NIGERIA CLIMATIC ZONES

What You Will See

The weather in West Africa is pretty much the same that you will find in the country of Nigeria. There
are only two seasons throughout the year and those are the rainy season and the dry season. During
the dry season, the air masses from the Sahara carry dust as well as hotter temperatures. Air masses
from the south Atlantic are known as tropical maritime air masses and those affect the country during
the rainy season.

Nigeria Weather
When you think of Nigeria weather, many people think as hot and dry but that is not necessarily the
case. Nigeria is located in the tropics and that means that it can be very humid and damp. There are
a total of four climate types which affect the weather in the region. Those are the equatorial monsoon
or tropical rainforest climate, tropical Savannah climate, tropical dry climate and Alpine climate. The
weather that you will see in Nigeria depends on where in the country you are. You will see the changes
in the climate the moment that you move from one area to the next. Nigeria is not a small country so
therefore it can take some time to experience all four types of climate.

1. Tropical Rainforest
The tropical rainforest climate, which is also called the equatorial monsoon, can be found to the south
of Nigeria. This type of Nigeria weather sees a lot of influence from the South Atlantic Ocean which
originates monsoons which are brought to the region by tropical air masses. There are small changes
in the temperatures throughout the year. Warri Town, for example, has the highest average
temperature at 28 Celsius (82.4 Fahrenheit) while the coldest month sees an average temperature of
26 Celsius (78.8 Fahrenheit).

2. Tropical Wet Or Savannah Climate

The moment that you head west from the rainforest climate you will find tropical Savannah climate.
This type of Nigeria weather is very different than you would find in the rainforest with a well-defined
rainy season as well as a dry season. Temperatures stay above 18 Celsius (or 64 Fahrenheit) the
entire year. The capital city of Abuja is found in this type of climate. The dry season starts in December
and it is affected by the air masses coming from the Sahara. During the month of April you are likely
to see heavy showers.

3. Tropical Dry Climate Or Sahel

Tropical dry climate is the type of climate which you will see in most of the north of the country. This
is the dry region in the country of Nigeria and the temperatures are not forgiving. June through
September are the only months when the weather can feel tolerable and that is because of the rainy
season. After the rainy season is over, Nigeria weather in this region can go as high as 40 Celsius (or
104 Fahrenheit). The area, which extends throughout Africa in the shape of a belt, has experienced
several droughts and famine. The high temperature records were broken during one of the worst ones
in 1998. The most recent drought to affect the area happened in the middle of 2010.

4. Alpine Or Highland Climate

The highlands in Nigeria will experience Alpine climate. These are the areas in the country which are
at an altitude of 1,520 meters above the sea level. Because of its elevation, the temperatures are
lower than what you would find anywhere else in Nigeria but the fact that it is in the tropics can in
some cases make it feel like tropical weather. The higher the elevation the cooler the temperatures
will get. The average temperature drop is about 10 degrees Celsius per every kilometre of altitude.
This is probably one of the regions which are most enjoyable to visit weather wise for most foreigners.