The climate of Bukavu (Democratic Republic of the Congo)
Bukavu is located on the southwest bank of Lake Kivu. The city was
founded by the Belgian colonial government around 1900. The old
colonial villas can still be found on the banks of this beautiful
lake. The surroundings of Bukava are mainly known for the national
park that can be found here. Kahuzi Biéga National Park is one of the
few places where Lowland Gorillas live. This is one of the reasons
this park is a Unesco preservation site. Unfortunately, conflicts in
this region make it difficult to properly protect these gorillas.
After the genocide in Rwanda many Hutus fled to the region surrounding
Bukavu. These refugee camps are used as a base camp to attack the
neighboring country of Rwanda. The region is a constant battle field
of armed conflicts. Although Bukavu had well functioning
infrastructure the roads have not been well maintained and were
largely destroyed because of these conflicts. A natural phenomenon
also threatens Bukavu. Limnic eruptions in the lake cause CO2 or
methane gas to suddenly rise to the surface killing all animals and
humans in the vicinity of the eruption. Bukavu has a tropical monsoon
climate with lower precipitation figures in June, July and August.
This period may be referred to as a dry period although some rain will
fall. Because Bukavu is located at a higher altitude both daytime and
night time temperatures are slightly lower than you may expect in a
region with a tropical climate type.
Climate information
The figures below are based on long term weather and climate records.
They are an average for Bukavu.
average maximum
temperature (°C)
average
minimum
temperature (°C)
average
hours of sunshine
per day
average days with
precipitation
per month
average
mm precipitation
per month
average
sea
temperature (°C)
January
24
15
5
20
n/a
February
25
15
5
18
n/a
March
25
15
5
20
n/a
April
24
15
5
22
n/a
May
24
15
5
16
n/a
June
25
14
7
6
n/a
July
25
13
8
4
n/a
August
26
14
6
6
n/a
September
26
15
6
13
n/a
October
25
15
5
19
n/a
November
24
15
5
24
n/a
December
24
15
4
21
n/a
= 0-5 mm ●
= 6-30 mm ●
= 31-60 mm ●
= 61-100 mm ●
= 101-200 mm ●
=
over 200 mm = 0-0.2 inches ● = 0.2-1.2 inches ● = 1.2-2.4 inches ● = 2.5-4 inches ● = 4.1-8 inches ● = over 8 inches
More climate information
Climate figures are very useful but don’t present a general impression
of the climate and the eventual weather circumstances within a certain
period. The figures don’t always reflect the chance of wintry weather,
extreme heat or hurricanes. That is why we offer useful extra climate
information for each month of the year:
Disclaimer
The information at this site was carefully composed from climate data collected by meteorological services, meteorological offices, climate experts and other sources. “More climate info” is based on statistics, climate data and personal experience. No rights can be derived from this site. Weather has no memory and gives no guaranties. Nothing is as changeable and unpredictable as the weather. The authors of this site feel in no way responsible for any damages caused by misinterpretation or other circumstances that may influence your holiday or trip to a certain destination. We provide information, it’s up to the reader to use it to it’s benefit.
this site in Dutch
= 0-5 mm ●
= 6-30 mm ●
= 31-60 mm ●
= 61-100 mm ●
= 101-200 mm ●
=
over 200 mm
