Climate and average weather in Gulu
In Gulu, the weather is sweltering, wet, and partly cloudy and remarkably steady, with daytime highs holding near sweltering levels all year. The wettest stretch peaks around August.
Over the course of the year, the temperature in Gulu typically varies from 18°C to 33°C, and is rarely below 17°C or above 36°C. February is the hottest month of the year, while July is the coldest.
Based on the travel score, the best times of year to visit Gulu for warm-weather activities are from late May to late July and early November to late December.
- Hottest
- Feb
- 33°
- Coldest
- Jul
- 18°
- Wettest
- Aug
- 200 mm
- Driest
- Jan
- 18 mm
- Rain / yr
- 1519 mm
- 193 wet days
- Daylight
- 11.8–12.2 h
- shortest–longest
- Elevation
- 1,104 m
- 2.8°N
- Clearest
- Dec
- 57% cloud
Gulu is city in Uganda.
Air quality: WHO Ambient Air Quality Database. Density & description: Wikidata (CC0), GeoNames.
Gulu 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 late May to late July.
Temperature through the year
Daily average highs and lows in Gulu, from 1991–2020 of climate data. The shaded bands show the range most days fall in — 10th to 90th percentile.
Temperatures in Gulu stay fairly even through the year, without a distinct hot or cool season. The warmest month is February, with an average high of 33°C and low of 21°C; the coolest is July, with an average low of 18°C and high of 27°C.
Days typically run about 10°C warmer than nights, with the widest day–night swing (around 12°C) in February.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Avg high (°C) | 32 | 33 | 32 | 29 | 28 | 28 | 27 | 27 | 28 | 29 | 29 | 30 |
| Avg low (°C) | 21 | 21 | 21 | 20 | 20 | 19 | 18 | 18 | 19 | 19 | 19 | 20 |
| Avg high (°C) | Avg low (°C) | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 32 | 21 |
| Feb | 33 | 21 |
| Mar | 32 | 21 |
| Apr | 29 | 20 |
| May | 28 | 20 |
| Jun | 28 | 19 |
| Jul | 27 | 18 |
| Aug | 27 | 18 |
| Sep | 28 | 19 |
| Oct | 29 | 19 |
| Nov | 29 | 19 |
| Dec | 30 | 20 |
How hot and cold Gulu really feels
The felt-temperature range through the year — heat index on the day's high (summer humidity), wind chill on the night's low (winter wind). The dashed lines are the plain thermometer; the gap is how much hotter or colder it really feels.
On the hottest afternoons, once humidity is folded in, Gulu feels like about 33°C (around February 10). About 58 days a year carry some heat stress, peaking in February.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Feels-like high (°C) | 32 | 33 | 32 | 31 | 30 | 29 | 28 | 29 | 29 | 30 | 30 | 30 |
| Air high (°C) | 32 | 33 | 32 | 29 | 28 | 28 | 27 | 27 | 28 | 29 | 29 | 30 |
| Feels-like low (°C) | 21 | 21 | 21 | 20 | 20 | 19 | 18 | 18 | 19 | 19 | 19 | 20 |
| Air low (°C) | 21 | 21 | 21 | 20 | 20 | 19 | 18 | 18 | 19 | 19 | 19 | 20 |
| Feels-like high (°C) | Air high (°C) | Feels-like low (°C) | Air low (°C) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 32 | 32 | 21 | 21 |
| Feb | 33 | 33 | 21 | 21 |
| Mar | 32 | 32 | 21 | 21 |
| Apr | 31 | 29 | 20 | 20 |
| May | 30 | 28 | 20 | 20 |
| Jun | 29 | 28 | 19 | 19 |
| Jul | 28 | 27 | 18 | 18 |
| Aug | 29 | 27 | 18 | 18 |
| Sep | 29 | 28 | 19 | 19 |
| Oct | 30 | 29 | 19 | 19 |
| Nov | 30 | 29 | 19 | 19 |
| Dec | 30 | 30 | 20 | 20 |
Average hourly temperature in Gulu
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 33°C, and coldest before dawn in July, near 18°C.
