Climate of Sudan
Where is the country of Sudan located? Sudan is a country in eastern Africa. The mainly desert-like country has to do with dry areas, which are intersected by rivers such as the Nile, the White Nile and the Blue Nile. Along the rivers, the dry pattern is broken by fertile areas. This has resulted in a concentration of towns and villages along these rivers, with the capital Khartoum located where the White Nile and Blue Nile converge and flow further north as the Nile. Sudan has a warm desert climate (type BWh according to the Köppen climate system). In the south this changes into a warm steppe climate. Directly on the border with South Sudan you will find a number of areas with a tropical savanna climate.
Drought
Large parts of Sudan are dealing with drought. The north of Sudan, which is located in the Nubian Desert, has to deal with precipitation amounts that do not exceed 10 millimeters for many years. As you go further south, the amount of precipitation increases, but more and more areas turn into desert. In the south of Sudan you can still find tropical rainforests and savannah, but in recent decades the desert and dry steppes have continued to advance. In Sudan, therefore, an increasing number of animal species have virtually disappeared. Unfortunately, due to the shrinking habitat of many animal species, it is becoming easier for hunters and poachers to locate the animals. The south of Sudan has a rainy season that falls in the summer months. Rain chances increase in mid-May, after which significant rain falls in the second half of June. The rainy season lasts until the end of September, followed by many months of drought.
Temperatures
In addition to drought, Sudan also has to deal with heat. Some places, such as Darfur, are continuously uncomfortably hot, with temperatures fluctuating between 30 and 40 degrees during the day all year round. If you are unlucky, the mercury locally rises to values above forty degrees, making it seriously hot. In the desert areas in the north it is slightly warmer in the summer months. Around Wadi Halfa near Egypt, the average maximum temperature from May to September is around forty degrees. Here there is a greater contrast with the coolest months. From December to February it is ‘only’ 23 to 26 degrees. At night the mercury drops to around ten degrees Celsius.
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 | 31℃ | 15℃ | 10 | 0 |
| February | 33℃ | 16℃ | 10 | 0 |
| March | 37℃ | 21℃ | 10 | 0 |
| April | 40℃ | 23℃ | 11 | 0 |
| May | 42℃ | 26℃ | 10 | 1 |
| June | 41℃ | 27℃ | 9 | 2 |
| July | 38℃ | 26℃ | 9 | 5 |
| August | 37℃ | 25℃ | 9 | 5 |
| September | 39℃ | 26℃ | 9 | 3 |
| October | 39℃ | 25℃ | 10 | 1 |
| November | 35℃ | 20℃ | 10 | 0 |
| December | 32℃ | 18℃ | 10 | 0 |
Best time to visit Sudan
Do you want to know when is the best time to travel to Sudan? 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. Sudan, which is located in Africa, is not your average holiday destination. Recent history has had some unpleasant chapters: civil wars, coups and the secession of South Sudan in 2011 have had a significant impact on daily life. Tourism is still at a low ebb. Conditions in Sudan have now improved a lot and the country is open to tourists. Those who want to make a trip to Sudan will have to deal with high temperatures and dry to very dry weather in many places. The Nubian Desert and the Bayuda Desert cover a fairly large part of the country. In the south there is more rain and you mainly see savanna landscapes.
Best months
The best time to visit Sudan is in winter. The best months are December and January. It is then almost everywhere very dry, quite warm and mostly sunny weather. The chance of rain is minimal during this period. The only exception to this is the Red Sea coast, where there are occasional showers in November and December.
Hot summers
The period from May to September is hot in Sudan, even on the coast. The maximum temperatures easily reach or even exceed 40 degrees Celsius. In the south there is regular rain in July and August, which tempers the temperatures somewhat during this period. In fact, it is not pleasant anywhere in Sudan in the summer.
