Zanzibar weather in October

In October, Zanzibar sees average daytime highs of 29°C and overnight lows near 24°C, with 52 mm of rain across 9.8 wet days and about 12.1 hours of daylight. It is the 7th-warmest and 6th-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 61% of the time in October, and the air most often feels oppressive.

Daylight stretches from about 12 h 06 min at the start of October to 12 h 12 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, October is Zanzibar's 2nd-clearest and 10th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Zanzibar's year-round climate.

Daytime high
29°
7th warmest
Overnight low
24°
5th coldest
Rainfall
52 mm
9.8 wet days
Daylight
12 h 06 min
6:04 AM – 6:12 PM
Cloud cover
40%
2nd clearest
Wind
12 km/h
10th windiest
Solar energy
6.05 kWh/m²
Travel score
5.9
out of 10

Zanzibar is city in Tanzania.

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

Temperature in October

Average highAverage lowShaded bands: 10–90% of days

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

A typical October day in Zanzibar reaches about 29°C in the afternoon and slips back to 24°C overnight — a 5°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, October runs on par with September and on par with November.

20°25°30°35°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
12924
22924
32924
42924
52924
62924
72924
82924
92924
102924
112924
122924
132924
142924
152924
162924
172924
182924
192924
202924
212924
222924
232924
242924
252924
262924
272925
282925
292925
302925
312925

How October really feels in Zanzibar

Once humidity and wind are folded in, October averages 11 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
11
heat index over the day's high
Days feeling ≤ C
0
wind chill below the day's low

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

Zanzibar weather by month

How October compares with the rest of the year at a glance. October is the 7th-warmest and 6th-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 October

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 61% of the time in October.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 22% of October, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 17%. Skies tend to cloud over as the month goes on.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
18812
28812
38812
48812
58713
68713
78713
88614
98614
108614
118515
128515
138416
148416
158317
168317
178317
188218
198218
208218
218119
228119
238020
248020
257921
267921
277822
287723
297723
307624
317525

Chance of precipitation in October

Any precipitation

Zanzibar gets around 52 mm of rain over 9.8 wet days in October. The line is the day-by-day chance of measurable precipitation.

Day to day, the chance of measurable rain averages around 32% and peaks near 43% on the wettest days. The odds climb toward the end of the month.

0%10%20%30%40%50%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
122
223
323
424
524
625
725
826
926
1027
1128
1229
1329
1430
1531
1631
1732
1833
1933
2034
2135
2236
2337
2437
2538
2639
2740
2840
2941
3042
3143

Humidity in October

DryComfortableHumidMuggyOppressiveMiserable

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

By dew point, October lands in the oppressive band about 74% of days. Sticky, muggy-or-worse air turns up on roughly 100% of them.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Muggy (%)Oppressive (%)Miserable (%)
144560
242580
341590
439610
537630
636640
735650
834660
932680
1031690
1130700
1229710
1328720
1427730
1526740
1625741
1724751
1823761
1922771
2021781
2119801
2218802
2317812
2416822
2514833
2613843
2712853
2811863
2910873
309874
319874

Wind in October

Winds average 12 km/h in October.

Across October, daily wind ranges from about 11 km/h on the calmest days to 13 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

051015151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
113light breeze
213light breeze
313light breeze
413light breeze
513light breeze
613light breeze
713light breeze
813light breeze
913light breeze
1013light breeze
1113light breeze
1213light breeze
1313light breeze
1412light breeze
1512light breeze
1612light breeze
1712light breeze
1812light breeze
1912light breeze
2012calm
2112calm
2212calm
2312calm
2412calm
2512calm
2611calm
2711calm
2811calm
2911calm
3011calm
3111calm

Sunrise & sunset in October

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 12 h 06 min at the start of October to 12 h 12 min by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days grow by about 6 minutes over October. Sunrise moves from 6:11 AM to 6:00 AM, and sunset from 6:14 PM to 6:13 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
112.16:116:14
212.16:106:14
312.16:106:14
412.16:096:13
512.16:096:13
612.16:086:13
712.16:086:13
812.16:076:13
912.16:076:13
1012.16:066:13
1112.16:066:13
1212.16:066:13
1312.16:056:13
1412.16:056:12
1512.16:046:12
1612.16:046:12
1712.16:046:12
1812.16:036:12
1912.26:036:12
2012.26:036:12
2112.26:026:12
2212.26:026:12
2312.26:026:12
2412.26:026:13
2512.26:016:13
2612.26:016:13
2712.26:016:13
2812.26:016:13
2912.26:016:13
3012.26:006:13
3112.26:006:13

Solar energy in October

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in October, about 6.05 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 — October's 6.05 kWh/m² sits near the top of that range.

0246151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
16.0Intense
26.0Intense
36.0Intense
46.0Intense
56.0Intense
66.0Intense
76.0Intense
86.0Intense
96.1Intense
106.1Intense
116.1Intense
126.1Intense
136.1Intense
146.1Intense
156.1Intense
166.1Intense
176.0Intense
186.0Intense
196.0Intense
206.0Intense
216.0Intense
226.0Intense
236.0Intense
246.0Intense
256.0Intense
266.0Intense
276.0Intense
286.0Bright
296.0Bright
306.0Bright
316.0Bright
Planning a trip in October

Hazard calendar for Zanzibar

In seasonPeak

None of Zanzibar's seasonal hazards are active in October. 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 October a good time to visit Zanzibar?

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

5.9
Sightseeing
5th-best month of the year
7.4
Beach & pool
3rd-best month of the year

October is a reasonable time to visit Zanzibar for sightseeing. The water and warmth also suit a beach or pool day.

What to pack for Zanzibar in October

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

In October, Zanzibar sees daytime highs around 29°C and nights near 24°C. Pack light clothes and sun protection. Worth having: rain gear. About 10 days see rain.

light clothessun protectionrain gear

Sea temperature near Zanzibar in October

The nearest coast averages about 27°C in October — 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 October

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in October peaks around 13 (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 October

GoodModeratePoorUnhealthyVery unhealthy

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