🇳🇬Nigeria

Nigeria spans three distinct climate zones reflecting its vast geographic range. The humid southern coastal region experiences tropical monsoon conditions with annual rainfall reaching 2,000-3,300mm and temperatures rarely exceeding 32°C. The middle belt features tropical savanna climate with distinct wet and dry seasons, while the northern Sahel zones of Sokoto, Kano, and Maiduguri endure semi-arid conditions with rainfall below 700mm and daytime temperatures frequently surpassing 35°C. The Harmattan, a dusty northeast wind, sweeps across the country from December to January, reducing humidity and visibility during the dry season.

Climate change impacts have intensified since the 1970s. The major 2022 floods killed over 600 people and displaced 1.4 million across 33 of Nigeria's 36 states, marking the worst flooding since 2012. Lake Chad has shrunk by approximately 90% from its 1960s extent of 28,000 km², now fluctuating between 2,000–5,000 km².

The Sahel droughts of 1972-73 and 1984-85 caused widespread famine, while 2021 recorded Nigeria's highest temperatures in four decades. Rising sea levels threaten Niger Delta communities, and northern cities face growing heat extremes alongside more frequent flood-drought cycles.

Our archive covers 3 Nigerian cities with daily ERA5 reanalysis data going back to 1940. The warmest July averages occur in Kano, around 30.6°C, while Kano records the coldest January nights near 12.7°C. Comparing the last decade against the 1940–1970 baseline, mean temperatures across these cities have risen by about 1.3°C.4 million, the 2024 Maiduguri floods, Lake Chad's ~90% surface shrinkage since the 1960s, the brutal Sahel droughts of 1972-73 and 1984-85, the April 2024 West African heatwave reaching 45°C, and accelerating Niger Delta sea-level rise.