NATIONAL PROFILE 2011-2012 - ICYE

…NigeriaClimate:Equatorial in the Niger Delta and costal areas, tropical up to the middle section and arid in the extreme north.Temperatures average from 23-31 degree C in the South with relatively high humidity and 18-35 degrees C inthe North. The Jos plateau and the eastern highlands moderate the temperatures, with maximum no morethan 28 degrees C and minimum sometimes as low as 14 degrees C in the period of November to February.Two main seasons-rainy and dry with length of the rainy season decreasing progressively from 9-12 months inthe south to under 5 months in the extreme north. The dry season commences from harmattan, a dry chillyspell that lasts till February or more recently early March and is associated with lower temperatures, a dustyand hazy atmosphere brought about by the North-Easterly winds blowing from across the Sahara. The hottestmonths are from February to March/early April. Annual rainfall ranges from 3,800 mm in the Niger Delta to 650mm at the north east of the country. There is usually a slight break in the rains of 2-3 weeks in late July andearly August in some parts of the south. Relief also affects the rainfall distribution.