Zanzibar weather in November

In November, Zanzibar sees average daytime highs of 29°C and overnight lows near 25°C, with 84 mm of rain across 18 wet days and about 12.3 hours of daylight. It is the 5th-warmest and 5th-wettest month of the year here.

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 29°C through the month. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 44% of the time in November, and the air most often feels oppressive.

Daylight stretches from about 12 h 12 min at the start of November to 12 h 18 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, November is Zanzibar's 4th-clearest and 12th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Zanzibar's year-round climate.

Daytime high
29°
5th warmest
Overnight low
25°
7th coldest
Rainfall
84 mm
18 wet days
Daylight
12 h 18 min
6:00 AM – 6:17 PM
Cloud cover
48%
4th clearest
Wind
10 km/h
12th windiest
Solar energy
5.91 kWh/m²
Travel score
4.5
out of 10

Zanzibar is city in Tanzania.

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

Temperature in November

Average highAverage lowShaded bands: 10–90% of days

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 29°C through the month.

A typical November day in Zanzibar reaches about 29°C in the afternoon and slips back to 25°C overnight — a 4°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 28°C and 30°C. Set against its neighbours, November runs on par with October and on par with December.

20°25°30°35°151015202530
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
12925
22925
32925
42925
52925
62925
72925
82925
92925
102925
112925
122925
132925
142925
152925
162925
172925
182925
192925
202925
212925
222925
232925
242925
252925
262925
272925
282925
292925
303026

How November really feels in Zanzibar

Once humidity and wind are folded in, November averages 30 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
30
heat index over the day's high
Days feeling ≤ C
0
wind chill below the day's low

The story in November is heat — humidity pushes the afternoon "feels like" well above the raw temperature.

Zanzibar weather by month

How November compares with the rest of the year at a glance. November is the 5th-warmest and 5th-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 November

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 44% of the time in November.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 27% of November, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 30%. Skies tend to cloud over as the month goes on.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202530
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
17525
27426
37426
47426
57228
67228
77228
87228
97129
107030
117030
127030
137030
147030
156931
166931
176931
186931
196931
206931
216931
226931
236931
246931
257030
267030
277030
287030
297030
306931

Chance of precipitation in November

Any precipitation

Zanzibar gets around 84 mm of rain over 18 wet days in November. The line is the day-by-day chance of measurable precipitation.

Day to day, the chance of measurable rain averages around 60% and peaks near 71% on the wettest days. The odds climb toward the end of the month.

0%20%40%60%80%151015202530
Rain chance (%)
144
245
346
447
548
649
750
852
953
1054
1155
1257
1358
1459
1561
1662
1763
1864
1965
2066
2167
2268
2368
2469
2570
2670
2770
2871
2971
3071

Humidity in November

DryComfortableHumidMuggyOppressiveMiserable

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

By dew point, November lands in the oppressive band about 79% of days. Sticky, muggy-or-worse air turns up on roughly 100% of them.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202530
Muggy (%)Oppressive (%)Miserable (%)
18884
27894
36895
46895
55896
64906
74897
84888
93889
1038710
1138512
1228513
1328315
1428117
1528018
1627820
1717722
1817524
1917425
2017227
2117128
2217029
2307030
2406931
2506832
2606832
2706733
2806733
2906733
3006733

Wind in November

Winds average 10 km/h in November, the calmest month.

Across November, daily wind ranges from about 10 km/h on the calmest days to 11 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

051015151015202530
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
111calm
211calm
311calm
411calm
511calm
611calm
711calm
811calm
911calm
1011calm
1110calm
1210calm
1310calm
1410calm
1510calm
1610calm
1710calm
1810calm
1910calm
2010calm
2110calm
2210calm
2310calm
2410calm
2510calm
2610calm
2710calm
2810calm
2910calm
3010calm

Sunrise & sunset in November

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 12 h 12 min at the start of November to 12 h 18 min by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days grow by about 6 minutes over November. Sunrise moves from 6:00 AM to 6:03 AM, and sunset from 6:13 PM to 6:22 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202530
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
112.26:006:13
212.26:006:14
312.26:006:14
412.26:006:14
512.26:006:14
612.26:006:14
712.26:006:15
812.36:006:15
912.36:006:15
1012.36:006:15
1112.36:006:16
1212.36:006:16
1312.36:006:16
1412.36:006:16
1512.36:006:17
1612.36:006:17
1712.36:006:17
1812.36:006:18
1912.36:006:18
2012.36:006:18
2112.36:016:19
2212.36:016:19
2312.36:016:20
2412.36:016:20
2512.36:016:20
2612.36:026:21
2712.36:026:21
2812.36:026:22
2912.36:026:22
3012.36:036:22

Solar energy in November

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in November, about 5.91 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 — November's 5.91 kWh/m² falls in the middle.

0246151015202530
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
16.0Bright
26.0Bright
35.9Bright
45.9Bright
55.9Bright
65.9Bright
75.9Bright
85.9Bright
95.9Bright
105.9Bright
115.9Bright
125.9Bright
135.9Bright
145.9Bright
155.9Bright
165.9Bright
175.9Bright
185.9Bright
195.9Bright
205.9Bright
215.9Bright
225.9Bright
235.9Bright
245.9Bright
255.9Bright
265.9Bright
275.9Bright
285.9Bright
295.9Bright
305.9Bright
Planning a trip in November

Hazard calendar for Zanzibar

In seasonPeak

In November, Zanzibar sits inside its cyclone season. The full year is below, with each hazard's peak months called out.

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 November a good time to visit Zanzibar?

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

4.5
Sightseeing
9th-best month of the year
5.9
Beach & pool
8th-best month of the year

November is a reasonable time to visit Zanzibar for sightseeing.

What to pack for Zanzibar in November

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

In November, Zanzibar sees daytime highs around 29°C and nights near 25°C. Pack light clothes and rain gear. Worth having: sun protection. About 18 days see rain.

light clothesrain gearsun protection

Sea temperature near Zanzibar in November

The nearest coast averages about 28°C in November — 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 November

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in November peaks 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 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 November

GoodModeratePoorUnhealthyVery unhealthy

Average fine-particle pollution (PM2.5) through the year — so you can see where November 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
November 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).