Botswana is a land locked country and receives a lot of strong sunlight. Most of the country is classed as either semi-arid or arid. Most of central and northern parts of Botswana have a sub-tropical ‘desert’ climate, which is characterized by a wide range in temperature from day to night and from winter to summer, and by low rainfall and humidity.

Botswana’s rainfall is generally the same as the rest of Southern Africa, with the rainy season being between November and April. The precise timing and duration of this is determined by the interplay of 3 air-streams. One being the moist Congo air mass, the second being the North Eastern monsoon winds and the third being South Eastern trade winds. The Congo air is full of moisture and moves Southwards from central Africa, bringing rain. This air mass generally reaches its Southern most point around January or February, and this is generally the time that Botswana receives most of its rain.

January and February are generally the wettest months. These months are characterized by regular and often torrential downpours in the late afternoon. When there are clear sunny skies, the temperatures can sour into the 40 degrees Celsius on extremely hot days. These temperatures however cool down during the afternoon when there is cloud cover. Temperatures during these months average between 30-33 degrees Celsius during the day and 19 degrees at night.

During March, the rain fall decreases, however the afternoon cloud cover is still there. Morning and early afternoons are normally cloudless. Average day time temperatures are around 32 degrees Celsius during the day, with the average night time temperature being around 18 degrees Celsius.

April and May:

There are sometimes afternoon showers during April, however by May the rainy season has ended. These months are lovely and cool as the temperatures have dropped from the heat of the summer months. Average day time temperatures are between 28 to 31 degrees Celsius during the day and the average night time temperatures being 15 degrees during April and dropping to an average of around 10 degrees Celsius during May.

June and July are the coldest months in Botswana. Day time temperature can average highs of 25 degrees Celsius. The average night time temperatures are around 6 degrees Celsius. However cold snaps are common bringing the temperatures to below freezing, especially in the drier areas of the Kalahari.

August generally starts to warm up and is therefore not as cold as June or July. The day time temperatures can average a high of 28 degrees Celsius with the night time temperatures averaging 9 degrees Celsius.

September and October are the months where the heat builds up during the day. These months are during the height of the dry season. The average day time temperature for September is around 33 or 34 degrees Celsius, with the average night time temperature being 13 degrees Celsius. October gets hotter still with average day time temperatures being between 35 – 38 degrees Celsius and the night time temperatures around 19 degrees Celsius. During October the day time temperatures can actually sour into the 40’s. The humidity is low during this time.

November is generally the month where the humidity starts to build up after the continued October dry heat. Afternoon clouds start to form and eventually it rains. November morning remain fine and hot with blue skies. Day time temperatures average between 34 – 37 degrees Celsius with night time temperatures around 20 degrees Celsius.

During December, the temperatures are usually between 32 – 35 degrees Celsius, with rain falling during the afternoons on a more regular basis.