Best time to visit Nigeria

Nigeria in this dataset covers 8 cities with distinct NASA POWER grid cells (plus nearby cities that share a cell). Annual rainfall among those cities runs from 628 mm in Kano to 2320 mm in Port Harcourt. The monthly-average temperature swing is 2.0–10.0°C depending on the city.

Nigeria is not one climate: the cities here include a monsoon climate with a sharp wet-dry split; a mild oceanic climate.

Regional contrasts in Nigeria

The hottest peak in the sample is Kano in May (31.8°C). The coldest monthly average is Kano in January (21.8°C). Port Harcourt takes the most rain (2320 mm a year, wettest in September); Kano takes the least (628 mm).

Warmest-month averages in the set range from 26.9°C to 31.8°C. Use the city pages for the month-by-month table; this page is the contrast between places.

Best months by region

Southern cities: typical hottest-month average 27.4°C and about 1824 mm of rain a year. Best-scoring months — Benin City (December, January, and February); Lagos (December, January, and February); Onitsha (December, January, and February); Port Harcourt (January, August, and December).

Central cities: typical hottest-month average 28.1°C and about 1429 mm of rain a year. Best-scoring months — Abuja (November, December, and January); Ibadan (December, January, and February).

Northern cities: typical hottest-month average 30.1°C and about 1013 mm of rain a year. Best-scoring months — Kaduna (November, December, and January); Kano (November, December, and January).

Abuja in Nigeria

Abuja sits at 9.06°, 7.50°. It is a monsoon climate with a sharp wet-dry split. March is the warmest month at 29.3°C (high 35.8°C); August is the coolest at 24.4°C (low 21.2°C). The gap between those monthly averages is 4.9°C.

The monsoon runs from May to October. The three highest-scoring months for a visit are November, December, and January. That ranking uses the same 22°C / low-rain / 60% humidity score as the city pages. Population in the GeoNames record is 2,690,000. The wettest month is August (253 mm, 28 days with at least 1 mm); the driest is December (1 mm).

Benin City in Nigeria

Benin City sits at 6.34°, 5.63°. It is a monsoon climate with a sharp wet-dry split. March is the warmest month at 27.1°C (high 30.3°C); January is the coolest at 24.9°C (low 19.9°C). The gap between those monthly averages is 2.2°C.

The monsoon runs from April to October. The three highest-scoring months for a visit are December, January, and February. That ranking uses the same 22°C / low-rain / 60% humidity score as the city pages. Population in the GeoNames record is 1,782,000. The wettest month is September (301 mm, 29 days with at least 1 mm); the driest is January (14 mm).

Ibadan in Nigeria

Ibadan sits at 7.38°, 3.91°. It is a monsoon climate with a sharp wet-dry split. March is the warmest month at 26.9°C (high 30.7°C); August is the coolest at 24.6°C (low 21.4°C). The gap between those monthly averages is 2.3°C.

The monsoon runs from April to October. The three highest-scoring months for a visit are December, January, and February. That ranking uses the same 22°C / low-rain / 60% humidity score as the city pages. Population in the GeoNames record is 3,649,000. The wettest month is September (310 mm, 30 days with at least 1 mm); the driest is December (19 mm).

Kaduna in Nigeria

Kaduna sits at 10.53°, 7.44°. It is a monsoon climate with a sharp wet-dry split. April is the warmest month at 28.4°C (high 34.8°C); December is the coolest at 22.0°C (low 13.8°C). The gap between those monthly averages is 6.4°C.

The monsoon runs from May to September. The three highest-scoring months for a visit are November, December, and January. That ranking uses the same 22°C / low-rain / 60% humidity score as the city pages. Population in the GeoNames record is 1,850,000. The wettest month is August (327 mm, 30 days with at least 1 mm); the driest is December (0 mm).

Kano in Nigeria

Kano sits at 12.00°, 8.52°. It is a mild oceanic climate. May is the warmest month at 31.8°C (high 38.9°C); January is the coolest at 21.8°C (low 12.5°C). The gap between those monthly averages is 10.0°C.

The rainy season runs from June to September. The three highest-scoring months for a visit are November, December, and January. That ranking uses the same 22°C / low-rain / 60% humidity score as the city pages. Population in the GeoNames record is 4,910,000. The wettest month is August (204 mm, 27 days with at least 1 mm); the driest is January (0 mm).

Lagos in Nigeria

Lagos sits at 6.45°, 3.39°. It is a monsoon climate with a sharp wet-dry split. March is the warmest month at 27.9°C (high 29.7°C); August is the coolest at 25.1°C (low 23.2°C). The gap between those monthly averages is 2.8°C.

The monsoon runs from April to October. The three highest-scoring months for a visit are December, January, and February. That ranking uses the same 22°C / low-rain / 60% humidity score as the city pages. Population in the GeoNames record is 15,388,000. The wettest month is September (245 mm, 28 days with at least 1 mm); the driest is December (25 mm).

Onitsha in Nigeria

Onitsha sits at 6.15°, 6.79°. It is a monsoon climate with a sharp wet-dry split. March is the warmest month at 27.2°C (high 30.5°C); January is the coolest at 24.6°C (low 19.7°C). The gap between those monthly averages is 2.6°C.

The monsoon runs from April to October. The three highest-scoring months for a visit are December, January, and February. That ranking uses the same 22°C / low-rain / 60% humidity score as the city pages. Population in the GeoNames record is 1,553,000. The wettest month is September (315 mm, 29 days with at least 1 mm); the driest is January (12 mm).

Port Harcourt in Nigeria

Port Harcourt sits at 4.78°, 7.01°. It is a monsoon climate with a sharp wet-dry split. March is the warmest month at 27.3°C (high 30.5°C); August is the coolest at 25.3°C (low 22.3°C). The gap between those monthly averages is 2.0°C.

The monsoon runs from March to November. The three highest-scoring months for a visit are January, August, and December. That ranking uses the same 22°C / low-rain / 60% humidity score as the city pages. Population in the GeoNames record is 2,120,000. The wettest month is September (397 mm, 29 days with at least 1 mm); the driest is January (26 mm).