Best time to visit DR Congo

DR Congo in this dataset covers 5 cities with distinct NASA POWER grid cells (plus nearby cities that share a cell). Annual rainfall among those cities runs from 1120 mm in Lubumbashi to 1682 mm in Kinshasa. The monthly-average temperature swing is 2.0–8.7°C depending on the city.

DR Congo is not one climate: the cities here include a monsoon climate with a sharp wet-dry split; an equatorial climate that stays hot and wet.

Regional contrasts in DR Congo

The hottest peak in the sample is Mbuji-Mayi in August (28.0°C). The coldest monthly average is Lubumbashi in June (17.5°C). Kinshasa takes the most rain (1682 mm a year, wettest in November); Lubumbashi takes the least (1120 mm).

Warmest-month averages in the set range from 26.0°C to 28.0°C. Use the city pages for the month-by-month table; this page is the contrast between places.

Best months by region

Southern cities: typical hottest-month average 26.2°C and about 1120 mm of rain a year. Best-scoring months — Lubumbashi (July, August, and September).

Central cities: typical hottest-month average 27.2°C and about 1370 mm of rain a year. Best-scoring months — Kananga (May, June, and July); Kinshasa (June, July, and August); Mbuji-Mayi (May, June, and July).

Northern cities: typical hottest-month average 26.9°C and about 1587 mm of rain a year. Best-scoring months — Kisangani (September, October, and November).

Kananga in DR Congo

Kananga sits at -5.90°, 22.42°. It is a monsoon climate with a sharp wet-dry split. August is the warmest month at 27.6°C (high 34.1°C); December is the coolest at 24.4°C (low 20.9°C). The gap between those monthly averages is 3.2°C.

The monsoon runs from September to April. The three highest-scoring months for a visit are May, June, and July. That ranking uses the same 22°C / low-rain / 60% humidity score as the city pages. Population in the GeoNames record is 1,271,704. The wettest month is November (171 mm, 24 days with at least 1 mm); the driest is July (6 mm).

Kinshasa in DR Congo

Kinshasa sits at -4.33°, 15.31°. It is a monsoon climate with a sharp wet-dry split. September is the warmest month at 26.0°C (high 30.7°C); July is the coolest at 24.0°C (low 18.7°C). The gap between those monthly averages is 2.0°C.

The monsoon runs from October to May. The three highest-scoring months for a visit are June, July, and August. That ranking uses the same 22°C / low-rain / 60% humidity score as the city pages. Population in the GeoNames record is 16,000,000. The wettest month is November (278 mm, 29 days with at least 1 mm); the driest is July (3 mm).

Kisangani in DR Congo

Kisangani sits at 0.52°, 25.19°. It is an equatorial climate that stays hot and wet. February is the warmest month at 26.9°C (high 31.3°C); November is the coolest at 24.6°C (low 21.7°C). The gap between those monthly averages is 2.3°C.

Rain falls in every month; the year still totals 1587 mm. The three highest-scoring months for a visit are September, October, and November. That ranking uses the same 22°C / low-rain / 60% humidity score as the city pages. Population in the GeoNames record is 1,602,144. The wettest month is October (188 mm, 25 days with at least 1 mm); the driest is January (67 mm).

Lubumbashi in DR Congo

Lubumbashi sits at -11.66°, 27.48°. It is a monsoon climate with a sharp wet-dry split. October is the warmest month at 26.2°C (high 33.8°C); June is the coolest at 17.5°C (low 9.6°C). The gap between those monthly averages is 8.7°C.

The monsoon runs from November to March. The three highest-scoring months for a visit are July, August, and September. That ranking uses the same 22°C / low-rain / 60% humidity score as the city pages. Population in the GeoNames record is 2,221,925. The wettest month is December (268 mm, 29 days with at least 1 mm); the driest is July (1 mm).

Mbuji-Mayi in DR Congo

Mbuji-Mayi sits at -6.14°, 23.59°. It is a monsoon climate with a sharp wet-dry split. August is the warmest month at 28.0°C (high 34.7°C); December is the coolest at 25.0°C (low 21.2°C). The gap between those monthly averages is 3.0°C.

The monsoon runs from September to April. The three highest-scoring months for a visit are May, June, and July. That ranking uses the same 22°C / low-rain / 60% humidity score as the city pages. Population in the GeoNames record is 2,101,332. The wettest month is November (162 mm, 19 days with at least 1 mm); the driest is July (4 mm).