Weather locations in Sudan

Sudan is a very large country in north-east Africa, stretching from the red sea coast almost 2,000 kilometres down to the lakes of central Africa, and this length means it covers several climate zones from desert to tropical savanna. The far south has rain for months; the north has almost none, and the middle of the country has to make do with a short wet season. A dry wind, the harmattan, raises dust across the north.

Main climate types

The northern desert, extending from about 18 degrees north upwards, is hot desert and receives under 100 millimetres of rain a year. The belt south of that, including Khartoum and Dongola, is hot semi-arid. The south, including Juba and the Bahr el Ghazal, is tropical savanna with a long wet season from May to October. Along the narrow red sea coast, conditions are hot and arid but with some winter rain in the north.

Temperatures

Khartoum has January means near 23 degrees Celsius and July near 30, with the highest temperatures of the year in May and June, before the rains begin. Winter nights in the north drop near 10 degrees, and frost is occasional further north. In the far south, around Juba, temperatures stay near 25 or 26 degrees all year, with very little variation.

Rainfall

Annual rainfall is under 100 millimetres in the far north and around 150 at Khartoum, rising to 400 near the Ethiopian border and more than 900 in the far south, where the wet season matches the southern monsoon. The transition zone across the middle of the country depends entirely on the timing of the rains, and a poor start to the season can be serious.

When to go

November to February, when the daytime heat is tolerable and the dust haze has cleared, is the best time to visit the north. The southern part of the country is more pleasant from June to October, during its own wet season, although roads then become difficult in places.