🇨🇲Cameroon

Cameroon (1°40′–13°05′N) in West/Central Africa is often called 'Africa in miniature' because it compresses the continent's full climate spectrum. Coastal lowlands rim the Gulf of Guinea, dominated by Mt Cameroon (4,040 m, West Africa's highest active volcano). The Adamawa plateau (1,000–1,500 m) runs east–west, with the Mandara mountains north and the dry Diamaré plain reaching Lake Chad. Five Köppen zones coexist: tropical monsoon (Am) coastally, equatorial rainforest (Af) south, tropical savanna (Aw) centrally, hot semi-arid (BSh) far north, and highland temperate (Cwb) on elevated terrain.

Douala averages 26°C with 4,200 mm of rainfall — among Africa's wettest cities — peaking June–September during the West African monsoon. Debundscha at Mt Cameroon's foot receives over 10,000 mm annually, one of Earth's wettest spots. Yaoundé on the southern plateau (760 m) is milder at 24°C with 1,600 mm split into two rainy seasons. Bamenda in the western highlands is cool at 22°C with 2,500 mm.

Maroua in the Sahelian north averages 28°C with 800 mm rainfall concentrated in July–September, followed by harmattan-dominated dry months. Cameroon experiences volcanic activity, with Mount Cameroon erupting in 1999 and 2000. The 1986 Lake Nyos limnic event resulted in gas release in the region. Ongoing threats include Sahel droughts affecting northern populations, Lake Chad shrinkage reducing water availability, and coastal erosion impacting southern regions.

Our archive covers 16 Cameroonian cities with daily ERA5 reanalysis data going back to 1940. The warmest July averages occur in Kousséri, around 33.1°C, while Kumbo records the coldest January nights near 12.9°C. Comparing the last decade against the 1940–1970 baseline, mean temperatures across these cities have risen by about 1.4°C.