Best time to visit Addis Ababa
The best time to visit Addis Ababa is October–March, judged on twenty years of weather records and the events worth going for.
Addis Ababa, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
°C
mm
- Average daily high and low
- Precipitation
- Good month
- Best month
- Made good or best by an event
| Month | Average daily high | Average daily low | Precipitation | Verdict |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 23.2 °C / 74 °F | 8.4 °C / 47 °F | 7 mm / 0.3 in | best month |
| February | 24.2 °C / 76 °F | 9.8 °C / 50 °F | 18 mm / 0.7 in | best month |
| March | 24.7 °C / 76 °F | 11.3 °C / 52 °F | 63 mm / 2.5 in | best month |
| April | 24.1 °C / 75 °F | 12 °C / 54 °F | 133 mm / 5.2 in | good month |
| May | 23.6 °C / 74 °F | 12 °C / 54 °F | 196 mm / 7.7 in | neither best nor good |
| June | 22 °C / 72 °F | 11.5 °C / 53 °F | 258 mm / 10.1 in | neither best nor good |
| July | 19.9 °C / 68 °F | 11.7 °C / 53 °F | 387 mm / 15.2 in | neither best nor good |
| August | 19.7 °C / 67 °F | 11.6 °C / 53 °F | 400 mm / 15.7 in | neither best nor good |
| September | 20.3 °C / 69 °F | 11.1 °C / 52 °F | 288 mm / 11.3 in | neither best nor good |
| October | 21.8 °C / 71 °F | 9.3 °C / 49 °F | 52 mm / 2 in | best month |
| November | 22.5 °C / 73 °F | 8.5 °C / 47 °F | 11 mm / 0.4 in | best month |
| December | 22.5 °C / 73 °F | 7.8 °C / 46 °F | 5 mm / 0.2 in | best month |
Good and best months depend on more than temperature, rain and events. How they are chosen
Each activity on this page has its own good and best months, rated on twenty years of daily weather records. Which measures count, and how much, depends on the activity: humidity for exploring outdoors, wind for the beach, hiking and skiing, snow for skiing alone. Between them, the activities are rated on:
- Daytime highs
- Night-time lows
- How warm it feels
- Humidity
- How much of the day is sunny
- Hours of daylight
- Monthly rainfall
- How many days it rains
- Days of heavy rain
- Wind
- Snowfall and days with snow
- Major events, such as festivals
The chart shows the good and best months for exploring outdoors.
The event icon marks a month that an event lifts to good or best, such as a festival or a natural spectacle. Choose “Weather only” in the toolbar to rate the months on weather alone.
Best months by activity
Exploring outdoors
Mild days and nights, mostly dry and bright. The default for 'when should I go'.
- JJanuary: best
- FFebruary: best
- MMarch: best
- AApril: good
- MMay: neither
- JJune: neither
- JJuly: neither
- AAugust: neither
- SSeptember: neither
- OOctober: best
- NNovember: best
- DDecember: best
- Best
- October–March
- Good
- April
Addis Ababa's altitude keeps highs mild all year, and the dry season from October through February is best for exploring outdoors. The kiremt rains from June through September bring heavy, mostly afternoon downpours, high humidity and duller skies that make walking around unrewarding, while the lighter belg rains of March-May are a fair-to-good shoulder season.
Why these months
January · best
In its favour: feels like (high) 22.2 °C / 72 °F, average daily high 23.2 °C / 74 °F, precipitation 7 mm / 0.3 in, share of daylight that is sunny 94%, wet days 1.4 days, days with heavy rain 0.1 days, relative humidity 55%, average daily low 8.4 °C / 47 °F.
Also on: Timkat at Jan Meda Race Ground.
February · best
In its favour: feels like (high) 23.4 °C / 74 °F, average daily high 24.2 °C / 76 °F, precipitation 18 mm / 0.7 in, share of daylight that is sunny 93%, wet days 4 days, days with heavy rain 0.2 days, relative humidity 52%, average daily low 9.8 °C / 50 °F.
March · best
In its favour: feels like (high) 24.2 °C / 76 °F, average daily high 24.7 °C / 76 °F, share of daylight that is sunny 91%, precipitation 63 mm / 2.5 in, average daily low 11.3 °C / 52 °F, relative humidity 53%.
Against: wet days 9.3 days, days with heavy rain 1.8 days.
