Weather locations in Botswana

Botswana is a landlocked country of high, flat plateau in southern Africa, standing mostly between about 900 and 1,300 metres above sea level and stretching from the Kalahari sands in the south to the Okavango Delta in the north. Two influences shape the weather: summer rains carried north by tropical air masses, and long, dry, cloudless winters under subsiding air. The result is a semi-arid to arid climate with a rainy season confined to the warm months and a very clear, cool dry season in the cold months.

Main climate types

Almost all of the country falls into the steppe and desert groups of the Köppen classification, hot in summer and cool in winter, with enough rain in the north-west to support permanent swamp and woodland. The Chobe district and the Okavango floodplain in the far north are the wettest parts, and the raised land around Maun and the eastern escarpment receive somewhat more than the Kalahari sand veld.

Temperatures

Gaborone averages about 24 °C in January and about 16 °C in July, the coldest month, but seasonal swings in the interior are wide. Summer days on the plateau often reach the high 30s °C, while clear winter mornings can fall below 5 °C. Light frost touches the Kalahari on the coldest nights of the dry season, and snow has never been recorded at low altitude.

Rainfall

Annual totals are modest and highly variable, roughly 350 mm to 500 mm across most of the Kalahari and about 550 mm at Gaborone, rising to around 650 mm to 750 mm in the far north around Chobe. Almost all of it falls between November and March, usually as thundershowers, and drought years with far less rain are a normal part of the climate. In the driest wetlands the surface water can shrink considerably between seasons.

When to go

The dry months from about May to August, when the air is clear and the nights are crisp, are the best for wildlife viewing, especially around the delta and Chobe. The rainy season brings greener country and fewer people but also mud and road closures.