One of the things I frequently get asked about is the weather here. I wrote a post around this time last year based on what I had read at the time, but now I would like to share about Fort Portal’s weather in all its glory!
The basics: As with much of Sub-Saharan Africa, Uganda’s climate includes two seasons, rainy and dry. Ugandans talk all the time about how predictable these seasons used to be. You don’t have to convince Ugandans of climate change. They see it every time the season changes.
Please know that the geography here varies widely, and so the weather here in Fort Portal is much different than that of the north in Gulu or the east in Jinja. Even Masindi, which is still part of Western Uganda, north of here, gets much less rain than Fort Portal does, and Kabale, south of here near the border with Rwanda, is colder than Fort.
In general, temperatures range between 55F and 85F throughout the year and throughout the country. The west is colder, the north and far east are hotter and drier, and the central is just that – central.
In Fort, the first rainy season used to run from February 15 to April 15 exactly, then dry season from April 15 to August 15, second rainy season from August 15 to November 15, and second dry season from November 15 to February 15. Nowadays, those dates are definitely different. Our first rainy season didn’t begin until the end of March and ended in the end of May, and second rainy season just finally began in the middle of September. Even during dry season, though, it tends to rain once or twice a week in Fort Portal.
Although there are only two seasons, each iteration of the two seasons is different. What I mean is this: The first rainy season is not as rainy as this one (so I’m told), and the second dry season is MUCH HOTTER than the first. In fact, this past dry season has been pleasant during the day and cold at night. January is the hottest time of the year in Uganda, and it gets up to about 25 or 30C, 78 to 86F, which is nothing compared to a St. Louis summer, but it is hot enough to make you sweat. So far I have not noticed much difference between the two rainy seasons, although maybe it is downpouring more often this time around…? I don’t know. The worst thing about dry season is that equatorial sun is so much stronger than temperate sun, and so if I forget sunscreen for like 20 minutes I’m burnt.
When we get rain, it can come from three different directions. I have learned that each different direction means a different type of rain (somehow). Rain that comes from town is very easy to spot because you can watch the development of the rain through the morning. It’s actually really cool, and I really want to get a time lapse if I can borrow my friend’s DSLR. It tends to be heavy at first and then continue for an hour or longer. It’s the warmest of the rain we get. This is usually where our storms come from. Many times, rain will surprise me when it comes from the mountains. You can’t see it developing because of the mountains, and it’s always such cold rain. The mountains are the main reason we get rain during dry season. Lastly, rain comes from the forest behind my house. When I don’t have my back door open, this also surprises me. This rain almost never comes in the morning but always in the afternoon. Morning rain usually comes from the mountains. It’s cold and heavy usually, but it always starts with smaller rain drops and gets progressively heavier. This can last for quite a while or it can be over quickly. This is the rain I outran to come to town today!
For a while, I had a lovely thermometer in my house so I would know what temperature it was. Unfortunately, between me, Freckles, the kids, and the babies, it broke a couple of months ago. While I had it, it showed me that inside of my house it ranged from 60F in the morning to 80F on hot days in the afternoon. Before going to bed, it had cooled to 70F, meaning that the temperature dropped 10F while I was asleep every day.
The worst thing about having lived here for almost a year now (WHAT) is that I’ve gotten used to the weather. So whereas during the first rainy season I was laughing at Ugandans for wearing winter coats, now I’m seriously looking into buying a winter coat to wear during rainy season (Yes, really.). Even during this past dry season I was wearing two or three layers every night, sleeping under two blankets throughout the year. I actually had my thyroid tested because I am so cold all the time. Since that came back normal, I’ve just accepted my fate.
I have learned to carry not only my rain jacket with me nearly every day but to also carry a sweater in case it rains. When it rains, it’s cold. When it doesn’t, it’s nice. When it rains at night it’s FREEZING. This is when I post on Facebook about the need for electric socks because my body, especially my extremities, just doesn’t produce its own heat. Even now, sitting in our local American bakery, my nose is cold from the rain earlier today. (Except I would seriously appreciate electric socks. They’re just so EXPENSIVE!)
