Addis Ababa, the capital of Ethiopia, sits high in the country's central highlands at around 2,300–2,400 metres above sea level — one of the highest capital cities in the world — at approximately 9.03°N, 38.74°E. Although it lies just 9 degrees north of the equator, its great altitude gives it a mild, temperate highland climate (Köppen Cwb) rather than a tropical one, with pleasantly warm days, cool nights, and a year defined by wet and dry seasons rather than hot and cold.

There is no hot summer in the temperate sense: daytime temperatures stay remarkably steady all year, generally around 20–25°C. The warmest, sunniest period is actually the dry months from around February to May, when highs reach their peak just before the rains. The main rainy season, June to September, is paradoxically the coolest time of day, as thick cloud holds daytime highs down to about 20–21°C.

Nor is there a true winter, but the high altitude makes nights consistently cool to cold throughout the year, with lows falling below 10°C from November to February and light frost possible at dawn in the coldest, clearest spells. Days in this dry season remain comfortably warm and sunny, around 21–23°C, and the wide gap between warm days and chilly nights — often 12–15°C — is one of the defining features of the mountain climate.

Addis Ababa is quite wet, receiving on the order of 1,100–1,200 mm of rain a year, overwhelmingly concentrated in the main rainy season (kiremt) from June to September, when July and August each bring 200 mm or more and rain falls on most days. The dry season from November to February sees very little, and skies are clear and sunny. Live rainfall, humidity, and pressure readings for the city are shown in the panels above.

The dominant rhythm of Addis Ababa's weather is the sharp contrast between the sunny dry season and the cloudy summer rains, driven by the seasonal migration of the tropical rain belt. The altitude keeps the equatorial city cool and the air famously clear — objects stand out crisply at great distances — while thunderstorms are common as the rains build, and the best months to visit are the bright, dry stretch from October to February.

To follow any single measurement in Addis Ababa 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.