Gulu in Winter
In winter (December, January and February), Gulu sees average daytime highs around 32°C and overnight lows near 21°C, with 67 mm of rain over about 13 wet days across the season. It is the warmest season of the year and the driest season of the year.
Over the season highs climb from about 30°C in early December to 33°C by late February. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 29% of the time across winter, and the air most often feels dry.
Winter is Gulu's 2nd-best season to visit on our travel score. For the whole year in context, see Gulu's year-round climate.
- Avg daytime high
- 32°C
- warmest season of the year
- Avg overnight low
- 21°C
- Rainfall
- 67 mm
- 13 wet days
- Avg wind
- 8 km/h
- Travel score
- 4.6
- 2nd-best season
- Months
- Dec · Jan · Feb
Temperature in Gulu in Winter
Over the season highs climb from about 30°C in early December to 33°C by late February.
A typical winter day in Gulu reaches about 32°C and drops to 21°C overnight. The warmest of the three months is February, the coolest December.
How winter really feels in Gulu
Once humidity and wind are folded in, winter brings about 42 days that feel above 32°C and 0 that feel at or below 0°C.
The story in winter is heat — humidity pushes the afternoon "feels like" well above the raw temperature.
Gulu weather by month
How the three winter months (December, January and February) compare with the rest of the year — the season's months are highlighted.
| 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 |
Cloud cover in Winter
The sky is clear or mostly clear about 29% of the time across winter.
Chance of precipitation in Winter
Gulu gets around 67 mm of rain over 13 wet days across winter. The line is the day-by-day chance of measurable precipitation.
Humidity in Winter
Most of winter feels dry — the stacked bands show each day's mix of comfort levels, read off the dew point.
Wind in Winter
Winds average 8 km/h across winter.
Sunrise & sunset in Winter
Daylight runs from about 11 h 54 min in early December to 11 h 54 min by late February. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.
Solar energy in Winter
Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day across winter, about 6.0 kWh/m².
Is winter a good time to visit Gulu?
Our two travel scores rate winter for general sightseeing and for beach or pool weather — 0 (poor) to 10 (ideal), averaged across the three months.
winter is a reasonable time to visit Gulu for sightseeing. The water and warmth also suit a beach or pool day.
What to pack for Gulu in Winter
From winter's temperature range, rain chance, sun and wind — what's worth putting in the bag.
In winter, Gulu sees daytime highs around 32°C and nights near 21°C. Pack light clothes and sun protection. About 13 days see rain.
UV index in Gulu in Winter
Clear-sky midday UV across winter averages 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 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 |
Air quality in Gulu in Winter
Average fine-particle pollution (PM2.5) through the year — so you can see where winter falls, not just the annual 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 |
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.