Climate and Average Weather Year Round in Magburaka Sierra Leone

In Magburaka, the wet season is warm, oppressive, and overcast and the dry season is hot, muggy, and partly cloudy. Over the course of the year, the temperature typically varies from 66°F to 98°F and is rarely below 60°F or above 103°F.

Based on the beach/pool score, the best time of year to visit Magburaka for hot-weather activities is from late November to mid February.

The hot season lasts for 2.5 months, from February 6 to April 22, with an average daily high temperature above 95°F. The hottest month of the year in Magburaka is April, with an average high of 95°F and low of 76°F.

The cool season lasts for 4.1 months, from June 25 to October 27, with an average daily high temperature below 85°F. The coldest month of the year in Magburaka is August, with an average low of 72°F and high of 82°F.

In Magburaka, the average percentage of the sky covered by clouds experiences significant seasonal variation over the course of the year.

The clearer part of the year in Magburaka begins around November 18 and lasts for 4.3 months, ending around March 27.

The clearest month of the year in Magburaka is January, during which on average the sky is clear, mostly clear, or partly cloudy 61% of the time.

The cloudier part of the year begins around March 27 and lasts for 7.7 months, ending around November 18.

The cloudiest month of the year in Magburaka is August, during which on average the sky is overcast or mostly cloudy 78% of the time.

A wet day is one with at least 0.04 inches of liquid or liquid-equivalent precipitation. The chance of wet days in Magburaka varies very significantly throughout the year.

The wetter season lasts 5.5 months, from May 8 to October 24, with a greater than 46% chance of a given day being a wet day. The month with the most wet days in Magburaka is August, with an average of 27.6 days with at least 0.04 inches of precipitation.

The drier season lasts 6.5 months, from October 24 to May 8. The month with the fewest wet days in Magburaka is January, with an average of 0.5 days with at least 0.04 inches of precipitation.

Among wet days, we distinguish between those that experience rain alone, snow alone, or a mixture of the two. The month with the most days of rain alone in Magburaka is August, with an average of 27.6 days. Based on this categorization, the most common form of precipitation throughout the year is rain alone, with a peak probability of 91% on August 22.

Rainfall

To show variation within the months and not just the monthly totals, we show the rainfall accumulated over a sliding 31-day period centered around each day of the year. Magburaka experiences extreme seasonal variation in monthly rainfall.

The rainy period of the year lasts for 9.3 months, from March 4 to December 12, with a sliding 31-day rainfall of at least 0.5 inches. The month with the most rain in Magburaka is August, with an average rainfall of 20.2 inches.

The rainless period of the year lasts for 2.7 months, from December 12 to March 4. The month with the least rain in Magburaka is January, with an average rainfall of 0.1 inches.

The length of the day in Magburaka does not vary substantially over the course of the year, staying within 38 minutes of 12 hours throughout. In 2024, the shortest day is December 21, with 11 hours, 37 minutes of daylight; the longest day is June 20, with 12 hours, 38 minutes of daylight.

The earliest sunrise is at 6:27 AM on May 27, and the latest sunrise is 41 minutes later at 7:08 AM on January 29. The earliest sunset is at 6:24 PM on November 14, and the latest sunset is 47 minutes later at 7:11 PM on July 13.

Daylight saving time (DST) is not observed in Magburaka during 2024.

The figure below presents a compact representation of key lunar data for 2024. The horizontal axis is the day, the vertical axis is the hour of the day, and the colored areas indicate when the moon is above the horizon. The vertical gray bars (new Moons) and blue bars (full Moons) indicate key Moon phases.

We base the humidity comfort level on the dew point, as it determines whether perspiration will evaporate from the skin, thereby cooling the body. Lower dew points feel drier and higher dew points feel more humid. Unlike temperature, which typically varies significantly between night and day, dew point tends to change more slowly, so while the temperature may drop at night, a muggy day is typically followed by a muggy night.

Magburaka experiences extreme seasonal variation in the perceived humidity.

The muggier period of the year lasts for 10 months, from February 8 to December 18, during which time the comfort level is muggy, oppressive, or miserable at least 52% of the time.

The month with the fewest muggy days in Magburaka is January, with 12.3 days that are muggy or worse.

This section discusses the wide-area hourly average wind vector (speed and direction) at 10 meters above the ground. The wind experienced at any given location is highly dependent on local topography and other factors, and instantaneous wind speed and direction vary more widely than hourly averages.

The average hourly wind speed in Magburaka experiences significant seasonal variation over the course of the year.

