
Sep13Moderate
Oct9Good
Nov8Good
Dec13Moderate
Location & terrain

Where is Zanzibar?

Zanzibar sits at 6.2°S, 39.2°E, 14 m above sea level, in Tanzania. The nearest listed city is Bagamoyo, 45 km away.

MagomeniDar es SalaamKibaha

Topography around Zanzibar

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Zanzibar has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 46 m around an average of 8 m above sea level; within 16 km, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 124 m; within 80 km, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 347 m.

The land around Zanzibar is covered by water (53%) and artificial surfaces (35%) within 3 km, water (58%) and trees (27%) within 16 km, and water (61%) within 80 km.

3 km
46 m
16 km
124 m
80 km
347 m
treesshrubsgrasslandartificial surfacesbare terrainwatermangroves
August weather nearby: Bagamoyo 45 km · Sokoni 49 km · Nungwi 50 km · Mapinga 51 km · Mvomero 59 km · Magomeni 71 km · Dar es Salaam 74 km · Kibaha 74 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 Zanzibar (-6.1639°, 39.1979°, elevation 14 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. Tropical-cyclone seasons are the published climatological basin seasons (NOAA National Hurricane Center / regional warning centres). Sea temperatures are the NOAA OISST v2.1 1991–2020 monthly climatology (public domain), sampled at the nearest ocean point. 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).