Explaining the differences in weather here and in the US to Ugandans is honestly pretty funny. They all know that the US has winter, but they often don’t realize that summers in the US are hotter than dry season here. When I tell them that it regularly gets to 35 or 40C (95 or 104F) during the late summer in the US, they absolutely balk. They can’t imagine that people, especially white people, can endure that heat. I explain to them that is why we have air conditioning in the US. One of the things that Ugandans really believe they cannot endure is the winter. They call rainy season winter here. I have to admit, I am fearing going home during December because of this. (OH YEAH I’M GOING HOME FOR CHRISTMAS WHOOOOOOOOO!) The forecast says snow, though, and I have to say, I am SO EXCITED for that!
Similarly, explaining the differences in weather to Americans is hilarious. We as Americans are taught (VERY incorrectly) that Africa is hot, end of story. (I’ll discuss this another time. I don’t have the energy for this rant right now.) As you’ve read, though, it’s really not. In reality, it’s very comfortable here throughout the year. Things on the equator are the same most of the time. The sun rises at about 7:00 am and sets at about 7:00 pm (No “need” for daylight savings time). Sure, it gets cold when it rains, but that’s simple science. It happens everywhere. The nice thing about living in this kind of environment is you don’t really need meteorology. It’s like being a weatherman in St. Louis during the summer. The forecast is always high of 85F with 100% humidity and a 70% chance of storms in the afternoon and evening. Or like living in Florida where you can set your watch by the time it rains. The only difference is that you can walk outside in the morning and forecast the day for yourself. I do it all the time now. By about 9:00 or 10:00 am, I can tell you pretty reliably whether it’s going to rain or not at my house. I’m significantly worse once I leave Fort Portal, but hey, I haven’t even lived in Uganda for a year yet!
So there it is! The mysteries of Fort Portal weather unraveled for you. As always, if you have questions, feel free to comment or email me!
The basics: As with much of Sub-Saharan Africa, Uganda’s climate includes two seasons, rainy and dry. Ugandans talk all the time about how predictable these seasons used to be. You don’t have to convince Ugandans of climate change. They see it every time the season changes.
Please know that the geography here varies widely, and so the weather here in Fort Portal is much different than that of the north in Gulu or the east in Jinja. Even Masindi, which is still part of Western Uganda, north of here, gets much less rain than Fort Portal does, and Kabale, south of here near the border with Rwanda, is colder than Fort.
In general, temperatures range between 55F and 85F throughout the year and throughout the country. The west is colder, the north and far east are hotter and drier, and the central is just that – central.
In Fort, the first rainy season used to run from February 15 to April 15 exactly, then dry season from April 15 to August 15, second rainy season from August 15 to November 15, and second dry season from November 15 to February 15. Nowadays, those dates are definitely different. Our first rainy season didn’t begin until the end of March and ended in the end of May, and second rainy season just finally began in the middle of September. Even during dry season, though, it tends to rain once or twice a week in Fort Portal.
Although there are only two seasons, each iteration of the two seasons is different. What I mean is this: The first rainy season is not as rainy as this one (so I’m told), and the second dry season is MUCH HOTTER than the first. In fact, this past dry season has been pleasant during the day and cold at night. January is the hottest time of the year in Uganda, and it gets up to about 25 or 30C, 78 to 86F, which is nothing compared to a St. Louis summer, but it is hot enough to make you sweat. So far I have not noticed much difference between the two rainy seasons, although maybe it is downpouring more often this time around…? I don’t know. The worst thing about dry season is that equatorial sun is so much stronger than temperate sun, and so if I forget sunscreen for like 20 minutes I’m burnt.
