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Climate and Average Weather Year Round in Port Harcourt Nigeria

In Port Harcourt, the wet season is warm and overcast, the dry season is hot and mostly cloudy, and it is oppressive year round. Over the course of the year, the temperature typically varies from 71°F to 87°F and is rarely below 64°F or above 90°F.

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

Climate in Port Harcourt

hotwarmhotJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecNowNow42%42%11%11%overcastclearprecipitation: 14.7 inprecipitation: 14.7 in0.7 in0.7 inmuggy: 100%muggy: 100%75%75%beach/pool score: 6.7beach/pool score: 6.74.24.2
Port Harcourt weather by month. Click on each chart for more information.

The temperature in Port Harcourt varies so little throughout the year that it is not entirely meaningful to discuss hot and cold seasons.

Average High and Low Temperature in Port Harcourt

Average High and Low Temperature in Port HarcourtJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec0°F0°F10°F10°F20°F20°F30°F30°F40°F40°F50°F50°F60°F60°F70°F70°F80°F80°F90°F90°F100°F100°FJan 686°FJan 686°FFeb 1687°FFeb 1687°F71°F71°F74°F74°FMar 2086°FMar 2086°FJun 1583°FJun 1583°FOct 2283°FOct 2283°F76°F76°F74°F74°F74°F74°FNowNow
The daily average high (red line) and low (blue line) temperature, with 25th to 75th and 10th to 90th percentile bands. The thin dotted lines are the corresponding average perceived temperatures.
AverageJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
High 86°F87°F86°F85°F84°F83°F82°F82°F82°F83°F84°F85°F
Temp. 78°F80°F80°F80°F79°F78°F76°F76°F77°F78°F79°F78°F
Low 71°F74°F76°F76°F76°F74°F73°F73°F73°F74°F74°F72°F

The figure below shows you a compact characterization of the entire year of hourly average temperatures. The horizontal axis is the day of the year, the vertical axis is the hour of the day, and the color is the average temperature for that hour and day.

Average Hourly Temperature in Port Harcourt

Average Hourly Temperature in Port HarcourtJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec12 AM12 AM2 AM2 AM4 AM4 AM6 AM6 AM8 AM8 AM10 AM10 AM12 PM12 PM2 PM2 PM4 PM4 PM6 PM6 PM8 PM8 PM10 PM10 PM12 AM12 AMNowNowcomfortablecomfortablecomfortablewarmwarmhothot
frigid 15°F freezing 32°F very cold 45°F cold 55°F cool 65°F comfortable 75°F warm 85°F hot 95°F sweltering
The average hourly temperature, color coded into bands. The shaded overlays indicate night and civil twilight.

Lídice, Panama (5,965 miles away) is the far-away foreign place with temperatures most similar to Port Harcourt (view comparison).

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In Port Harcourt, 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 Port Harcourt begins around November 20 and lasts for 2.8 months, ending around February 13.

The clearest month of the year in Port Harcourt is December, during which on average the sky is clear, mostly clear, or partly cloudy 38% of the time.

The cloudier part of the year begins around February 13 and lasts for 9.2 months, ending around November 20.

The cloudiest month of the year in Port Harcourt is April, during which on average the sky is overcast or mostly cloudy 89% of the time.

Cloud Cover Categories in Port Harcourt

Cloud Cover Categories in Port HarcourtclearerclearercloudierJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec0%100%10%90%20%80%30%70%40%60%50%50%60%40%70%30%80%20%90%10%100%0%Dec 2642%Dec 2642%Apr 2011%Apr 2011%Nov 2026%Nov 2026%Feb 1327%Feb 1327%NowNowclearmostly clearpartly cloudymostly cloudyovercast
0% clear 20% mostly clear 40% partly cloudy 60% mostly cloudy 80% overcast 100%
The percentage of time spent in each cloud cover band, categorized by the percentage of the sky covered by clouds.
FractionJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
Cloudier 65%75%86%89%87%79%74%74%80%83%76%62%
Clearer 35%25%14%11%13%21%26%26%20%17%24%38%

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

The wetter season lasts 7.7 months, from March 19 to November 10, with a greater than 46% chance of a given day being a wet day. The month with the most wet days in Port Harcourt is September, with an average of 24.5 days with at least 0.04 inches of precipitation.

