Kampala, the capital of Uganda, sits on a series of hills on the northern shore of Lake Victoria, just north of the equator at around 1,200 metres above sea level and approximately 0.35°N, 32.58°E. Its altitude and the vast lake give it a mild tropical rainforest climate (Köppen Af) — warm, humid and rainy year-round with no true dry season.

There is no summer in the temperate sense: temperatures stay warm and remarkably steady, with daytime highs around 27–28°C all year and mild nights near 17–18°C, moderated by the altitude and by Lake Victoria. Rain falls in every month, with two wetter peaks — the long rains from March to May and the short rains from September to November.

There is no true winter, but the relatively drier spells from December to February and again in June and July bring more sunshine and less rain, though showers are never far away in this equatorial climate. Temperatures barely change through the year; the difference between seasons is one of rainfall alone.

Kampala receives on the order of 1,200–1,400 mm of rain a year, with rain in every month and no true dry season, peaking during the long rains of March to May and the short rains of September to November; the rain typically arrives as heavy afternoon and evening thunderstorms. Live rainfall, humidity, and pressure readings for the city are shown in the panels above.

Kampala sits beside Lake Victoria, one of the most thunderstorm-prone places on earth — the lake generates enormous nocturnal storms as cool air spills off the surrounding highlands onto its warm surface, and the nearby Ugandan shore records some of the highest frequencies of lightning anywhere in the world.

To follow any single measurement in Kampala 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.