Climate and Average Weather Year Round in Bansoa Cameroon

In Bansoa, the wet season is comfortable, muggy, and overcast and the dry season is warm and mostly cloudy. Over the course of the year, the temperature typically varies from 55°F to 80°F and is rarely below 52°F or above 83°F.

Based on the tourism score, the best time of year to visit Bansoa for warm-weather activities is from late November to late February.

The warm season lasts for 2.6 months, from January 18 to April 5, with an average daily high temperature above 77°F. The hottest month of the year in Bansoa is March, with an average high of 79°F and low of 60°F.

The cool season lasts for 2.7 months, from June 30 to September 20, with an average daily high temperature below 71°F. The coldest month of the year in Bansoa is August, with an average low of 59°F and high of 69°F.

In Bansoa, 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 Bansoa begins around November 18 and lasts for 3.3 months, ending around February 27.

The clearest month of the year in Bansoa is January, 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 27 and lasts for 8.7 months, ending around November 18.

The cloudiest month of the year in Bansoa is August, during which on average the sky is overcast or mostly cloudy 88% 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 Bansoa varies very significantly throughout the year.

The wetter season lasts 7.6 months, from March 19 to November 7, with a greater than 47% chance of a given day being a wet day. The month with the most wet days in Bansoa is September, with an average of 27.0 days with at least 0.04 inches of precipitation.

The drier season lasts 4.4 months, from November 7 to March 19. The month with the fewest wet days in Bansoa is January, with an average of 1.1 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 Bansoa is September, with an average of 27.0 days. Based on this categorization, the most common form of precipitation throughout the year is rain alone, with a peak probability of 90% on September 16.

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. Bansoa experiences extreme seasonal variation in monthly rainfall.

The rainy period of the year lasts for 10 months, from February 7 to December 10, with a sliding 31-day rainfall of at least 0.5 inches. The month with the most rain in Bansoa is August, with an average rainfall of 12.4 inches.

The rainless period of the year lasts for 1.9 months, from December 10 to February 7. The month with the least rain in Bansoa is January, with an average rainfall of 0.2 inches.

The length of the day in Bansoa does not vary substantially over the course of the year, staying within 26 minutes of 12 hours throughout. In 2024, the shortest day is December 21, with 11 hours, 49 minutes of daylight; the longest day is June 20, with 12 hours, 26 minutes of daylight.

The earliest sunrise is at 6:03 AM on May 22, and the latest sunrise is 32 minutes later at 6:35 AM on February 3. The earliest sunset is at 5:59 PM on November 10, and the latest sunset is 38 minutes later at 6:36 PM on July 16.

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

Bansoa experiences extreme seasonal variation in the perceived humidity.

The muggier period of the year lasts for 9.1 months, from February 19 to November 24, during which time the comfort level is muggy, oppressive, or miserable at least 21% of the time. The month with the most muggy days in Bansoa is May, with 21.3 days that are muggy or worse.

The month with the fewest muggy days in Bansoa is January, with 1.8 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 Bansoa experiences mild seasonal variation over the course of the year.

The windier part of the year lasts for 2.1 months, from July 3 to September 7, with average wind speeds of more than 4.3 miles per hour. The windiest month of the year in Bansoa is August, with an average hourly wind speed of 5.1 miles per hour.

The calmer time of year lasts for 9.9 months, from September 7 to July 3. The calmest month of the year in Bansoa is May, with an average hourly wind speed of 3.3 miles per hour.

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

The wind is most often from the west for 2.6 months, from February 10 to April 29 and for 3.9 months, from June 3 to September 30, with a peak percentage of 78% on August 3. The wind is most often from the south for 1.1 months, from April 29 to June 3 and for 1.4 weeks, from September 30 to October 10, with a peak percentage of 37% on May 16. The wind is most often from the east for 3.7 months, from October 10 to January 31, with a peak percentage of 44% on January 1.

To characterize how pleasant the weather is in Bansoa 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 Bansoa for general outdoor tourist activities is from late November to late February, 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 Bansoa for hot-weather activities is from early January to mid March, with a peak score in the second week of February.

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 Bansoa 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 2.0 months, from December 30 to February 28, with an average daily incident shortwave energy per square meter above 5.5 kWh. The brightest month of the year in Bansoa is February, with an average of 5.8 kWh.

The darker period of the year lasts for 4.5 months, from June 15 to October 31, with an average daily incident shortwave energy per square meter below 4.3 kWh. The darkest month of the year in Bansoa is July, with an average of 3.9 kWh.

For the purposes of this report, the geographical coordinates of Bansoa are 5.448 deg latitude, 10.314 deg longitude, and 4,865 ft elevation.

The topography within 2 miles of Bansoa contains significant variations in elevation, with a maximum elevation change of 702 feet and an average elevation above sea level of 4,891 feet. Within 10 miles contains significant variations in elevation (2,346 feet). Within 50 miles contains large variations in elevation (8,583 feet).

The area within 2 miles of Bansoa is covered by shrubs (39%), trees (34%), and cropland (26%), within 10 miles by shrubs (42%) and trees (29%), and within 50 miles by trees (52%) and shrubs (21%).