The drier season lasts 4.3 months, from November 10 to March 19. The month with the fewest wet days in Port Harcourt is January, with an average of 2.8 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 Port Harcourt is September, with an average of 24.5 days. Based on this categorization, the most common form of precipitation throughout the year is rain alone, with a peak probability of 84% on September 11.

Daily Chance of Precipitation in Port Harcourt

Daily Chance of Precipitation in Port HarcourtwetdrydryJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec0%0%10%10%20%20%30%30%40%40%50%50%60%60%70%70%80%80%90%90%100%100%Sep 1184%Sep 1184%Jan 18%Jan 18%Mar 1946%Mar 1946%Nov 1046%Nov 1046%NowNowrain
The percentage of days in which various types of precipitation are observed, excluding trace quantities: rain alone, snow alone, and mixed (both rain and snow fell in the same day).
Days ofJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
Rain 2.8d5.3d13.3d17.8d20.5d22.6d22.6d23.3d24.5d22.8d11.5d3.6d

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. Port Harcourt experiences extreme seasonal variation in monthly rainfall.

Rain falls throughout the year in Port Harcourt. The month with the most rain in Port Harcourt is August, with an average rainfall of 13.9 inches.

The month with the least rain in Port Harcourt is January, with an average rainfall of 0.8 inches.

Average Monthly Rainfall in Port Harcourt

Average Monthly Rainfall in Port HarcourtJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec0 in0 in5 in5 in10 in10 in15 in15 in20 in20 in25 in25 in30 in30 inSep 214.7 inSep 214.7 inJan 100.7 inJan 100.7 inJun 2713.5 inJun 2713.5 inNowNow
The average rainfall (solid line) accumulated over the course of a sliding 31-day period centered on the day in question, with 25th to 75th and 10th to 90th percentile bands. The thin dotted line is the corresponding average snowfall.
JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
Rainfall 0.8″1.5″4.3″6.4″9.0″12.9″13.4″13.9″13.9″10.4″3.8″1.0″

The length of the day in Port Harcourt does not vary substantially over the course of the year, staying within 24 minutes of 12 hours throughout. In 2024, the shortest day is December 21, with 11 hours, 51 minutes of daylight; the longest day is June 20, with 12 hours, 24 minutes of daylight.

Hours of Daylight and Twilight in Port Harcourt

Hours of Daylight and Twilight in Port HarcourtJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec0 hr24 hr4 hr20 hr8 hr16 hr12 hr12 hr16 hr8 hr20 hr4 hr24 hr0 hr12 hr, 6 minMar 2012 hr, 6 minMar 2012 hr, 24 minJun 2012 hr, 24 minJun 2012 hr, 7 minSep 2212 hr, 7 minSep 2211 hr, 51 minDec 2111 hr, 51 minDec 21nightnightdayNowNow
The number of hours during which the Sun is visible (black line). From bottom (most yellow) to top (most gray), the color bands indicate: full daylight, twilight (civil, nautical, and astronomical), and full night.
Hours ofJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
Daylight 11.9h12.0h12.1h12.2h12.3h12.4h12.4h12.3h12.1h12.0h11.9h11.9h

The earliest sunrise is at 6:16 AM on October 25, and the latest sunrise is 31 minutes later at 6:47 AM on February 4. The earliest sunset is at 6:13 PM on November 8, and the latest sunset is 36 minutes later at 6:49 PM on July 18.

