Weather
Tanzania has a generally comfortable, tropical climate year-round, although there are significant regional variations. Along the warmer and humid coast, the climate is determined in large part by the monsoon winds, which bring rains in two major periods. During the "long rains", from mid-March to May, it rains heavily almost every day, although seldom for the whole day, and the air can get unpleasantly sticky. The lighter "short rains" fall during November, December and sometimes into January.
Inland, altitude is a major determinant of conditions. The central plateau is somewhat cooler and arid, while in the mountainous areas of the northeast and southwest, temperatures occasionally drop below 15°C at night during June and July, and it can rain at any time of year. The coolest months countrywide are from June to October and the warmest from December to March. |
