Namibia: Weather

A land of clear blue skies and sunshine Namibia’s climate is the driest in Africa.  With an average of 300 sunny days per annum Namibia is a really great all year round destination. 

Due to its vastness, even by African standards, Namibia can be divided into four distinct topographical regions with slightly differing weather patterns:  The Namib, the central plateau, Kalahari Desert and the high rainfall areas of Kavango and Caprivi.

Winter (May-September)
Temperatures in the interior range from 18°C-25°C during the day. Below freezing temperatures and ground frost are common at night.

Summer (October-April)
Average interior temperatures range from 20°C-34°C during the day. Temperatures above 40°C are often recorded in the extreme north and south of the country. The coast influenced by the cold Benguela current, boasts a relatively stable range of 15°C-25°C. Fog is a characteristic feature at the coast. In the early mornings the southwesterly winds drift the fog inland. It usually extends for about 50km inland for the length of the Namib, but occasionally fog occurs up to 100km inland. The average annual rainfall varies from less than 50mm along the coast to 350mm in the central interior and 700mm in the Caprivi.

November is a highly variable month. Sometimes the hot, dry weather will continue, at other times the sky will fill with clouds and there will be rain.   After the first rains have fallen arid desert areas are a sight to behold as they dramatically transform and become a living tapestry of colour

December to March days will be humid and rain may follow, often in localised, afternoon thunderstorms. These are more common in the centre and east of the country, and more unusual in the desert.  Flash floods may occur when usually dry riverbeds suddenly become saturated after a torrential downpour.  

April, May and June are lovely months in Namibia. Increasingly dry, sunny clear blue skies and with relatively few visitors which makes one truly appreciate the enormous size and beauty of this sparsely populated country

From July to August its cooling down and the nights become cold especially in the desert and central plateau where the temperature can drop to below freezing.  As the landscape dries the better the game viewing becomes as a profusion of animals gather round the waterholes in Etosha to quench their thirst.