Weather in Port Harcourt

Port Harcourt is in Nigeria at 4.8°N. The 2001–2020 NASA POWER daily record describes a monsoon climate with a sharp wet-dry split. March is the warmest month (average 27.3°C, high 30.5°C) and August is the coolest (average 25.3°C, low 22.3°C).

Rain is the monsoon runs from March to November, inside an annual total of 2320 mm. The wettest month is September at 397 mm; the driest is January at 26 mm. On this site the months that score closest to a 22°C day, lighter rain, and moderate humidity are January, August, and December.

Best months to visit Port Harcourt

The three months with the highest comfort score are January, August, and December: January (25.6°C average, 26 mm, 78% humidity); August (25.3°C average, 334 mm, 91% humidity); December (26.0°C average, 29 mm, 81% 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 March–November instead of the score.

How warm Port Harcourt gets

Port Harcourt has a 2.0°C gap between its coolest monthly average (25.3°C in August) and its warmest (27.3°C in March). That is a northern-hemisphere pattern.

Mean high across all twelve months is 29.5°C and mean low is 22.9°C. These are 20-year grid averages, so a city station can read a few degrees warmer or cooler.

When Port Harcourt gets wet

The monsoon in Port Harcourt starts in March and ends in November (March, April, May, June, July, August, September, October, and November). September is the core of it at 397 mm. January is the other extreme, with 26 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 5.

Distinctive months in Port Harcourt

January is the driest month, averaging only 26 mm across 5 rainy days. Highs sit near 30.2°C. March is when the monsoon typically starts in Port Harcourt: highs near 30.5°C, and rainfall jumps to 103 mm (18 rainy days). April brings 155 mm and 23 rainy days; temperatures run from 24.2°C to 30.3°C. May stands apart from the months beside it: 29.7°C / 24.0°C and 208 mm. June: 28.8°C high, 23.2°C low, 315 mm rain, 91% humidity.

The year bottoms out in August. Plan for 22.3°C at night and 28.4°C in the afternoon. September is the wettest month — 397 mm and 29 rainy days, with 92% humidity. October stands apart from the months beside it: 28.8°C / 23.2°C and 249 mm. By November the monsoon is ending. Port Harcourt still sees about 130 mm, but the next month is usually leaner. In December, Port Harcourt averages 30.2°C by day and 21.8°C at night, with 29 mm of rain.

How Port Harcourt compares inside Nigeria

Onitsha is about 155 km away: Port Harcourt is about as warm as Onitsha at the hot peak and 615 mm wetter over the year than Onitsha. Onitsha’s wettest month is September (315 mm) versus September here.

Benin City is about 232 km away: Port Harcourt is about as warm as Benin City at the hot peak and 594 mm wetter over the year than Benin City. Benin City’s wettest month is September (301 mm) versus September here.

Lagos is about 442 km away: Port Harcourt is 0.6°C cooler than Lagos in its hottest month and 773 mm wetter over the year than Lagos. Lagos’s wettest month is September (245 mm) versus September here.