Nigeria
Weather locations in Nigeria
Choose a location in Nigeria to view its available forecast products.
Nigeria illustrated weather map
29 mapped locations
Only locations with a verified coordinate are marked. The complete location list is below.
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Climate of Nigeria
Country climate guideNigeria is the largest country in West Africa, and it lies between about 4°N and 14°N, so it spans everything from equatorial conditions in the south to the edge of the Sahara in the north. It is a great wedge of lowland drained by the Niger and the Benue and bounded on the south by the Gulf of Guinea, with a highland area on the Jos plateau and the Obudu massif in the far east. Sitting at the southern edge of the Sahara, the north is hot, dry and semi-arid while the south is humid and equatorial.
Main climate types
The official grouping is tropical savanna climate, but the country really crosses three zones. The south, including Lagos, Ibadan and the Niger delta, takes the wetter equatorial variant with two rain peaks; the middle belt is savanna proper; and the north, from Kano to the Lake Chad area, is semi-arid Sahel with one short wet season. The Jos plateau and the eastern highlands form a cooler montane pocket a few degrees lower, with crisp nights.
Temperatures
The north is the hottest part. Kano averages about 27 °C in January and about 32 °C in April and May, with highs above 40 °C in the hot season. The harmattan, blowing from the Sahara between November and January, lowers daytime temperatures considerably and fills the air with dust. In the south, Lagos averages about 27 °C in January and about 25 °C in the wet months, with high humidity and frequent heavy showers.
Rainfall
Rain is strongly seasonal in the north and more persistent in the south. Lagos receives about 1,700 mm to 1,800 mm a year, most of it between April and October, with a break in August. Ibadan takes about 1,500 mm. In the north, Kano receives only about 500 mm to 700 mm and gets it almost entirely between June and September. Drought in the north is a persistent feature of the climate.
When to go
The north is best visited between November and February, when harmattan haze has cleared and nights are cool. The south is at its best in the dry months from December to February, while the wet season from June to September brings afternoon storms and difficult driving.