Africa is the second largest continent in the world, after Asia. Africa spans both hemispheres, meaning that the top part is in the Northern Hemisphere, and the bottom is in the Southern Hemisphere. The weather in Africa varies a lot because the continent is so large! Each region has a different climate, and the weather changes from country to country. Read on to learn more about the climate differences between African regions.
What is the weather like in North Africa?
North Africa is very hot, with a desert climate and little rain. Although temperatures are generally very high, they can drop below freezing in the mountains and the Sahara desert when nighttime comes. The Sahara desert dominates the climate of North Africa.
What is the weather like in Equatorial / Central Africa?
Equatorial Africa / Central Africa has a monsoon climate with high temperatures and humidity. Heavy seasonal rains are shared here. East Africa has separate dry and rainy seasons. Individual dry and rainy seasons happen in most countries south of the Sahara Desert instead of Europe and the US’s traditional spring, summer, autumn, and winter.
What is the weather like in Southern Africa?
The weather in Southern Africa varies more than its northern neighbors, with the temperature changing considerably throughout the year. This is a vast region, so it has a diverse climate. Winters in South Africa are cold and windy with harsh winds, and summers are warmer but with heavy rains. In addition, the seasons are reversed from what we are used to in the Northern Hemisphere because summer lasts from November to January, and winter runs from June to August.
Weather in different countries in Africa:
Morocco
Located in the north of Africa, Morocco has a seasonal pattern similar to other Northern Hemisphere countries. Summer is hot, with temperatures often exceeding 40 degrees Celsius. The winters are generally cold and wet.
Uganda
Uganda is in eastern-central Africa and has a tropical, consistently warm climate. The mountains can get extremely cold, though! For example, the top of the volcanic mountain Mount Elgon is usually covered in snow. There is a rainy season from March to May and October to November. Temperatures do generally not exceed 29 degrees Celsius.
Kenya
Kenya is in eastern-central Africa, next to Uganda. The monsoon winds and rainy seasons are the main features of the weather in Kenya, with the warmest temperatures along the coast. There are two rainy seasons: one is from April to June, and the other is from November to December. Summer is the country’s hottest period, from December to March.
Egypt
Egypt is located at the very top of Africa, on the Eastern corner of the continent. Egypt has three types of climate: a Mediterranean climate on the northern coast, a desert climate in the country’s center, and a milder desert climate on the east coast, next to the Red Sea. In the capital, Cairo, the summers are long, hot, and humid, and the winters are mild.
Namibia
A country in the southwest of Africa, Namibia has a hot desert climate. It is dry, warm, and sunny throughout the year, and there is not a lot of rain. When it does rain, it happens in summer, which is from December to March. Winter is more relaxed and occurs from June to August.
Rwanda
Rwanda, a small country south of Uganda, has very little difference between seasons due to its high elevation. This country has a chilly climate with a dry season from June to September and two rainy seasons, from March to May and October to November.