Gulu weather by month
Every month at a glance. Click a month for its detailed page.
| Month | High / Low (°C) | Rainfall (mm) | Wet days | Daylight (hours) | Travel score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 32° / 21° | 18 | 3.1 | 11.9 | 4.6 |
| Feb | 33° / 21° | 18 | 4.1 | 11.9 | 3.9 |
| Mar | 32° / 21° | 98 | 12.6 | 12 | 3.7 |
| Apr | 29° / 20° | 198 | 22 | 12.1 | 3.7 |
| May | 28° / 20° | 184 | 24.1 | 12.1 | 4.0 |
| Jun | 28° / 19° | 134 | 19.4 | 12.2 | 4.9 |
| Jul | 27° / 18° | 160 | 22.5 | 12.1 | 4.6 |
| Aug | 27° / 18° | 200 | 24.7 | 12.1 | 4.4 |
| Sep | 28° / 19° | 163 | 20.1 | 12 | 4.6 |
| Oct | 29° / 19° | 195 | 21 | 11.9 | 4.3 |
| Nov | 29° / 19° | 121 | 13.9 | 11.9 | 4.8 |
| Dec | 30° / 20° | 30 | 5.3 | 11.8 | 5.3 |
Chance of rain
How likely it is to rain on a typical day, and how that shifts across the wetter and drier seasons.
Gulu gets about 1519 mm of precipitation a year. On a typical day the chance of rain is very wet, but that rises and falls sharply with the seasons.
The wetter season lasts 7.6 months, from around Mar 26 to Nov 10, peaking in May at about 83% chance on a given day. The drier stretch runs the rest of the year, bottoming out around Jan 4.
August is the wettest month by volume, with 200 mm over about 25 wet days; January is the driest, with 18 mm.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rain on a day (%) | 10 | 15 | 41 | 73 | 77 | 66 | 73 | 79 | 67 | 67 | 47 | 17 |
| Rain days | 3 | 4 | 13 | 22 | 24 | 19 | 23 | 25 | 20 | 21 | 14 | 5 |
| Rain on a day (%) | Rain days | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 10 | 3 |
| Feb | 15 | 4 |
| Mar | 41 | 13 |
| Apr | 73 | 22 |
| May | 77 | 24 |
| Jun | 66 | 19 |
| Jul | 73 | 23 |
| Aug | 79 | 25 |
| Sep | 67 | 20 |
| Oct | 67 | 21 |
| Nov | 47 | 14 |
| Dec | 17 | 5 |
Monthly rainfall
Over a full year, Gulu collects about 1519 mm of rain across 193 wet days — roughly 127 mm in an average month.
It doesn’t fall evenly. August is the wettest month with 200 mm, while January is the driest at just 18 mm. The three wettest months alone bring about 39% of the year’s total.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rainfall (mm) | 18 | 18 | 98 | 198 | 184 | 134 | 160 | 200 | 163 | 195 | 121 | 30 |
| Rain days | 3 | 4 | 13 | 22 | 24 | 19 | 23 | 25 | 20 | 21 | 14 | 5 |
| Rainfall (mm) | Rain days | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 18 | 3 |
| Feb | 18 | 4 |
| Mar | 98 | 13 |
| Apr | 198 | 22 |
| May | 184 | 24 |
| Jun | 134 | 19 |
| Jul | 160 | 23 |
| Aug | 200 | 25 |
| Sep | 163 | 20 |
| Oct | 195 | 21 |
| Nov | 121 | 14 |
| Dec | 30 | 5 |
Clouds and sunshine
How often the daytime sky is clear, partly cloudy or overcast.
In Gulu, the average share of the sky covered by clouds shows significant seasonal variation over the course of the year.
The clearer part of the year begins around November 26 and lasts for 3.2 months, ending around March 3. The clearest month is December, when the sky is clear, mostly clear, or partly cloudy 54% of the time on average.