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

Sunrise & Sunset with Twilight in Port Harcourt

Sunrise & Sunset with Twilight in Port HarcourtJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec2 AM4 AM6 AM8 AM10 AM12 PM2 PM4 PM6 PM8 PM10 PM12 AMOct 256:16 AMOct 256:16 AM6:49 PMJul 186:49 PMJul 18Nov 86:13 PMNov 86:13 PM6:47 AMFeb 46:47 AMFeb 4daynightnightSolarMidnightSolarMidnightSolarNoonSunriseSunsetNowNow
The solar day over the course of the year 2024. From bottom to top, the black lines are the previous solar midnight, sunrise, solar noon, sunset, and the next solar midnight. The day, twilights (civil, nautical, and astronomical), and night are indicated by the color bands from yellow to gray.

The figure below presents a compact representation of the sun's elevation (the angle of the sun above the horizon) and azimuth (its compass bearing) for every hour of every day in the reporting period. The horizontal axis is the day of the year and the vertical axis is the hour of the day. For a given day and hour of that day, the background color indicates the azimuth of the sun at that moment. The black isolines are contours of constant solar elevation.

Solar Elevation and Azimuth in Port Harcourt

Solar Elevation and Azimuth in Port HarcourtJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec12 AM12 AM2 AM2 AM4 AM4 AM6 AM6 AM8 AM8 AM10 AM10 AM12 PM12 PM2 PM2 PM4 PM4 PM6 PM6 PM8 PM8 PM10 PM10 PM12 AM12 AM0000101010102020202030303030404040405050505060606060707070808000001010101020202020303030304040404050505050606060607070708090NowNow
northeastsouthwest
Solar elevation and azimuth over the course of the year 2024. The black lines are lines of constant solar elevation (the angle of the sun above the horizon, in degrees). The background color fills indicate the azimuth (the compass bearing) of the sun. The lightly tinted areas at the boundaries of the cardinal compass points indicate the implied intermediate directions (northeast, southeast, southwest, and northwest).

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.

Moon Rise, Set & Phases in Port Harcourt

The time in which the moon is above the horizon (light blue area), with new moons (dark gray lines) and full moons (blue lines) indicated. The shaded overlays indicate night and civil twilight.

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.

Port Harcourt experiences some seasonal variation in the perceived humidity.

The muggier period of the year lasts for 11 months, from January 31 to December 25, during which time the comfort level is muggy, oppressive, or miserable at least 81% of the time.

The month with the fewest muggy days in Port Harcourt is January, with 23.8 days that are muggy or worse.

Humidity Comfort Levels in Port Harcourt

Humidity Comfort Levels in Port HarcourtmuggyJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec0%0%10%10%20%20%30%30%40%40%50%50%60%60%70%70%80%80%90%90%100%100%Jan 1775%Jan 1775%100%Jul 24100%Jul 24Dec 2581%Dec 2581%NowNowmiserablemiserableoppressiveoppressivemuggymuggycomfortablecomfortable
dry 55°F comfortable 60°F humid 65°F muggy 70°F oppressive 75°F miserable
The percentage of time spent at various humidity comfort levels, categorized by dew point.
JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
Muggy days 23.8d25.7d30.6d30.0d31.0d30.0d31.0d31.0d30.0d31.0d29.7d27.0d

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 Port Harcourt experiences mild seasonal variation over the course of the year.

The windier part of the year lasts for 3.9 months, from June 6 to October 2, with average wind speeds of more than 4.4 miles per hour. The windiest month of the year in Port Harcourt is August, with an average hourly wind speed of 5.5 miles per hour.

The calmer time of year lasts for 8.1 months, from October 2 to June 6. The calmest month of the year in Port Harcourt is December, with an average hourly wind speed of 3.4 miles per hour.

