Winter begins today in Namibia

Winter solstice

At 7:06 PM Namibian Time (1:06 PM CDT), winter officially begins in Namibia. As in most parts of the world, Namibia feels winter well before the official first day of winter. Today is the shortest day of the year lasting only 10 hours 45 minutes (in Windhoek).

This year was very different than last year in that the normal rainy season (October-April) was extremely dry where Amy lives. It hasn't rained for months there and won't again until at least September this year (they hope). The drought conditions will continue to affect everyone adversely.

June, July and August are the coolest and driest months of the year in Namibia. Without insulation, furnaces or, in some cases, even windows, it gets cold at night. Nighttime temperatures can drop to the 30's (F°) but 40's and 50's are more common. Daytime temperatures can get into the 80's (F°) but 60's and 70's are more common.

Namibian Climate

• Namibia has a dry climate typical of a semi-desert country, where droughts are a regular occurrence.
  
  
• Days are generally warm to very hot, while nights are generally cool.
  
  
• Midsummer temperature can rise to over 40ºC (104ºF)
  
  
• Winter days are warm but dawn temperatures can drop to freezing.
  
  
• Along the coast the cold Benguela current is also the prime determinant of the climate of the Namib, as it reduces rainfall and causes the omnipresent fog typical of the coast.
  
  
• The rainy season lasts from October to April. The rest of the year is dry and cloudless.

CLIMATE CHART FOR CENTRAL NAMIBIA

All areas of Namibia average more than 300 days of sunshine a year!

Click to convert mm to inches

Click to convert Cº to Fº