Kigali, the capital of Rwanda, sits on a series of hills in the centre of the country at around 1,500 metres above sea level, just south of the equator at approximately -1.94°S, 30.06°E. Its considerable altitude tempers the equatorial latitude to give a mild subtropical highland climate (Köppen Cwb/Aw) — spring-like year-round — with two rainy seasons.

There is no summer in the temperate sense: temperatures stay mild and remarkably steady, with daytime highs around 26–27°C all year and cool nights near 15–16°C, thanks to the elevation. The long rains, from March to May, bring heavy afternoon downpours and thunderstorms, greening the terraced hillsides that surround the city.

There is no true winter, but the long dry season from June to August brings warm, sunny days and cool nights with little rain — comfortably the best time of year. A shorter rainy season follows from October to December, separated from the long rains by a brief dry spell in January and February.

Kigali receives on the order of 950–1,050 mm of rain a year, delivered in two pulses — the long rains from March to May and the short rains from October to December — separated by dry spells; the rain typically falls in heavy afternoon bursts after bright mornings. Live rainfall, humidity, and pressure readings for the city are shown in the panels above.

Kigali's altitude gives Rwanda its reputation as the 'land of a thousand hills' with a famously agreeable climate — never truly hot, never cold, despite sitting almost on the equator. The steep terraced hillsides, however, make the city vulnerable to landslides and flash flooding when the rainy seasons bring their heaviest downpours.

To follow any single measurement in Kigali 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.