Climate

Climate
Most of Africa has a warm or hot climate, but the humidity and amount of rainfall vary dramatically from area to area.

Africa has the largest tropical area of any continent. The equator runs through the middle of Africa, and about 90 per cent of the continent lies within the tropics. In countries south of the equator, the seasons are opposite those of countries that lie north of the equator. But temperatures are high the year around almost everywhere in Africa. The variations between summer and winter temperatures are slight. In fact, the difference between daytime and nighttime temperatures in most parts of the continent is greater than the difference in the average temperatures between the coldest and warmest months. For this reason, some people say that nighttime is the “winter” of the tropics.

Africa’s highest temperatures occur in the Sahara and in parts of Somalia. The highest temperature ever recorded in the world was 136 degrees F. (58 degrees C) in the shade at Al Aziziyah, Libya, on Sept. 13, 1922. At I-n-Salah, Algeria, and along the north coast of Somalia, July temperatures soar to 115 degrees F. (46 degrees C) or higher almost every day. Nighttime temperatures, however, may drop sharply. The Sahara also has the greatest seasonal range of temperatures in Africa. Winter temperatures in the Sahara average from 50 degrees to 60 degrees F. (10 degrees to 16 degrees C). Near the equator, temperatures may average 75 degrees F. (24 degrees C) or more the year around. But temperatures of more than 100 degrees F. (38 degrees C) are rare.

The coolest regions in Africa are the northwest, the highland areas of the east, and parts of the south. In Johannesburg, South Africa, for example, the average temperature in January, the warmest month, is 68 degrees F. (20 degrees C). Frost and snowfall are common in the mountains of Africa.

Climate Change and Vulnerability in Africa

Africa is one of the most vulnerable continents to climate change and climate variability, a situation aggravated by the interaction of ‘multiple stresses’, occurring at various levels, and low adaptive capacity

African farmers have developed several adaptation options to cope with current climate variability, but such adaptations may not be sufficient for future changes of climate

Agricultural production and food security (including access to food) in many African countries and regions are likely to be severely compromised by climate change and climate variability

Climate change will aggravate the water stress currently faced by some countries, while some countries that currently do not experience water stress will become at risk of water stress.

Changes in a variety of ecosystems are already being detected, particularly in southern African ecosystems, at a faster rate than anticipated

Climate variability and change could result in low-lying lands being inundated, with resultant impacts on coastal settlements

Human health, already compromised by a range of factors, could be further negatively impacted by climate change and climate variability, e.g., malaria in southern Africa and the East African highlands