Climate of Chad

Climate of Chad

Where is the country of Chad located? Chad is a country in Central Africa. In addition to bordering the countries of Sudan, Central African Republic, Cameroon, Nigeria, Niger and Libya, Chad is also located on Lake Chad of the same name. The former French colony has been independent since the year 1960. The northern part of Chad is located in the Sahara Desert. Part of the country is the Tibesti Mountains in the northwest and the Ennedi Highlands in the northeast. Mount Emi Koissi is by far the highest point in Chad with a height of 3415 meters. Large parts of Chad are uninhabited, which is mainly due to the difficult living conditions caused by the mainly dry and hot climate.

Chad has three types of climate. The area north of Lake Chad has a warm desert climate. The south has a tropical savanna climate, which in the north changes into a warm steppe climate.

Rain

In the northern half of Chad there is little to very little rainfall. If it rains at all, it is in the summer months. The southern half does have a clear rainy season, which – depending on the region – starts in May or June and ends at the end of September or mid-October. During this period, both the number of rainy days and the intensity of the rainfall increase. Especially in the tropical lowlands of Chad, the precipitation amounts in the months of July and August can sometimes increase considerably.

Temperature

Chad is not completely unfamiliar with the phenomenon of heat. The desert-like north of Chad has to deal with temperatures that average between 35 and 44 degrees Celsius from March to October. Locally it can occasionally get a little warmer. This concerns the officially measured temperatures in the shade. It can easily get a bit warmer in the sun. The southern half has its warmest period before the start of the rainy season. The average maximum temperature quickly rises to 35 to more than forty degrees in March and April, after which the mercury slowly falls. Some areas, such as the capital N’Djamena, have a second rise in temperature after the summer, after which the mercury slowly falls again.

natural phenomena

Chad faces a number of problems and phenomena that are (partly) related to the climate. First of all, within the savanna and grasslands, there is always the possibility of drought. The average precipitation sum is not achieved every year. There is always a risk of periods of extreme drought, especially in the transition areas to the desert, with all possible consequences for humans, animals and plants. A second potential problem for plants is periodic locust infestations. The desert locusts can destroy almost entire crops, causing famine in Chad. Occasional heavy sandstorms can occur due to a strong northeasterly wind, which can completely disrupt daily life.

Climate figures

The figures below are based on long-term average climate statistics. The temperatures are displayed in degrees Celsius (°C).

Maximum temperature Minimum temperature Hours of sunshine per day Days of rainfall per month
January 32℃ 14℃ 10 0
February 35℃ 17℃ 10 0
March 39℃ 21℃ 9 1
April 41℃ 25℃ 9 1
May 39℃ 26℃ 9 4
June 36℃ 24℃ 9 7
July 32℃ 22℃ 7 12
August 30℃ 21℃ 7 14
September 33℃ 22℃ 8 8
October 36℃ 21℃ 9 2
November 35℃ 17℃ 10 0
December 33℃ 15℃ 10 0

Best time to visit Chad

Do you want to know when is the best time to travel to Chad? You can determine the best time to travel to a destination based on the weather and climate. In addition, there are other factors that are not directly related to the weather and that can influence the best travel periods for a travel destination. Think, for example, of holidays or festive periods, which makes traveling more interesting or not, because daily life comes to a standstill as a result. The Republic of Chad is a country located centrally in the interior of Africa. The arid northern part is in the Sahara, the central part belongs to the Sahel transition zone and in the south are tropical lowlands. As a result, Chad has three climatic zones with the north being the driest and precipitation increasing the further south you go. It almost never rains in Chad’s Sahara regions. In some places there is only one to three days of precipitation per year. In the extreme south, the annual precipitation can amount to more than a thousand millimeters. That is about a third more than in the Netherlands. In places where there is rain, Chad has a wet season and a dry season. Rainfall almost only occurs during the summer season. Winters are almost dry in Chad. There are security risks for travelers in Chad. The situation varies from place to place. The official travel advice from the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs reflects the current situation. If you want or need to travel to Chad, it is best to do so in winter. This is the driest period and in much of the country the least hot time of the year.

Best months

The best time to travel to Chad is January and February. During this period the maximum temperatures in the north are around 25 to 28 degrees, in the central part around 28 to 32 degrees and in the south it is already a lot warmer with maximums around 33-35 degrees. The nice thing about winter is that it cools down quite a bit at night, even in the hot south. There the mercury drops towards 15 degrees, just like in the desert of the Sahara. In the central part it cools down slightly less at night.

Harmattan

A phenomenon that you may encounter in Chad is the Harmattan. This dry and dusty wind is a typical phenomenon south of the Sahara. The northeasterly wind occurs mainly between November and March. The air is often filled with small dust and sand particles due to the Harmattan, which can significantly affect daily life at that time because visibility is limited.

Chad