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Bangui, the capital of the Central African Republic, sits on the Ubangi River in the south of the country, near the border with the Democratic Republic of the Congo, on low ground close to the edge of the equatorial forest at approximately 4.36°N, 18.56°E. It has a tropical wet-and-dry climate (Köppen Aw) verging on equatorial — hot and humid year-round — with a long rainy season and a shorter, hazy dry season.
There is little seasonal change in temperature: it is hot and humid for most of the year, with daytime highs around 30–32°C and warm, muggy nights. The rainy season, from around April to October, brings frequent heavy thunderstorms, high humidity and abundant cloud, with a peak around August to October when the heaviest downpours fall and the surrounding rivers rise.
The dry season, from December to February, is hot and hazy, with slightly lower humidity and less rain, but its defining feature is the Harmattan — a dry, dusty wind blowing off the Sahara that can veil the sky in a fine haze and lower visibility, especially from December to February. Temperatures remain high, and the pre-rain months of February and March can be the hottest of the year.
Bangui is wet, receiving on the order of 1,500–1,600 mm of rain a year, concentrated in the long rainy season from April to October, with a strong peak around August and September, while December to February is markedly drier. The rains come as heavy afternoon and evening thunderstorms. Live rainfall, humidity, and pressure readings for the city are shown in the panels above.
Bangui's weather sits at the transition between the humid equatorial forest to its south and the drier tropical savanna to its north, giving it a long, thundery rainy season and a short dry season marked by the dusty Saharan Harmattan wind. Heavy rains can swell the Ubangi River and cause flooding along the low-lying riverbanks, while the dry-season haze can significantly reduce visibility.
To follow any single measurement in Bangui more closely, use our live instruments: the online barometer for atmospheric pressure, the thermometer for temperature, the hygrometer for humidity, the anemometer for wind speed, the wind vane for wind direction, and the rain gauge for rainfall.