Average Wind Speed in Port Harcourt

Average Wind Speed in Port HarcourtwindyJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec0 mph0 mph1 mph1 mph2 mph2 mph3 mph3 mph4 mph4 mph5 mph5 mph6 mph6 mph7 mph7 mph8 mph8 mphAug 75.6 mphAug 75.6 mphDec 93.3 mphDec 93.3 mphJun 64.4 mphJun 64.4 mphOct 24.4 mphOct 24.4 mphNowNow
The average of mean hourly wind speeds (dark gray line), with 25th to 75th and 10th to 90th percentile bands.
JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
Wind Speed (mph) 3.94.24.24.24.14.75.35.54.94.13.43.4

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

The wind is most often from the west for 2.5 months, from January 8 to March 22 and for 6.0 months, from June 20 to December 19, with a peak percentage of 65% on September 21. The wind is most often from the south for 2.9 months, from March 22 to June 20, with a peak percentage of 58% on April 10. The wind is most often from the north for 2.9 weeks, from December 19 to January 8, with a peak percentage of 44% on January 1.

Wind Direction in Port Harcourt

Wind Direction in Port HarcourtWSWNJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec0%100%20%80%40%60%60%40%80%20%100%0%NowNowwestsouthnorth
northeastsouthwest
The percentage of hours in which the mean wind direction is from each of the four cardinal wind directions, excluding hours in which the mean wind speed is less than 1.0 mph. The lightly tinted areas at the boundaries are the percentage of hours spent in the implied intermediate directions (northeast, southeast, southwest, and northwest).

Port Harcourt 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 experiences some seasonal variation over the course of the year.

The time of year with warmer water lasts for 3.4 months, from February 14 to May 27, with an average temperature above 83°F. The month of the year in Port Harcourt with the warmest water is April, with an average temperature of 84°F.

The time of year with cooler water lasts for 2.4 months, from July 14 to September 27, with an average temperature below 80°F. The month of the year in Port Harcourt with the coolest water is August, with an average temperature of 79°F.

Average Water Temperature in Port Harcourt

Average Water Temperature in Port HarcourtwarmcoolJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec76°F76°F78°F78°F80°F80°F82°F82°F84°F84°F86°F86°FApr 1984°FApr 1984°F79°FAug 1079°FAug 10Feb 1483°FFeb 1483°FMay 2783°FMay 2783°FJul 1480°FJul 1480°FSep 2780°FSep 2780°FNowNow
The daily average water temperature (purple line), with 25th to 75th and 10th to 90th percentile bands.
WaterJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
Temperature 83°F83°F84°F84°F84°F82°F80°F79°F79°F81°F82°F83°F

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

Tourism Score in Port Harcourt

Tourism Score in Port HarcourtJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec002244668810104.94.92.62.64.04.03.33.3NowNowtemperaturetemperature cloudscloudsprecipitationprecipitationtourism score
The tourism score (filled area), and its constituents: the temperature score (red line), the cloud cover score (blue line), and the precipitation score (green line).

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 Port Harcourt for hot-weather activities is from late November to late January, with a peak score in the last week of December.

Beach/Pool Score in Port Harcourt

Beach/Pool Score in Port HarcourtJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec002244668810106.76.74.24.24.84.84.34.3NowNowtemperaturetemperature cloudscloudsprecipitationprecipitationbeach/pool score
The beach/pool score (filled area), and its constituents: the temperature score (red line), the cloud cover score (blue line), and the precipitation score (green line).

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 Port Harcourt 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.

Time Spent in Various Temperature Bands and the Growing Season in Port Harcourt

Time Spent in Various Temperature Bands and the Growing Season in Port HarcourtJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec0%100%10%90%20%80%30%70%40%60%50%50%60%40%70%30%80%20%90%10%100%0%100%Jan 1100%Jan 1100%Jul 2100%Jul 2NowNowcomfortablewarmhotcool
frigid 15°F freezing 32°F very cold 45°F cold 55°F cool 65°F comfortable 75°F warm 85°F hot 95°F sweltering
The percentage of time spent in various temperature bands. The black line is the percentage chance that a given day is within the growing season.

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.

Growing Degree Days in Port Harcourt

Growing Degree Days in Port HarcourtJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec0°F0°F2,000°F2,000°F4,000°F4,000°F6,000°F6,000°F8,000°F8,000°F10,000°F10,000°FJan 490°FJan 490°FDec 3110,267°FDec 3110,267°FNowNow
The average growing degree days accumulated over the course of the year, with 25th to 75th and 10th to 90th percentile bands.