The cloudier part of the year begins around March 4 and lasts for 2.5 months, ending around May 19. The cloudiest month is April, when it is overcast or mostly cloudy 73% of the time.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Clearer (%) | 53 | 49 | 37 | 27 | 39 | 45 | 47 | 47 | 49 | 33 | 39 | 54 |
| Cloudier (%) | 47 | 51 | 63 | 73 | 61 | 55 | 53 | 53 | 51 | 67 | 61 | 46 |
| Clearer (%) | Cloudier (%) | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 53 | 47 |
| Feb | 49 | 51 |
| Mar | 37 | 63 |
| Apr | 27 | 73 |
| May | 39 | 61 |
| Jun | 45 | 55 |
| Jul | 47 | 53 |
| Aug | 47 | 53 |
| Sep | 49 | 51 |
| Oct | 33 | 67 |
| Nov | 39 | 61 |
| Dec | 54 | 46 |
Daylight, sunrise and sunset
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, Gulu barely changes through the year: days stay near 12 h 12 min of light in every season.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Daylight (h) | 11.9 | 11.9 | 12.0 | 12.1 | 12.1 | 12.2 | 12.1 | 12.1 | 12.0 | 11.9 | 11.9 | 11.8 |
| Sunrise (AM) | 7:04 | 7:08 | 7:01 | 6:49 | 6:43 | 6:46 | 6:52 | 6:52 | 6:45 | 6:38 | 6:40 | 6:52 |
| Sunset (PM) | 6:56 | 7:03 | 7:00 | 6:53 | 6:51 | 6:56 | 7:01 | 6:58 | 6:46 | 6:34 | 6:32 | 6:42 |
| Daylight (h) | Sunrise (AM) | Sunset (PM) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 11.9 | 7:04 | 6:56 |
| Feb | 11.9 | 7:08 | 7:03 |
| Mar | 12.0 | 7:01 | 7:00 |
| Apr | 12.1 | 6:49 | 6:53 |
| May | 12.1 | 6:43 | 6:51 |
| Jun | 12.2 | 6:46 | 6:56 |
| Jul | 12.1 | 6:52 | 7:01 |
| Aug | 12.1 | 6:52 | 6:58 |
| Sep | 12.0 | 6:45 | 6:46 |
| Oct | 11.9 | 6:38 | 6:34 |
| Nov | 11.9 | 6:40 | 6:32 |
| Dec | 11.8 | 6:52 | 6:42 |
Sunny days
How many genuinely sunny days each month brings — days the sky stays clear or mostly clear — banded into plain-language zones.
Gulu averages about 6 sunny days a month — counting the days the sky stays clear or mostly clear — with a clear seasonal swing between 2 and 10 days.
The sunnier stretch runs 3.7 months, from around Nov 22 to Mar 14. The sunniest month is December, with roughly 9 sunny days (mixed).
The greyest month is April, down near 3 sunny days — about 67% fewer than the December peak.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sunny days | 9 | 7 | 6 | 3 | 5 | 7 | 6 | 6 | 7 | 4 | 6 | 9 |
| Sky | Mixed | Gloomy | Gloomy | Gloomy | Gloomy | Gloomy | Gloomy | Gloomy | Gloomy | Gloomy | Gloomy | Mixed |
| Sunny days | Sky | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 9 | Mixed |
| Feb | 7 | Gloomy |
| Mar | 6 | Gloomy |
| Apr | 3 | Gloomy |
| May | 5 | Gloomy |
| Jun | 7 | Gloomy |
| Jul | 6 | Gloomy |
| Aug | 6 | Gloomy |
| Sep | 7 | Gloomy |
| Oct | 4 | Gloomy |
| Nov | 6 | Gloomy |
| Dec | 9 | Mixed |
Humidity comfort
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 Gulu, how humid it feels changes dramatically over the year.
The more humid part of the year lasts 8.0 months, from around March 25 to November 22. The muggiest month is April, when the air feels humid, muggy or worse about 95% of the time.
The most comfortable stretch runs from around November 23 to March 24, and February is the most comfortable month — the air is dry or comfortable 71% of the time.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dry (%) | 49 | 47 | 17 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 24 |
| Comfortable (%) | 25 | 24 | 17 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 11 | 28 |
| Humid (%) | 22 | 23 | 32 | 11 | 5 | 21 | 40 | 26 | 24 | 25 | 38 | 35 |
| Muggy (%) | 3 | 6 | 33 | 85 | 95 | 79 | 59 | 73 | 75 | 73 | 48 | 12 |
| Dry (%) | Comfortable (%) | Humid (%) | Muggy (%) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 49 | 25 | 22 | 3 |
| Feb | 47 | 24 | 23 | 6 |
| Mar | 17 | 17 | 32 | 33 |
| Apr | 1 | 4 | 11 | 85 |
| May | 0 | 0 | 5 | 95 |
| Jun | 0 | 0 | 21 | 79 |
| Jul | 0 | 1 | 40 | 59 |
| Aug | 0 | 0 | 26 | 73 |
| Sep | 0 | 1 | 24 | 75 |
| Oct | 0 | 2 | 25 | 73 |
| Nov | 3 | 11 | 38 | 48 |
| Dec | 24 | 28 | 35 | 12 |
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 Gulu is typically calm, near 6 km/h, and varies little with the seasons.
The windier part of the year lasts 5.1 months, from around Nov 18 to Apr 21. The windiest month is February, averaging about 9 km/h (calm).
