Djibouti (city) - Geography and Climate

Geography and Climate

Djibouti City is a seaport, with the only sheltered harbour on the western side of the Gulf of Aden. The landscape around the city, along with Djibouti's coastal lowlands, is desert or semi-desert. The town's sandy beaches are reported by travelers as among the most beautiful.

Djibouti is generally very hot and dry throughout the course of the year. Featuring an arid climate, the city sees on average 131 mm (5.16 in) of rainfall per year. Temperatures range from very warm during the months of December, January and February to extremely hot in July. In the summer months, temperatures routinely exceed 40 °C (104 °F), with oppressive humidity adding to the uncomfortable conditions.

Sunshine is abundant in the city, averaging eight to ten hours a day year-round. It is lowest during the wet season, when there is some coastal fog and greater cloud coverage as warm air passes over the cool sea surface.

Climate data for Djibouti City
Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year
Record high °C (°F) 34
(93)
34
(93)
37
(99)
38
(100)
44
(111)
47
(117)
47
(117)
47
(117)
44
(111)
39
(102)
36
(97)
34
(93)
47
(117)
Average high °C (°F) 28.7
(83.7)
29.0
(84.2)
30.2
(86.4)
32.0
(89.6)
34.9
(94.8)
39.0
(102.2)
41.7
(107.1)
41.2
(106.2)
37.2
(99.0)
33.1
(91.6)
30.8
(87.4)
29.3
(84.7)
33.93
(93.07)
Daily mean °C (°F) 25.1
(77.2)
25.7
(78.3)
27.0
(80.6)
28.7
(83.7)
31.0
(87.8)
34.2
(93.6)
36.4
(97.5)
36.0
(96.8)
33.1
(91.6)
29.3
(84.7)
26.9
(80.4)
25.4
(77.7)
29.90
(85.82)
Average low °C (°F) 21.5
(70.7)
22.5
(72.5)
23.8
(74.8)
25.4
(77.7)
27.0
(80.6)
29.3
(84.7)
31.1
(88.0)
30.6
(87.1)
28.9
(84.0)
25.6
(78.1)
23.1
(73.6)
21.6
(70.9)
25.87
(78.56)
Record low °C (°F) 19
(66)
18
(64)
21
(70)
21
(70)
21
(70)
23
(73)
22
(72)
22
(72)
23
(73)
21
(70)
18
(64)
17
(63)
17
(63)
Rainfall mm (inches) 10.0
(0.394)
18.8
(0.74)
20.3
(0.799)
28.9
(1.138)
16.7
(0.657)
0.1
(0.004)
6.2
(0.244)
5.6
(0.22)
3.1
(0.122)
20.2
(0.795)
22.4
(0.882)
11.2
(0.441)
163.5
(6.437)
Avg. rainy days 3 2 2 1 1 0 1 1 1 1 2 2 17
Mean monthly sunshine hours 244.9 220.4 263.5 273.0 316.2 282.0 260.4 275.9 279.0 297.6 285.0 272.8 3,270.7
Source #1: Hong Kong Observatory
Source #2: BBC Weather
Average sea temperature
Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec
26 26 27 28 29 30 31 30 30 29 28 27

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