Weather and Climate of Yaoundé, Cameroon: A Comprehensive Guide

Nov 06, 2025 0

Yaoundé, the capital city of Cameroon, experiences a tropical climate influenced by its proximity to the equator and its altitude. Understanding the weather patterns can help you plan your visit or daily activities more effectively.

Yaoundé features a tropical wet and dry climate (Aw) and is thermally equatorial rather than tropical, with a narrow range of monthly temperatures throughout the year. However, primarily due to the altitude, temperatures are not quite as hot as one would expect for a city located near the equator. In Yaoundé, the wet season is warm and overcast, the dry season is hot and mostly cloudy, and it is oppressive year-round.

Here's a detailed look at the weather conditions in Yaoundé throughout the year:

Map of Cameroon

Temperature

The average hourly temperature in Yaoundé remains relatively stable throughout the year. The figure below shows a compact characterization of the entire year of hourly average temperatures. The horizontal axis is the day of the year, the vertical axis is the hour of the day, and the color is the average temperature for that hour and day. The average hourly temperature, color coded into bands. The shaded overlays indicate night and civil twilight.

The hot season lasts for approximately 3.0 months, from January 20 to April 22, with an average daily high temperature above 85°F. February is the hottest month, with an average high of 86°F and a low of 69°F.

The cool season spans about 2.2 months, from June 26 to September 2, with an average daily high temperature below 79°F. July is the coldest month, featuring an average low of 67°F and a high of 77°F.

Yaounde Cathedral

Cloud Cover

The average percentage of the sky covered by clouds experiences significant seasonal variation over the course of the year in Yaoundé.

The clearer part of the year begins around November 21 and lasts for 3.4 months, ending around March 1. January is the clearest month, with the sky being clear, mostly clear, or partly cloudy 33% of the time.
The cloudier part of the year begins around March 1 and lasts for 8.6 months, ending around November 21. April is the cloudiest month, during which the sky is overcast or mostly cloudy 85% of the time.

Precipitation

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

The wetter season lasts for 8.0 months, from March 17 to November 16, with a greater than 44% chance of a given day being a wet day. October sees the most wet days, averaging 25.3 days with at least 0.04 inches of precipitation.
The drier season lasts for 4.0 months, from November 16 to March 17. January has the fewest wet days, averaging 1.4 days with at least 0.04 inches of precipitation.

The most common form of precipitation throughout the year is rain alone, with a peak probability of 84% on October 3. Yaoundé experiences extreme seasonal variation in monthly rainfall. The rainy period of the year lasts for 10 months, from February 11 to December 13, with a sliding 31-day rainfall of at least 0.5 inches. The month with the most rain in Yaoundé is October, with an average rainfall of 8.9 inches. The rainless period of the year lasts for 1.9 months, from December 13 to February 11. The month with the least rain in Yaoundé is January, with an average rainfall of 0.2 inches.

To show variation within the months and not just the monthly totals, the rainfall accumulated over a sliding 31-day period centered around each day of the year.

Sunlight

The length of the day in Yaoundé does not vary substantially over the course of the year, staying within 20 minutes of 12 hours throughout. In 2025, the shortest day is December 21, with 11 hours and 54 minutes of daylight; the longest day is June 21, with 12 hours and 21 minutes of daylight.

The earliest sunrise is at 5:57 AM on October 27, and the latest sunrise is 31 minutes later at 6:28 AM on February 4. The earliest sunset is at 5:56 PM on November 8, and the latest sunset is 33 minutes later at 6:29 PM on July 18. Daylight saving time (DST) is not observed in Yaoundé during 2025.

Below is a compact representation of the sun's elevation (the angle of the sun above the horizon) and azimuth (its compass bearing) for every hour of every day in the reporting period. The horizontal axis is the day of the year and the vertical axis is the hour of the day. For a given day and hour of that day, the background color indicates the azimuth of the sun at that moment. The black isolines are contours of constant solar elevation.

Read also: Weather Guide: Zambia in July

Humidity

Yaoundé experiences some seasonal variation in the perceived humidity. The muggier period of the year lasts for 11 months, from January 30 to December 25, during which time the comfort level is muggy, oppressive, or miserable at least 81% of the time. The month with the most muggy days in Yaoundé is May, with 30.7 days that are muggy or worse. The month with the fewest muggy days in Yaoundé is January, with 23.8 days that are muggy or worse.

The humidity comfort level is based on the dew point, as it determines whether perspiration will evaporate from the skin, thereby cooling the body. Lower dew points feel drier, and higher dew points feel more humid. Unlike temperature, which typically varies significantly between night and day, dew point tends to change more slowly, so while the temperature may drop at night, a muggy day is typically followed by a muggy night.

Wind

The average hourly wind speed in Yaoundé experiences mild seasonal variation over the course of the year. The windier part of the year lasts for 2.9 months, from June 20 to September 16, with average wind speeds of more than 3.1 miles per hour. The windiest month of the year in Yaoundé is August, with an average hourly wind speed of 3.7 miles per hour. The calmer time of year lasts for 9.1 months, from September 16 to June 20. The calmest month of the year in Yaoundé is November, with an average hourly wind speed of 2.4 miles per hour. The predominant average hourly wind direction in Yaoundé is from the west throughout the year.

Best Time to Visit

To characterize how pleasant the weather is in Yaoundé 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 times of year to visit Yaoundé for general outdoor tourist activities are from late June to early August and from late November to late January, with a peak score in the last week of December.
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 Yaoundé for hot-weather activities is from late November to early March, with a peak score in the second week of January.

Based on the beach/pool score, the best time of year to visit Yaoundé for hot-weather activities is from late November to early March.

How to Forecast the Travel Weather for Your Vacation

Additional Information

San Andrés, Panama (6,475 miles away); Nirgua, Venezuela (5,504 miles); and Salatiga, Indonesia (6,874 miles) are the far-away foreign places with temperatures most similar to Yaoundé (view comparison).
The topography within 2 miles of Yaoundé contains only modest variations in elevation, with a maximum elevation change of 322 feet and an average elevation above sea level of 2,412 feet. Within 10 miles contains only modest variations in elevation (1,946 feet). Within 50 miles contains very significant variations in elevation (3,530 feet).
The area within 2 miles of Yaoundé is covered by artificial surfaces (93%), within 10 miles by cropland (39%) and trees (25%), and within 50 miles by trees (49%) and cropland (33%).

Understanding the weather patterns in Yaoundé can help you plan your activities and pack accordingly. Whether you're visiting for tourism or living in the city, being prepared for the climate will enhance your experience.