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Libreville, the capital of Gabon, sits on the Atlantic coast of Central Africa at the estuary of the Komo River, just north of the equator at approximately 0.42°N, 9.47°E. It has a tropical climate — hot, humid and very rainy — with a hot rainy period from September to May and a relatively cool, dry period from June to August; unusually, although it lies north of the equator, its temperature pattern follows that of the Southern Hemisphere.
There is little seasonal change in temperature: it is hot and humid year-round, with the warmest month, February, averaging around 27.5°C and daytime highs around 30–31°C. The long rainy period from September to May brings abundant, heavy downpours and thunderstorms, with October and November the wettest months, and high humidity throughout; sunshine is actually more frequent in this rainy stretch than in the dry season.
The cool, dry season from June to August — corresponding to the austral winter — brings the coolest temperatures of the year, with July averaging around 25.1°C, and it rarely rains. Counter-intuitively, this dry period is the cloudiest and least sunny time of year, with grey, overcast skies persisting despite the absence of rain, so it feels muggy and dull rather than bright.
Libreville is very wet, receiving on the order of 2,600–3,000 mm of rain a year, falling across the long rainy period from September to May, with October and November the wettest months, while June to August sees very little rain. Live rainfall, humidity, and pressure readings for the city are shown in the panels above.
Libreville presents a striking climatic paradox: although it sits just north of the equator, its seasons follow the Southern Hemisphere pattern, and its dry season from June to August is the cloudiest, least sunny time of year rather than the brightest. The city receives well over two metres of rain annually, and the sea stays warm enough for swimming all year round.
To follow any single measurement in Libreville 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.