Abuja, the purpose-built capital of Nigeria since 1991, sits in the centre of the country on a plain at around 480 metres above sea level, surrounded by rock formations and savanna at approximately 9.06°N, 7.49°E. It has a tropical savanna climate (Köppen Aw) — warm year-round — with a long rainy season and a distinct dry season governed by the shifting tropical rain belt.

The rainy season, from April to October, brings warm temperatures around 30–31°C, high humidity and heavy afternoon thunderstorms as the moist southwesterly Guinea monsoon prevails; the surrounding hills enhance the downpours. The hottest period comes just before the rains, in February and March, when highs can exceed 36–37°C under hazy skies.

The dry season, from November to March, brings warm, sunny days and cooler nights, with lower humidity and virtually no rain. Its defining feature is the Harmattan, a dry, dusty northeasterly wind blowing off the Sahara between December and February, which hazes the sky, drops the humidity sharply and can make nights notably chilly for the tropics.

Abuja receives on the order of 1,200–1,400 mm of rain a year, concentrated in the long rainy season from April to October, with a peak around August and September, while from December to February it is effectively rainless. Live rainfall, humidity, and pressure readings for the city are shown in the panels above.

Abuja's weather is dictated by the annual march of the tropical rain belt: when it lies to the south, the dry, dusty Harmattan blows in off the Sahara; when it sweeps north in summer, the moist Guinea monsoon brings months of heavy rain. Its central, elevated position gives it a milder, less humid climate than sweltering coastal Lagos.

To follow any single measurement in Abuja 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.