April · good
In its favour: feels like (high) 24.2 °C / 76 °F, average daily high 24.1 °C / 75 °F, share of daylight that is sunny 90%, average daily low 12 °C / 54 °F, relative humidity 63%.
Against: wet days 13.9 days, days with heavy rain 5 days, precipitation 133 mm / 5.2 in.
October · best
In its favour: feels like (high) 21.5 °C / 71 °F, average daily high 21.8 °C / 71 °F, precipitation 52 mm / 2 in, share of daylight that is sunny 96%, relative humidity 65%, average daily low 9.3 °C / 49 °F.
Against: days with heavy rain 1.6 days, wet days 6 days.
November · best
In its favour: feels like (high) 21.6 °C / 71 °F, average daily high 22.5 °C / 73 °F, precipitation 11 mm / 0.4 in, share of daylight that is sunny 97%, wet days 2 days, days with heavy rain 0.3 days, relative humidity 58%, average daily low 8.5 °C / 47 °F.
December · best
In its favour: feels like (high) 21.4 °C / 71 °F, average daily high 22.5 °C / 73 °F, precipitation 5 mm / 0.2 in, share of daylight that is sunny 94%, wet days 1 days, days with heavy rain 0.1 days, relative humidity 57%, average daily low 7.8 °C / 46 °F.
An activity is listed only where it applies: skiing at ski destinations, beach and swimming at beach destinations. The nearest ski area is אתר סקי הר החרמון, Mount Hermon ski resort, Centro de esquí Monte Hermón, 2717 km away.
Weather averages
Monthly averages over twenty years, 2006–2025. Highs, lows and precipitation are in the chart at the top.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Feels like (high) | 22.2 °C | 23.4 °C | 24.2 °C | 24.2 °C | 23.7 °C | 22.9 °C | 21.3 °C | 21.4 °C | 22.1 °C | 21.5 °C | 21.6 °C | 21.4 °C |
| Days with heavy rain | 0.1 days | 0.2 days | 1.8 days | 5 days | 7.5 days | 11.5 days | 19.2 days | 19.4 days | 11.8 days | 1.6 days | 0.3 days | 0.1 days |
| Time rain usually falls | 5 pm | 5 pm | 5 pm | 4 pm | 4 pm | 5 pm | 4 pm | 4 pm | 4 pm | 3 pm | 3 pm | 4 pm |
| Sunshine per day | 11 h | 11 h | 11 h | 11.1 h | 11 h | 10.2 h | 9.1 h | 9.5 h | 10.6 h | 11.4 h | 11.3 h | 11 h |
| Relative humidity | 55% | 52% | 53% | 63% | 67% | 78% | 87% | 88% | 84% | 65% | 58% | 57% |
Air quality
Averaged over a shorter period (2022–2025) than the twenty-year averages above, and not counted towards good or best months.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Air pollution (PM2.5) 2022–2025 | 16.8 µg/m³ | 13.9 µg/m³ | 17.2 µg/m³ | 16.4 µg/m³ | 19.6 µg/m³ | 26.2 µg/m³ | 18.4 µg/m³ | 14.7 µg/m³ | 21 µg/m³ | 17.4 µg/m³ | 14.8 µg/m³ | 18.6 µg/m³ |
| Air pollution (PM2.5, daily peak) 2022–2025 | 26.2 µg/m³ | 21.5 µg/m³ | 27.1 µg/m³ | 26.2 µg/m³ | 29.6 µg/m³ | 39 µg/m³ | 29.1 µg/m³ | 26.2 µg/m³ | 32.3 µg/m³ | 27.6 µg/m³ | 25.2 µg/m³ | 31.1 µg/m³ |
- Good 15 µg/m³ or less
- Fair 15 to 25 µg/m³
- Moderate 25 to 37.5 µg/m³
- Poor 37.5 to 50 µg/m³
- Very poor 50 to 75 µg/m³
- Extremely poor over 75 µg/m³
Each figure is compared with the World Health Organization's guideline for a day's air, 15 µg/m³ or less, and with its interim targets above that. The words are ours: the WHO does not name its steps. The figures are modelled monthly averages, so single days can be well above them. The daily peak is the average of each day's highest hour, shaded on the same scale.
Events and seasons
What the weather records cannot show. A major event can lift a month to good or best. The warnings are there to help you plan, and never count against a month.
Reasons to go
- Timkat at Jan Meda Race Ground
19 January