Burundi
Weather locations in Burundi
Choose a location in Burundi to view its available forecast products.
Burundi illustrated weather map
2 mapped locations
Only locations with a verified coordinate are marked. The complete location list is below.
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Climate of Burundi
Country climate guideBurundi is one of the smallest countries in Africa and entirely landlocked, but it spans a wide range of altitude, from roughly 770 metres where the country meets Lake Tanganyika to more than 2,700 metres in the western highlands. It sits just south of the equator, so seasonal temperature differences are small and the year is organised mainly by rainfall. Bujumbura, the largest city on the lakeshore, averages about 26 °C in January and around 24 °C in July.
Main climate types
Most of the country has a tropical highland climate, cool at altitude and warm on the lake plain, with no true desert and no permanent snow. Rain falls in two seasons: a long one from February or March to May, and a shorter one from late September to November, separated by the dry period from June to September and a shorter break around December and January.
Temperatures
Monthly means vary much less than rainfall. On the lake plain at Bujumbura the range is only about 2 °C between the warmest and coldest month, both near 25 °C, while the western highlands, Gitega for example, sit around 18 °C to 20 °C with cooler nights. Because latitude is equatorial, the warmest month is usually September or October, at the end of the dry spell, rather than midsummer.
Rainfall
Annual rainfall is roughly 1,000 to 1,300 millimetres, arriving as heavy afternoon showers rather than long drizzle. The long rains of February to May are the most important for agriculture and can be intense, occasionally flooding the low-lying lake areas. Humidity is high for most of the year, and mist and low cloud are common in the highlands at sunrise during the rainy seasons.
When to go
The dry months of June to September are the clearest and driest, and the best time for the lakeshore and the western highlands; the short rains in October and November can be heavy. Travellers preferring warm, less humid weather should aim for the dry season, while those seeking green scenery may prefer the shoulder months around December or early February.