# Nigeria's Climate Zones

> Nigeria's climate runs from equatorial in the south to arid in the far north, tracking the country's vegetation belts in broad east–west bands. Annual rainfall falls from over 2,500 mm in the Niger Delta to under 500 mm in the Sahel, while a single wet season (roughly April–October) and dry, harmattan-driven season (November–March) shift in length by well over a month from coast to Sahel.

**Category:** Geography & Environment · **Updated:** 2026-07-26 19:36:35 · **Canonical:** https://nigeriastuff.org/a/nigeria-climate-zones

## Key facts
- **Forest zone rainfall:** >1,600 mm/yr, exceeding 2,500 mm in the Niger Delta
- **Derived savanna rainfall / dry season:** 1,150–1,500 mm; c. 3 months dry
- **Guinea savanna rainfall / dry season:** 1,000–1,500 mm; 4–6 months dry
- **Sudan zone rainfall / dry season:** 500–1,500 mm; 5–7 months dry
- **Sahel zone rainfall / dry season:** 250–500 mm; 7–8 months dry
- **Dominant seasons:** Wet season c. April–October; dry/harmattan season c. November–March
- **Harmattan peak temperatures:** As low as 7–15°C overnight on the Jos Plateau and Mambilla highlands; below 10°C widely across the north
- **Climate classification:** Equatorial south, tropical centre, arid/semi-arid north (broadly Köppen Af/Am/Aw–BSh)

## Sources
- Forestry Outlook Study for Africa (FOSA) — Country Report: Nigeria — Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (https://www.fao.org/4/ab592e/AB592E02.htm)
- Nigeria — Geography Profile (CIA World Factbook data) — IndexMundi, reproducing CIA World Factbook (https://www.indexmundi.com/nigeria/geography_profile.html)
- Where Did the Harmattan Go? How a Vanishing Dust-Dry Season Is Redrawing Nigeria's Climate — Nigeria Climate Watch (https://nigeriaclimatewatch.org/where-did-the-harmattan-go-how-a-vanishing-dust-dry-season-is-redrawing-nigerias-climate/)
- NiHSA warns of Rivers Niger, Benue overflow — Punch Newspapers (https://punchng.com/nihsa-warns-of-rivers-niger-benue-overflow/)
- Ogoni women restore mangroves and livelihoods in oil-rich Niger Delta — Mongabay (https://news.mongabay.com/2025/01/ogoni-women-restore-mangroves-and-livelihoods-in-oil-rich-niger-delta/)

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