The calmer part of the year runs from around Apr 22 to Nov 17, with July the calmest month at about 5 km/h.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wind speed (km/h) | 9 | 9 | 8 | 7 | 6 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 6 | 6 | 8 |
| Feels | calm | calm | calm | calm | calm | calm | calm | calm | calm | calm | calm | calm |
| Wind speed (km/h) | Feels | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 9 | calm |
| Feb | 9 | calm |
| Mar | 8 | calm |
| Apr | 7 | calm |
| May | 6 | calm |
| Jun | 5 | calm |
| Jul | 5 | calm |
| Aug | 5 | calm |
| Sep | 5 | calm |
| Oct | 6 | calm |
| Nov | 6 | calm |
| Dec | 8 | calm |
Best time to visit Gulu
To characterize how pleasant the weather is in Gulu throughout the year, we compute two travel scores — one for general sightseeing, one for beach and pool weather.
Around mid July, Gulu 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 times of year to visit Gulu for general outdoor tourist activities run from late May to early October and again from late October to late January, with a peak score in the second week of December.
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).
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Travel score (0–10) | 4.6 | 3.9 | 3.7 | 3.7 | 4.1 | 4.9 | 4.6 | 4.4 | 4.6 | 4.3 | 4.8 | 5.3 |
| Rating | fair | fair | fair | fair | fair | fair | fair | fair | fair | fair | fair | fair |
| Travel score (0–10) | Rating | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 4.6 | fair |
| Feb | 3.9 | fair |
| Mar | 3.7 | fair |
| Apr | 3.7 | fair |
| May | 4.1 | fair |
| Jun | 4.9 | fair |
| Jul | 4.6 | fair |
| Aug | 4.4 | fair |
| Sep | 4.6 | fair |
| Oct | 4.3 | fair |
| Nov | 4.8 | fair |
| Dec | 5.3 | fair |
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 Gulu for hot-weather activities is from mid November to mid March, with a peak score in the last week of December.
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 Gulu, by month
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.
Gulu packs about the same all year — highs hold near 33°C. Across the year the things worth having are light clothes, sun protection and rain gear.
In February, Gulu sees daytime highs around 33°C and nights near 21°C. Pack light clothes and sun protection. About 4 days see rain.
UV index (midday) in Gulu by month
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 Gulu peaks around March 15 at about 15 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near June 21 at about 10 (extreme).
The index reaches 3 or more — the level where the WHO recommends sun protection — every month of the year.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| UV index (midday) | 12 | 14 | 16 | 14 | 12 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 11 | 11 |
| Level | Extreme | Extreme | Extreme | Extreme | Extreme | Extreme | Extreme | Extreme | Extreme | Extreme | Extreme | Extreme |
| UV index (midday) | Level | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 12 | Extreme |
| Feb | 14 | Extreme |
| Mar | 16 | Extreme |
| Apr | 14 | Extreme |
| May | 12 | Extreme |
| Jun | 10 | Extreme |
| Jul | 11 | Extreme |
| Aug | 12 | Extreme |
| Sep | 13 | Extreme |
| Oct | 14 | Extreme |
| Nov | 11 | Extreme |
| Dec | 11 | Extreme |
Average hourly UV index in Gulu
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.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| UV ≥ 3 (h/day) | 8 | 8 | 8.5 | 8 | 8 | 7.5 | 7.5 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 7.5 | 7.5 |
| UV ≥ 6 (h/day) | 6 | 6.5 | 7 | 6.5 | 6 | 5.5 | 5.5 | 6 | 6.5 | 6 | 5.5 | 5.5 |
| UV ≥ 3 (h/day) | UV ≥ 6 (h/day) | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 8 | 6 |
| Feb | 8 | 6.5 |
| Mar | 8.5 | 7 |
| Apr | 8 | 6.5 |
| May | 8 | 6 |
| Jun | 7.5 | 5.5 |
| Jul | 7.5 | 5.5 |
| Aug | 8 | 6 |
| Sep | 8 | 6.5 |
| Oct | 8 | 6 |
| Nov | 7.5 | 5.5 |
| Dec | 7.5 | 5.5 |
Air quality in Gulu by month
Average fine-particle pollution (PM2.5) through the year — so you can see which months the air is worst, not just the yearly average.
Air quality in Gulu is worst in January — around 108 µg/m³ PM2.5 (unhealthy), about 7.7× the cleanest month (April, 14 µg/m³).
Modeled monthly averages (CAMS reanalysis, 2015–2024).
