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Kinshasa, the capital of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, sits on the south bank of the Congo River in the west of the country, about 300 metres above sea level and around 4 degrees south of the equator, at approximately -4.32°S, 15.30°E. Across the river lies Brazzaville, capital of the neighbouring Republic of the Congo. Kinshasa has a tropical wet-and-dry climate (Köppen Aw) — hot and humid — with a long rainy season and a cooler dry season.
There is little seasonal change in temperature: it is hot and humid for most of the year, with daytime highs around 30–32°C and warm, muggy nights. The rainy season, from October to May, is the hottest and most humid time, with two rainfall peaks around March–April and November–December when heavy afternoon thunderstorms are frequent; from mid-August the heat builds again before the rains return. Being south of the equator, its seasons are reversed relative to the Northern Hemisphere.
The dry season, from June to September — the austral winter — is the coolest and most comfortable time, with slightly lower temperatures, little or no rain and lower humidity, though skies are often grey and hazy rather than sunny. Highs ease to around 27–28°C and nights are pleasantly cooler. This dry, milder stretch is comfortably the best time of year.
Kinshasa receives on the order of 1,400 mm of rain a year, concentrated in the rainy season from October to May, with two peaks around April and November corresponding to the sun's overhead passages, while June to August is almost completely dry. Sunshine is limited year-round, averaging only four to five hours a day. Live rainfall, humidity, and pressure readings for the city are shown in the panels above.
Kinshasa's weather follows the classic tropical rhythm of a long, hot, humid rainy season and a cooler, drier winter, its two rainfall peaks tied to the sun passing overhead in spring and autumn. Heavy downpours in the rainy season can cause serious flooding and erosion in the sprawling, low-lying city, while the dry season, though cooler, is often overcast and hazy rather than bright.
To follow any single measurement in Kinshasa more closely, use our live instruments: the online barometer for atmospheric pressure, the thermometer for temperature, the hygrometer for humidity, the anemometer for wind speed, the wind vane for wind direction, and the rain gauge for rainfall.