Climate and Average Weather Year Round in Isua Nigeria

In Isua, 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 64°F to 91°F and is rarely below 58°F or above 96°F.

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

The hot season lasts for 2.5 months, from January 23 to April 8, with an average daily high temperature above 89°F. The hottest month of the year in Isua is March, with an average high of 90°F and low of 72°F.

The cool season lasts for 4.1 months, from June 16 to October 20, with an average daily high temperature below 83°F. The coldest month of the year in Isua is August, with an average low of 69°F and high of 81°F.

In Isua, 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 Isua begins around November 11 and lasts for 3.0 months, ending around February 12.

The clearest month of the year in Isua is December, during which on average the sky is clear, mostly clear, or partly cloudy 50% of the time.

The cloudier part of the year begins around February 12 and lasts for 9.0 months, ending around November 11.

The cloudiest month of the year in Isua is April, during which on average the sky is overcast or mostly cloudy 83% 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 Isua varies very significantly throughout the year.

The wetter season lasts 6.4 months, from April 14 to October 25, with a greater than 40% chance of a given day being a wet day. The month with the most wet days in Isua is September, with an average of 22.9 days with at least 0.04 inches of precipitation.

The drier season lasts 5.6 months, from October 25 to April 14. The month with the fewest wet days in Isua is January, with an average of 0.8 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 Isua is September, with an average of 22.9 days. Based on this categorization, the most common form of precipitation throughout the year is rain alone, with a peak probability of 79% on September 11.

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. Isua experiences extreme seasonal variation in monthly rainfall.

The rainy period of the year lasts for 9.1 months, from February 14 to November 19, with a sliding 31-day rainfall of at least 0.5 inches. The month with the most rain in Isua is September, with an average rainfall of 8.0 inches.

The rainless period of the year lasts for 2.9 months, from November 19 to February 14. The month with the least rain in Isua is December, with an average rainfall of 0.2 inches.

The length of the day in Isua does not vary substantially over the course of the year, staying within 33 minutes of 12 hours throughout. In 2024, the shortest day is December 21, with 11 hours, 42 minutes of daylight; the longest day is June 20, with 12 hours, 33 minutes of daylight.

The earliest sunrise is at 6:18 AM on May 25, and the latest sunrise is 37 minutes later at 6:55 AM on January 30. The earliest sunset is at 6:14 PM on November 13, and the latest sunset is 43 minutes later at 6:57 PM on July 14.

Daylight saving time (DST) is not observed in Isua 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.

Isua experiences extreme seasonal variation in the perceived humidity.

The muggier period of the year lasts for 10 months, from January 28 to December 10, during which time the comfort level is muggy, oppressive, or miserable at least 43% of the time. The month with the most muggy days in Isua is July, with 31.0 days that are muggy or worse.

The month with the fewest muggy days in Isua is January, with 10.5 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 Isua experiences significant seasonal variation over the course of the year.

The windier part of the year lasts for 7.0 months, from February 11 to September 10, with average wind speeds of more than 5.8 miles per hour. The windiest month of the year in Isua is April, with an average hourly wind speed of 7.1 miles per hour.

The calmer time of year lasts for 5.0 months, from September 10 to February 11. The calmest month of the year in Isua is November, with an average hourly wind speed of 4.4 miles per hour.

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

The wind is most often from the west for 2.6 months, from January 27 to April 16; for 2.6 weeks, from April 23 to May 11; and for 5.6 months, from May 31 to November 19, with a peak percentage of 70% on July 29. The wind is most often from the south for 1.0 weeks, from April 16 to April 23 and for 2.9 weeks, from May 11 to May 31, with a peak percentage of 49% on May 15. The wind is most often from the east for 2.3 months, from November 19 to January 27, with a peak percentage of 40% on January 1.

To characterize how pleasant the weather is in Isua 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 Isua for general outdoor tourist activities is from early December to mid January, with a peak score in the last week of December.

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 Isua for hot-weather activities is from early November to mid February, with a peak score in the third week of December.

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 Isua 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.

For the purposes of this report, the geographical coordinates of Isua are 7.454 deg latitude, 5.910 deg longitude, and 1,171 ft elevation.

The topography within 2 miles of Isua contains very significant variations in elevation, with a maximum elevation change of 1,191 feet and an average elevation above sea level of 1,252 feet. Within 10 miles also contains very significant variations in elevation (1,581 feet). Within 50 miles contains very significant variations in elevation (2,487 feet).

The area within 2 miles of Isua is covered by cropland (42%), shrubs (36%), and trees (22%), within 10 miles by cropland (43%) and shrubs (30%), and within 50 miles by cropland (37%) and trees (29%).