Weather and Climate Information for Tamale, Ghana

Nov 11, 2025 0

Tamale, Ghana, experiences distinct wet and dry seasons. The wet season is characterized by hot, oppressive, and overcast conditions, while the dry season is sweltering and partly cloudy. This report provides a detailed analysis of the typical weather patterns in Tamale, based on historical data and model reconstructions from 1980 to 2016.

Temperature

The average hourly temperature in Tamale is shown in the figure below, color-coded into bands. The shaded overlays indicate night and civil twilight. Three far-away foreign places with temperatures most similar to Tamale are San Carlos, Venezuela; Mannārakkāt, Kerala, India; and Don Luan, Vietnam.

The hottest month of the year in Tamale is March, with an average high of 99°F and low of 78°F. The hot season lasts for 2.5 months, from February 2 to April 17, with an average daily high temperature above 96°F. Conversely, the coldest month of the year in Tamale is August, with an average low of 73°F and high of 86°F. The cool season lasts for 3.0 months, from June 29 to September 29, with an average daily high temperature below 88°F.

Cloud Cover

In Tamale, the average percentage of the sky covered by clouds experiences significant seasonal variation over the course of the year.

The clearest month of the year in Tamale is January, during which on average the sky is clear, mostly clear, or partly cloudy 63% of the time. The clearer part of the year in Tamale begins around October 27 and lasts for 4.0 months, ending around February 26. The cloudiest month of the year in Tamale is May, during which on average the sky is overcast or mostly cloudy 75% of the time. The cloudier part of the year begins around February 26 and lasts for 8.0 months, ending around October 27.

Precipitation

The chance of wet days in Tamale varies very significantly throughout the year. A wet day is one with at least 0.04 inches of liquid or liquid-equivalent precipitation.

The month with the most wet days in Tamale is September, with an average of 24.5 days with at least 0.04 inches of precipitation. The wetter season lasts 6.5 months, from April 10 to October 25, with a greater than 42% chance of a given day being a wet day. The month with the fewest wet days in Tamale is January, with an average of 0.3 days with at least 0.04 inches of precipitation. The drier season lasts 5.5 months, from October 25 to April 10.

Based on this categorization, the most common form of precipitation throughout the year is rain alone, with a peak probability of 85% on September 14. The month with the most days of rain alone in Tamale is September, with an average of 24.5 days.

Tamale experiences extreme seasonal variation in monthly rainfall. The month with the most rain in Tamale is September, with an average rainfall of 6.5 inches. The rainy period of the year lasts for 8.9 months, from February 21 to November 18, with a sliding 31-day rainfall of at least 0.5 inches. The month with the least rain in Tamale is January, with an average rainfall of 0.0 inches. The rainless period of the year lasts for 3.1 months, from November 18 to February 21.

Sun and Moon

The length of the day in Tamale does not vary substantially over the course of the year, staying within 40 minutes of 12 hours throughout. In 2025, the shortest day is December 21, with 11 hours, 35 minutes of daylight; the longest day is June 21, with 12 hours, 40 minutes of daylight.

The earliest sunrise is at 5:42 AM on May 27, and the latest sunrise is 43 minutes later at 6:25 AM on January 27. The earliest sunset is at 5:38 PM on November 14, and the latest sunset is 49 minutes later at 6:27 PM on July 12. Daylight saving time (DST) is not observed in Tamale during 2025.

The figure below presents a compact representation of key lunar data for 2025. The horizontal axis is the day, the vertical axis is the hour of the day, and the colored areas indicate when the moon is above the horizon. The vertical gray bars (new Moons) and blue bars (full Moons) indicate key Moon phases.

Humidity

Tamale experiences extreme seasonal variation in the perceived humidity. The muggier period of the year lasts for 9.5 months, from February 19 to December 2, during which time the comfort level is muggy, oppressive, or miserable at least 28% of the time. The month with the most muggy days in Tamale is August, with 31.0 days that are muggy or worse. The month with the fewest muggy days in Tamale is January, with 2.2 days that are muggy or worse.

Wind

The average hourly wind speed in Tamale experiences significant seasonal variation over the course of the year.

The windier part of the year lasts for 8.0 months, from December 12 to August 10, with average wind speeds of more than 6.1 miles per hour. The windiest month of the year in Tamale is January, with an average hourly wind speed of 7.6 miles per hour. The calmer time of year lasts for 4.0 months, from August 10 to December 12. The calmest month of the year in Tamale is October, with an average hourly wind speed of 4.7 miles per hour.

Read also: Weather Guide: Zambia in July

The predominant average hourly wind direction in Tamale varies throughout the year. The wind is most often from the east for 1.2 months, from January 16 to February 23 and for 1.7 months, from November 9 to December 30, with a peak percentage of 49% on December 10. The wind is most often from the south for 8.5 months, from February 23 to November 9, with a peak percentage of 84% on June 2. The wind is most often from the north for 2.4 weeks, from December 30 to January 16, with a peak percentage of 47% on January 1.

Tourism

To characterize how pleasant the weather is in Tamale throughout the year, two travel scores are computed. The tourism score favors clear, rainless days with perceived temperatures between 65°F and 80°F. Based on this score, the best time of year to visit Tamale for general outdoor tourist activities is from mid-December to late January, with a peak score in the first week of January.

The beach/pool score favors clear, rainless days with perceived temperatures between 75°F and 90°F. Based on this score, the best time of year to visit Tamale for hot-weather activities is from early December to early February, with a peak score in the first week of January.

Daily Weather Forecasts

Here's a glimpse into the typical daily weather forecasts for Tamale:

Day: Mostly sunny skies with high temperatures around 98°F to 99°F. Expect a few clouds from time to time, especially in the afternoon. Sunset is typically around 5:38 PM to 5:39 PM.
Night: Mainly clear skies with low temperatures around 72°F to 76°F. A few clouds may appear occasionally, but generally fair conditions prevail.

Growing Season and Solar Energy

Temperatures in Tamale are sufficiently warm year-round, making the concept of a traditional growing season less meaningful.

The average daily incident shortwave solar energy experiences some seasonal variation over the course of the year. The brighter period of the year lasts for 1.6 months, from January 23 to March 11, with an average daily incident shortwave energy per square meter above 5.6 kWh. The brightest month of the year in Tamale is February, with an average of 5.8 kWh. The darker period of the year lasts for 3.1 months, from June 24 to September 28, with an average daily incident shortwave energy per square meter below 5.0 kWh. The darkest month of the year in Tamale is August, with an average of 4.8 kWh.

Location and Topography

The geographical coordinates of Tamale are 9.401 deg latitude, -0.839 deg longitude, and 643 ft elevation. The topography within 2 miles of Tamale contains only modest variations in elevation, with a maximum elevation change of 197 feet and an average elevation above sea level of 570 feet. The area within 2 miles of Tamale is covered by cropland (38%), artificial surfaces (21%), trees (17%), and grassland (15%), within 10 miles by cropland (50%) and shrubs (37%), and within 50 miles by shrubs (43%) and cropland (26%).

This report is based on a statistical analysis of historical hourly weather reports and model reconstructions from January 1, 1980, to December 31, 2016, providing a comprehensive overview of the typical weather conditions in Tamale.