Weather in Yaoundé

Yaoundé is in Cameroon at 3.9°N. The 2001–2020 NASA POWER daily record describes a monsoon climate with a sharp wet-dry split. Rain is the monsoon runs from March to November, inside an annual total of 1474 mm. The wettest month is October at 231 mm; the driest is January at 14 mm.

February is the warmest month (average 25.5°C, high 29.9°C) and August is the coolest (average 23.0°C, low 19.7°C). From the coolest night in August (19.6°C) to the hottest afternoon in February (29.9°C), the raw range is 10.3°C. On this site the months that score closest to a 22°C day, lighter rain, and moderate humidity are December, January, and February.

Temperature through the year

The heat peaks in February, when the typical afternoon is 29.9°C. The opposite pole is August, when mornings average 19.7°C.

Mean high across all twelve months is 27.7°C and mean low is 20.5°C. These are 20-year grid averages, so a city station can read a few degrees warmer or cooler.

Monsoon and dry months

The monsoon in Yaoundé starts in March and ends in November (March, April, May, June, July, August, September, October, and November). October is the core of it at 231 mm. January is the other extreme, with 14 mm.

A rainy day here is a day with at least 1 mm in the NASA POWER series. October averages 30 such days; January averages 4.

Distinctive months in Yaoundé

January is the driest month, averaging only 14 mm across 4 rainy days. Highs sit near 29.3°C. Peak heat arrives in February: 29.9°C by day, 21.1°C at night, and 81% humidity. March is when the monsoon typically starts in Yaoundé: highs near 28.7°C, and rainfall jumps to 117 mm (23 rainy days). The year bottoms out in August. Plan for 19.7°C at night and 26.3°C in the afternoon.

October is the wettest month — 231 mm and 30 rainy days, with 89% humidity. By November the monsoon is ending. Yaoundé still sees about 126 mm, but the next month is usually leaner. In December, Yaoundé averages 28.5°C by day and 19.8°C at night, with 18 mm of rain.

Best months to visit Yaoundé

The three months with the highest comfort score are December, January, and February: December (24.1°C average, 18 mm, 80% humidity); January (24.5°C average, 14 mm, 77% humidity); February (25.5°C average, 40 mm, 81% humidity). Those months sit across the year end, so they are listed in season order rather than January-to-December. The score rewards averages near 22°C, lower rainfall, and humidity near 60%. It is a climate score, not a festival or price calendar.

If you want the monsoon itself — fewer crowds, greener landscape, heavier rain — aim at March–November instead of the score.

How Yaoundé compares inside Cameroon

Douala is about 202 km away: Yaoundé is 2.2°C cooler than Douala in its hottest month and 979 mm drier over the year than Douala. Douala’s wettest month is August (395 mm) versus October here.