Weather in Somalia

Somalia's climate varies significantly by region. The coastal north around Berbera and Somaliland experiences a hot desert climate, with the most bearable temperatures between October and March when the heat moderates and the northeast monsoon brings cooler conditions. Temperatures in Berbera can soar above 45°C during the summer months of June and July — the hottest inhabited place temperatures ever recorded have been measured here — making a visit during those months genuinely dangerous without proper acclimatisation and precautions.

The south and central regions around Mogadishu and the Shebelle River valley experience two rainy seasons: the Gu rains from April to June and the Deyr rains from October to December. Travelling between the rainy seasons — specifically January to March and July to September — offers drier and more manageable conditions for movement. Somaliland visitors find November through February to be the most practical months, combining cooler temperatures with lower humidity. Security conditions, however, must always supersede weather planning in determining when to visit any part of Somalia.