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PM2.5 (µg/m³) | 108 | 51 | 19 | 14 | 16 | 24 | 25 | 20 | 17 | 17 | 25 | 66 |
| Level | Unhealthy | Poor | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Unhealthy |
| PM2.5 (µg/m³) | Level | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 108 | Unhealthy |
| Feb | 51 | Poor |
| Mar | 19 | Moderate |
| Apr | 14 | Moderate |
| May | 16 | Moderate |
| Jun | 24 | Moderate |
| Jul | 25 | Moderate |
| Aug | 20 | Moderate |
| Sep | 17 | Moderate |
| Oct | 17 | Moderate |
| Nov | 25 | Moderate |
| Dec | 66 | Unhealthy |
Growing season
Gulu is frost-free year round — even the coldest nights rarely reach freezing, so there is no start or end to the growing season.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Frost-free chance (%) | 100 | 100 | 100 | 100 | 100 | 100 | 100 | 100 | 100 | 100 | 100 | 100 |
| Frost nights | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Frost-free chance (%) | Frost nights | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 100 | 0 |
| Feb | 100 | 0 |
| Mar | 100 | 0 |
| Apr | 100 | 0 |
| May | 100 | 0 |
| Jun | 100 | 0 |
| Jul | 100 | 0 |
| Aug | 100 | 0 |
| Sep | 100 | 0 |
| Oct | 100 | 0 |
| Nov | 100 | 0 |
| Dec | 100 | 0 |
Growing degree days
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. Gulu banks about 5,280 degree days a year, and the running total — which growers use to time plantings and predict maturity — climbs fastest around February.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Growing degree days (°C·days) | 504 | 481 | 512 | 441 | 430 | 399 | 396 | 399 | 402 | 427 | 423 | 465 |
| Growing degree days (°C·days) | |
|---|---|
| Jan | 504 |
| Feb | 481 |
| Mar | 512 |
| Apr | 441 |
| May | 430 |
| Jun | 399 |
| Jul | 396 |
| Aug | 399 |
| Sep | 402 |
| Oct | 427 |
| Nov | 423 |
| Dec | 465 |
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.
Gulu receives about 5.8 kWh/m² a day of solar energy — bright — and it stays remarkably steady, holding between 5.3 and 6.2 kWh/m² all year. For solar panels, output here is a flat line, not a seasonal wave.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Solar energy (kWh/m²) | 6.0 | 6.2 | 6.1 | 5.8 | 5.6 | 5.3 | 5.3 | 5.6 | 6.1 | 5.9 | 5.8 | 5.8 |
| Level | Bright | Intense | Intense | Bright | Bright | Bright | Bright | Bright | Intense | Bright | Bright | Bright |
| Solar energy (kWh/m²) | Level | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 6.0 | Bright |
| Feb | 6.2 | Intense |
| Mar | 6.1 | Intense |
| Apr | 5.8 | Bright |
| May | 5.6 | Bright |
| Jun | 5.3 | Bright |
| Jul | 5.3 | Bright |
| Aug | 5.6 | Bright |
| Sep | 6.1 | Intense |
| Oct | 5.9 | Bright |
| Nov | 5.8 | Bright |
| Dec | 5.8 | Bright |
Where is Gulu?
Gulu sits at 2.8°N, 32.3°E, 1,104 m above sea level, in Uganda. The nearest listed city is Opit, 27 km away.
Topography around Gulu
How much the land rises and falls, and what covers it, within 3, 16 and 80 km of Gulu.
Within 3 km, the terrain around Gulu has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 89 m around an average of 1,096 m above sea level; within 16 km, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 209 m; within 80 km, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 751 m.
The land around Gulu is covered by trees (32%), artificial surfaces (32%) and shrubs (20%) within 3 km, shrubs (32%), cropland (29%) and grassland (21%) within 16 km, and grassland (39%) and cropland (27%) within 80 km.
Uganda travel facts
- Travel advisory
- Level 4
- Do Not Travel
- Power plugs
- Type G
- 240 V · 50 Hz
- Prices
- ≈ 35% of US
- price level, 2025
- GDP per capita
- $1,206
- 2025
- Happiness
- 4.5 / 10
- World Happiness, 2025
- Safe drinking water
- 18%
- of population, 2024
- Homicide rate
- 9
- per 100k, 2023
- Road deaths
- 29.4
- per 100k/yr, 2019
- Income group
- Low
- World Bank
- English
- Moderate
- EF EPI 518
- Religion
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 Gulu (2.7746°, 32.299°, elevation 1,104 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. 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).