Climate
Under the Köppen climate classification, Kinshasa has a Tropical wet and dry climate. It features a lengthy rainy season which spans from October through May and a relatively short dry season which runs between June and September. Due to fact that Kinshasa lies south of the equator, its dry season begins around its "winter" solstice, which is in June. This is in contrast to African cities further north featuring this climate where the dry season typically begins around January. Kinshasa's dry season is slightly cooler than its wet season, though temperatures remain relatively constant throughout the year.
| Climate data for Kinshasa | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Record high °C (°F) | 36 (97) |
36 (97) |
36 (97) |
36 (97) |
35 (95) |
34 (93) |
32 (90) |
35 (95) |
36 (97) |
36 (97) |
34 (93) |
36 (97) |
36 (97) |
| Average high °C (°F) | 31 (88) |
31 (88) |
32 (90) |
32 (90) |
31 (88) |
29 (84) |
27 (81) |
29 (84) |
31 (88) |
31 (88) |
31 (88) |
30 (86) |
30 (86) |
| Average low °C (°F) | 21 (70) |
22 (72) |
22 (72) |
22 (72) |
22 (72) |
19 (66) |
18 (64) |
18 (64) |
20 (68) |
21 (70) |
22 (72) |
21 (70) |
21 (70) |
| Record low °C (°F) | 18 (64) |
18 (64) |
18 (64) |
19 (66) |
18 (64) |
15 (59) |
14 (57) |
14 (57) |
16 (61) |
15 (59) |
17 (63) |
17 (63) |
14 (57) |
| Rainfall mm (inches) | 135 (5.31) |
145 (5.71) |
196 (7.72) |
196 (7.72) |
159 (6.26) |
8 (0.31) |
3 (0.12) |
3 (0.12) |
30 (1.18) |
119 (4.69) |
222 (8.74) |
142 (5.59) |
1,358 (53.46) |
| Avg. rainy days | 11 | 11 | 12 | 16 | 12 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 5 | 11 | 16 | 15 | 111 |
| Mean monthly sunshine hours | 124 | 140 | 155 | 150 | 155 | 120 | 124 | 155 | 120 | 155 | 150 | 124 | 1,672 |
| Source: BBC Weather | |||||||||||||
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