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The island of Zanzibar is located about 60 km off the coast of Tanzania, geographically the island is located in the equatorial area, just over 6 ° latitude south of the Equator. The location of the island close to the Equator affects the climate of Zanzibar which is hot throughout the year due to this.
The island has in fact temperatures that vary very little during the months of the year. Average maximum temperatures vary by only five degrees throughout the year: between 33 ° C in February and March and 28 ° C in June, July and August. The average minimum temperatures have even more subtle variations, they vary between 22 ° C in July, August and September and 25 ° C in March and April.
During the warmer months – especially along the northern and eastern coasts of the island – the heat is often mitigated by the blowing of strong sea breezes associated with the northeast monsoon (known as Kaskazi in Kiswahili). The average annual temperatures of Zanzibar vary between 23.5 ° C and 30.3 ° C.
THE RAINY SEASON
As for the rains, the climate of Zanzibar can be divided into two wet seasons and two dry seasons. The most important wet season is that of the southwest monsoon (known locally as Kusi in Kiswahili) which blows during the months between March and May. This period is the wettest of the year and April is the wettest month during which about 320 mm of rain fall on average. In the wettest month, April, there are on average 11 rainy days per month. A shorter wet season and less intense in rainfall concerns the months of November and December, in this period the rains are generally characterized by short showers.
As mentioned, there are also two dry seasons: the most important dry season includes the months between June and October, while a shorter dry season runs from January to February. The driest months of the year are July and August with an average of only 2 rainy days a month. Zanzibar receives on average about 1,400 mm of rain per year.
The sea water temperature along the coasts of the island of Zanzibar is always very hot, it varies between 25 ° C in the months of July, August and September and 29 ° C in February, March and April.
WHEN TO GO TO ZANZIBAR
Zanzibar can be visited safely all year round. The best time for a trip are however the months of the main dry season, namely those between June and October, which in addition to being less humid also have milder temperatures. In the secondary dry season, that is, during the months of January and February, the heat is quite high even if it is often mitigated by the wind blowing.
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THE CLIMATE OF ZANZIBAR: CLIMATE TABLES
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| ZANZIBAR (3 meters) | ||||
| Month | Average low temperature (° C) | Average high temperature (°C) | Precipitation (mm) | Precipitation days |
| January | 24 | 32 | 58 | 5 |
| February | 24 | 33 | 66 | 5 |
| March | 25 | 33 | 147 | 8 |
| April | 25 | 30 | 320 | 11 |
| May | 24 | 29 | 290 | 10 |
| June | 23 | 28 | 53 | 4 |
| July | 22 | 28 | 28 | 2 |
| August | 22 | 28 | 30 | 2 |
| September | 22 | 29 | 41 | 3 |
| October | 23 | 30 | 66 | 4 |
| November | 24 | 32 | 170 | 9 |
| December | 24 | 32 | 140 | 8 |
| YEAR | 23,5 | 30,3 | 1409 | 71 |
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ZANZIBAR: SEA WATER TEMPERATURE
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| ZANZIBAR | |
| Month | Sea water temperature °C |
| January | 28 |
| February | 29 |
| March | 29 |
| April | 29 |
| May | 28 |
| June | 26 |
| July | 25 |
| August | 25 |
| September | 25 |
| October | 26 |
| November | 28 |
| December | 28 |
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