The windier part of the year lasts for 3.1 months, from June 17 to September 20, with average wind speeds of more than 5.6 miles per hour. The windiest month of the year in Magburaka is August, with an average hourly wind speed of 7.4 miles per hour.

The calmer time of year lasts for 8.9 months, from September 20 to June 17. The calmest month of the year in Magburaka is November, with an average hourly wind speed of 3.7 miles per hour.

The predominant average hourly wind direction in Magburaka varies throughout the year.

The wind is most often from the west for 9.5 months, from February 1 to November 16, with a peak percentage of 70% on April 3. The wind is most often from the east for 2.5 months, from November 16 to February 1, with a peak percentage of 57% on January 1.

Magburaka is located near a large body of water (e.g., ocean, sea, or large lake). This section reports on the wide-area average surface temperature of that water.

The average water temperature does not vary significantly over the course of the year, remaining within 2°F of 82°F throughout.

To characterize how pleasant the weather is in Magburaka throughout the year, we compute two travel scores.

The tourism score favors clear, rainless days with perceived temperatures between 65°F and 80°F. Based on this score, the best time of year to visit Magburaka for general outdoor tourist activities is from early December to late January, with a peak score in the first week of January.

The beach/pool score favors clear, rainless days with perceived temperatures between 75°F and 90°F. Based on this score, the best time of year to visit Magburaka for hot-weather activities is from late November to mid February, with a peak score in the first week of January.

Methodology

For each hour between 8:00 AM and 9:00 PM of each day in the analysis period (1980 to 2016), independent scores are computed for perceived temperature, cloud cover, and total precipitation. Those scores are combined into a single hourly composite score, which is then aggregated into days, averaged over all the years in the analysis period, and smoothed.

Our cloud cover score is 10 for fully clear skies, falling linearly to 9 for mostly clear skies, and to 1 for fully overcast skies.

Our precipitation score, which is based on the three-hour precipitation centered on the hour in question, is 10 for no precipitation, falling linearly to 9 for trace precipitation, and to 0 for 0.04 inches of precipitation or more.

Our tourism temperature score is 0 for perceived temperatures below 50°F, rising linearly to 9 for 65°F, to 10 for 75°F, falling linearly to 9 for 80°F, and to 1 for 90°F or hotter.

Our beach/pool temperature score is 0 for perceived temperatures below 65°F, rising linearly to 9 for 75°F, to 10 for 82°F, falling linearly to 9 for 90°F, and to 1 for 100°F or hotter.

Definitions of the growing season vary throughout the world, but for the purposes of this report, we define it as the longest continuous period of non-freezing temperatures (≥ 32°F) in the year (the calendar year in the Northern Hemisphere, or from July 1 until June 30 in the Southern Hemisphere).

Temperatures in Magburaka are sufficiently warm year round that it is not entirely meaningful to discuss the growing season in these terms. We nevertheless include the chart below as an illustration of the distribution of temperatures experienced throughout the year.

Growing degree days are a measure of yearly heat accumulation used to predict plant and animal development, and defined as the integral of warmth above a base temperature, discarding any excess above a maximum temperature. In this report, we use a base of 50°F and a cap of 86°F.

This section discusses the total daily incident shortwave solar energy reaching the surface of the ground over a wide area, taking full account of seasonal variations in the length of the day, the elevation of the Sun above the horizon, and absorption by clouds and other atmospheric constituents. Shortwave radiation includes visible light and ultraviolet radiation.

The average daily incident shortwave solar energy experiences some seasonal variation over the course of the year.

The brighter period of the year lasts for 2.5 months, from January 20 to April 3, with an average daily incident shortwave energy per square meter above 5.5 kWh. The brightest month of the year in Magburaka is February, with an average of 5.7 kWh.

The darker period of the year lasts for 6.4 months, from May 6 to November 19, with an average daily incident shortwave energy per square meter below 4.5 kWh. The darkest month of the year in Magburaka is October, with an average of 4.3 kWh.

For the purposes of this report, the geographical coordinates of Magburaka are 8.723 deg latitude, -11.949 deg longitude, and 325 ft elevation.

The topography within 2 miles of Magburaka contains only modest variations in elevation, with a maximum elevation change of 410 feet and an average elevation above sea level of 310 feet. Within 10 miles contains only modest variations in elevation (692 feet). Within 50 miles contains significant variations in elevation (3,140 feet).

The area within 2 miles of Magburaka is covered by trees (42%) and cropland (41%), within 10 miles by trees (47%) and cropland (35%), and within 50 miles by trees (48%) and cropland (26%).