🇳🇬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 2,000–3,300 mm and daytime temperatures mostly between 29°C and 34°C. The middle belt features tropical savanna climate with distinct wet and dry seasons, while the northern Sahel zones of Sokoto and Maiduguri endure semi-arid conditions with rainfall below 700 mm 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 in recent decades. The major 2022 floods killed over 600 people and displaced more than 1.3 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 about 25,000 km², and its area has fluctuated between roughly 1,200 and 5,000 km² since the mid-1990s.

The Sahel droughts of 1968–73 and the early 1980s caused widespread famine, and northern Nigeria has seen intensifying heat in recent years. Rising sea levels threaten Niger Delta communities, and northern cities face growing heat extremes alongside more frequent flood-drought cycles.

Our archive covers 106 Nigerian cities with daily ERA5 reanalysis data going back to 1940. The hottest July afternoons are in Nguru, with average highs around 33.6°C, while Jos has the coldest January nights, with average lows near 12°C. Comparing the last decade against the 1940–1970 baseline, mean temperatures across these cities have risen by about 1.4°C.