Weather in Benin City

Rain is the monsoon runs from April to October, inside an annual total of 1726 mm. The wettest month is September at 301 mm; the driest is January at 14 mm.

Benin City is in Nigeria at 6.3°N. The 2001–2020 NASA POWER daily record describes a monsoon climate with a sharp wet-dry split. March is the warmest month (average 27.1°C, high 30.3°C) and January is the coolest (average 24.9°C, low 19.9°C). On this site the months that score closest to a 22°C day, lighter rain, and moderate humidity are December, January, and February.

How warm Benin City gets

The heat peaks in March, when the typical afternoon is 30.3°C. The opposite pole is January, when mornings average 19.9°C.

Mean high across all twelve months is 29.2°C and mean low is 22.5°C. These are 20-year grid averages, so a city station can read a few degrees warmer or cooler.

When Benin City gets wet

The monsoon in Benin City starts in April and ends in October (April, May, June, July, August, September, and October). September is the core of it at 301 mm. January is the other extreme, with 14 mm.

A rainy day here is a day with at least 1 mm in the NASA POWER series. September averages 29 such days; January averages 3.

The calendar in Benin City

The year bottoms out in January. Plan for 19.9°C at night and 30.0°C in the afternoon. March is the warmest month. Afternoon highs average 30.3°C and nights settle near 23.9°C, with 72 mm of rain. The monsoon opens in April. Expect 139 mm and 20 rainy days, with nights around 24.0°C. June: 28.3°C high, 23.0°C low, 236 mm rain, 92% humidity.

September is the wettest month — 301 mm and 29 rainy days, with 92% humidity. October closes the monsoon: 208 mm over 28 rainy days, then the calendar dries. November brings 73 mm and 15 rainy days; temperatures run from 22.8°C to 29.7°C. In December, Benin City averages 29.9°C by day and 20.6°C at night, with 19 mm of rain.

Best months to visit Benin City

The three months with the highest comfort score are December, January, and February: December (25.3°C average, 19 mm, 79% humidity); January (24.9°C average, 14 mm, 75% humidity); February (26.6°C average, 34 mm, 83% humidity). Those months sit across the year end, so they are listed in season order rather than January-to-December. The score rewards averages near 22°C, lower rainfall, and humidity near 60%. It is a climate score, not a festival or price calendar.

If you want the monsoon itself — fewer crowds, greener landscape, heavier rain — aim at April–October instead of the score.

How Benin City compares inside Nigeria

Onitsha is about 130 km away: Benin City is about as warm as Onitsha at the hot peak and a similar annual rainfall (1705 mm in Onitsha). Onitsha’s wettest month is September (315 mm) versus September here.

Ibadan is about 222 km away: Benin City is about as warm as Ibadan at the hot peak and 52 mm wetter over the year than Ibadan. Ibadan’s wettest month is September (310 mm) versus September here.

Port Harcourt is about 232 km away: Benin City is about as warm as Port Harcourt at the hot peak and 594 mm drier over the year than Port Harcourt. Port Harcourt’s wettest month is September (397 mm) versus September here.