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 1.9 months, from December 20 to February 16, with an average daily incident shortwave energy per square meter above 4.4 kWh. The brightest month of the year in Port Harcourt is January, with an average of 4.6 kWh.

The darker period of the year lasts for 1.2 months, from October 7 to November 14, with an average daily incident shortwave energy per square meter below 3.7 kWh. The darkest month of the year in Port Harcourt is May, with an average of 3.6 kWh.

Average Daily Incident Shortwave Solar Energy in Port Harcourt

Average Daily Incident Shortwave Solar Energy in Port HarcourtbrightdarkJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec0 kWh0 kWh1 kWh1 kWh2 kWh2 kWh3 kWh3 kWh4 kWh4 kWh5 kWh5 kWh6 kWh6 kWhJan 64.6 kWhJan 64.6 kWhOct 253.5 kWhOct 253.5 kWhDec 204.4 kWhDec 204.4 kWhNowNow
The average daily shortwave solar energy reaching the ground per square meter (orange line), with 25th to 75th and 10th to 90th percentile bands.
JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
Solar Energy (kWh) 4.64.43.83.73.63.84.14.44.03.63.84.3

For the purposes of this report, the geographical coordinates of Port Harcourt are 4.777 deg latitude, 7.013 deg longitude, and 52 ft elevation.

The topography within 2 miles of Port Harcourt is essentially flat, with a maximum elevation change of 95 feet and an average elevation above sea level of 28 feet. Within 10 miles is essentially flat (151 feet). Within 50 miles also contains only modest variations in elevation (489 feet).

The area within 2 miles of Port Harcourt is covered by water (30%), trees (21%), mangroves (18%), and cropland (16%), within 10 miles by mangroves (21%) and trees (21%), and within 50 miles by water (30%) and trees (20%).

This report illustrates the typical weather in Port Harcourt, based on a statistical analysis of historical hourly weather reports and model reconstructions from January 1, 1980 to December 31, 2016.

Port Harcourt is further than 200 kilometers from the nearest reliable weather station, so the weather-related data on this page were taken entirely from NASA's MERRA-2 satellite-era reanalysis . This reanalysis combines a variety of wide-area measurements in a state-of-the-art global meteorological model to reconstruct the hourly history of weather throughout the world on a 50-kilometer grid.

The temperature and dew point estimates are corrected for the difference between the reference elevation of the MERRA-2 grid cell and the elevation of Port Harcourt, according to the International Standard Atmosphere .

All data relating to the Sun's position (e.g., sunrise and sunset) are computed using astronomical formulas from the book, Astronomical Algorithms 2nd Edition , by Jean Meeus.

Land Use data comes from the Global Land Cover SHARE database , published by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations.

Elevation data comes from the Shuttle Radar Topography Mission (SRTM) , published by NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory.

Names, locations, and time zones of places and some airports come from the GeoNames Geographical Database .

Time zones for airports and weather stations are provided by AskGeo.com .

Maps are © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Disclaimer

The information on this site is provided as is, without any assurances as to its accuracy or suitability for any purpose. Weather data is prone to errors, outages, and other defects. We assume no responsibility for any decisions made on the basis of the content presented on this site.

We draw particular cautious attention to our reliance on the MERRA-2 model-based reconstructions for a number of important data series. While having the tremendous advantages of temporal and spatial completeness, these reconstructions: (1) are based on computer models that may have model-based errors, (2) are coarsely sampled on a 50 km grid and are therefore unable to reconstruct the local variations of many microclimates, and (3) have particular difficulty with the weather in some coastal areas, especially small islands.

We further caution that our travel scores are only as good as the data that underpin them, that weather conditions at any given location and time are unpredictable and variable, and that the definition of the scores reflects a particular set of preferences that may not agree with those of any particular reader.

Please review our full terms contained on our Terms of Service page.