When we get rain, it can come from three different directions. I have learned that each different direction means a different type of rain (somehow). Rain that comes from town is very easy to spot because you can watch the development of the rain through the morning. It’s actually really cool, and I really want to get a time lapse if I can borrow my friend’s DSLR. It tends to be heavy at first and then continue for an hour or longer. It’s the warmest of the rain we get. This is usually where our storms come from. Many times, rain will surprise me when it comes from the mountains. You can’t see it developing because of the mountains, and it’s always such cold rain. The mountains are the main reason we get rain during dry season. Lastly, rain comes from the forest behind my house. When I don’t have my back door open, this also surprises me. This rain almost never comes in the morning but always in the afternoon. Morning rain usually comes from the mountains. It’s cold and heavy usually, but it always starts with smaller rain drops and gets progressively heavier. This can last for quite a while or it can be over quickly. This is the rain I outran to come to town today!
For a while, I had a lovely thermometer in my house so I would know what temperature it was. Unfortunately, between me, Freckles, the kids, and the babies, it broke a couple of months ago. While I had it, it showed me that inside of my house it ranged from 60F in the morning to 80F on hot days in the afternoon. Before going to bed, it had cooled to 70F, meaning that the temperature dropped 10F while I was asleep every day.
The worst thing about having lived here for almost a year now (WHAT) is that I’ve gotten used to the weather. So whereas during the first rainy season I was laughing at Ugandans for wearing winter coats, now I’m seriously looking into buying a winter coat to wear during rainy season (Yes, really.). Even during this past dry season I was wearing two or three layers every night, sleeping under two blankets throughout the year. I actually had my thyroid tested because I am so cold all the time. Since that came back normal, I’ve just accepted my fate.
I have learned to carry not only my rain jacket with me nearly every day but to also carry a sweater in case it rains. When it rains, it’s cold. When it doesn’t, it’s nice. When it rains at night it’s FREEZING. This is when I post on Facebook about the need for electric socks because my body, especially my extremities, just doesn’t produce its own heat. Even now, sitting in our local American bakery, my nose is cold from the rain earlier today. (Except I would seriously appreciate electric socks. They’re just so EXPENSIVE!)
Explaining the differences in weather here and in the US to Ugandans is honestly pretty funny. They all know that the US has winter, but they often don’t realize that summers in the US are hotter than dry season here. When I tell them that it regularly gets to 35 or 40C (95 or 104F) during the late summer in the US, they absolutely balk. They can’t imagine that people, especially white people, can endure that heat. I explain to them that is why we have air conditioning in the US. One of the things that Ugandans really believe they cannot endure is the winter. They call rainy season winter here. I have to admit, I am fearing going home during December because of this. (OH YEAH I’M GOING HOME FOR CHRISTMAS WHOOOOOOOOO!) The forecast says snow, though, and I have to say, I am SO EXCITED for that!
Similarly, explaining the differences in weather to Americans is hilarious. We as Americans are taught (VERY incorrectly) that Africa is hot, end of story. (I’ll discuss this another time. I don’t have the energy for this rant right now.) As you’ve read, though, it’s really not. In reality, it’s very comfortable here throughout the year. Things on the equator are the same most of the time. The sun rises at about 7:00 am and sets at about 7:00 pm (No “need” for daylight savings time). Sure, it gets cold when it rains, but that’s simple science. It happens everywhere. The nice thing about living in this kind of environment is you don’t really need meteorology. It’s like being a weatherman in St. Louis during the summer. The forecast is always high of 85F with 100% humidity and a 70% chance of storms in the afternoon and evening. Or like living in Florida where you can set your watch by the time it rains. The only difference is that you can walk outside in the morning and forecast the day for yourself. I do it all the time now. By about 9:00 or 10:00 am, I can tell you pretty reliably whether it’s going to rain or not at my house. I’m significantly worse once I leave Fort Portal, but hey, I haven’t even lived in Uganda for a year yet!
So there it is! The mysteries of Fort Portal weather unraveled for you. As always, if you have questions, feel free to comment or email me!
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