Calabar climate
Calabar (Nigeria) has a tropical monsoon climate (Köppen Am). The average temperature over the year is 26 °C79 °F, and about 2,931 mm115 in of precipitation falls in an average year.
Temperature by month
Precipitation by month
Calabar climate table
| Month | High °C°F | Low °C°F | Mean °C°F | Precip. mmin |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 3086 | 2171 | 2678 | 351.4 |
| Feb | 3086 | 2374 | 2780 | 783.1 |
| Mar | 3085 | 2476 | 2781 | 1475.8 |
| Apr | 2985 | 2476 | 2780 | 1987.8 |
| May | 2984 | 2475 | 2780 | 2339.2 |
| Jun | 2882 | 2374 | 2678 | 37215 |
| Jul | 2781 | 2373 | 2577 | 42517 |
| Aug | 2781 | 2272 | 2577 | 48619 |
| Sep | 2781 | 2373 | 2577 | 45918 |
| Oct | 2882 | 2374 | 2678 | 31913 |
| Nov | 2984 | 2374 | 2679 | 1576.2 |
| Dec | 3085 | 2272 | 2679 | 210.8 |
| Year | 3086 | 2171 | 2679 | 2,931115 |
“Year” row: highest monthly high, lowest monthly low, annual mean and annual total.
| Month | Humid. | Cloud | Solar | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 78% | 50% | 5.0 | 11:52 |
| Feb | 82% | 63% | 4.8 | 11:57 |
| Mar | 87% | 78% | 4.5 | 12:05 |
| Apr | 88% | 82% | 4.6 | 12:13 |
| May | 89% | 80% | 4.4 | 12:21 |
| Jun | 91% | 85% | 3.7 | 12:24 |
| Jul | 91% | 88% | 3.2 | 12:23 |
| Aug | 91% | 88% | 3.1 | 12:17 |
| Sep | 91% | 88% | 3.5 | 12:08 |
| Oct | 91% | 82% | 4.0 | 12:00 |
| Nov | 88% | 68% | 4.4 | 11:53 |
| Dec | 80% | 50% | 4.9 | 11:50 |
Humid. = average relative humidity at 2 m; cloud = average cloud amount; solar = average daily solar energy reaching the ground in kWh/m² (all-sky); daylight in hours:minutes, calculated for the 15th of each month.
What the climate of Calabar is like
The warmest month is March, with an average high of 30 °C85 °F and a low of 24 °C76 °F. The coldest is August, when highs average 27 °C81 °F and lows 22 °C72 °F. Temperatures barely change through the year: the warmest and the coolest month differ by only 2.2 °C3.9 °F.
It is very wet, receiving about 2,931 mm115 in of precipitation per year. The wettest three-month stretch is July–September, which brings 47% of the annual total. The wettest month is August (486 mm19 in), the driest is December (21 mm0.8 in).
Relative humidity ranges from 78% in January to 91% in September. The clearest skies (lowest average cloud amount, 50%) are typical of December. Average wind speed near the ground ranges from 4 km/h (3 mph) in December to 7 km/h (4 mph) in August.
Best time to visit Calabar
Based on these averages, the most comfortable months for sightseeing and outdoor activities are December and January: average highs of 30 °C85 °F to 30 °C86 °F with 21 mm0.8 in to 35 mm1.4 in of precipitation per month.
The most challenging month is August, which is very wet (486 mm19 in) and humid (91% relative humidity).
Comfort score: months are ranked by how close they come to an average high of 21–28 °C (70–82 °F), lows above 5 °C (41 °F), little precipitation and moderate humidity. The best-ranked months of each place are recommended, even where none meets all of these. These are general rules of thumb applied to long-term averages.
What to pack for Calabar
- Wetter months (June–October) — highs 2781 to 28 °C82 °F, lows 2272 to 23 °C74 °F, about 412 mm16 in of precipitation a month. Pack light summer clothes such as T-shirts, shorts or light dresses and a good rain jacket or umbrella and quick-drying shoes.
- Drier months (November–May) — highs 2984 to 30 °C86 °F, lows 2171 to 24 °C76 °F, about 124 mm4.9 in of precipitation a month. Pack light summer clothes such as T-shirts, shorts or light dresses and an umbrella or light rain jacket.
How Calabar compares
Compared with Aba, about 108 km to the west, Calabar has practically the same average temperature and receives 27% more precipitation (2,931 mm115 in vs 2,315 mm91 in). The difference is largest in January (0.5 °C1 °F warmer).
Of the 74 places in Nigeria covered by World Climates, Calabar is the 32nd warmest by annual mean temperature and the wettest by annual precipitation. See all of them on the Nigeria climate page.
Places in other countries with the most similar temperature and rainfall pattern: Kumba (Cameroon, Am), Edéa (Cameroon, Am) and Douala (Cameroon, Am).
The same NASA POWER grid cell also contains Esuk Oron (pop. 112,033). Their long-term averages in this dataset are essentially the same as for Calabar, so they do not have separate pages.
Nearby places
- Uyo 45 km · 26 °C78 °F · 2,931 mm115 in
- Ugep 98 km · 26 °C78 °F · 1,714 mm67 in
- Amaigbo 107 km · 26 °C78 °F · 1,714 mm67 in
- Aba 108 km · 26 °C78 °F · 2,315 mm91 in
- Umuahia 112 km · 25 °C77 °F · 1,791 mm70 in
- Kumba 129 km · 25 °C77 °F · 2,912 mm115 in
- Buea 135 km · 21 °C70 °F · 2,553 mm100 in
- Okrika 140 km · 26 °C79 °F · 2,520 mm99 in
Frequently asked questions
What is the warmest month in Calabar?
March is the warmest month in Calabar, with an average high of 30 °C (85 °F) and an average low of 24 °C (76 °F).
What is the coldest month in Calabar?
August is the coldest month, with an average high of 27 °C (81 °F) and an average low of 22 °C (72 °F).
When does it rain the most in Calabar?
August is the wettest month with about 486 mm (19.1 in) of precipitation; December is the driest with about 21 mm (0.8 in).
What is the best time to visit Calabar?
Judging by long-term averages, the most comfortable months are December and January.
About this data
All figures are 25-year averages (January 2001 – December 2025) from the NASA POWER project. Temperature, humidity, wind and precipitation come from the MERRA-2 reanalysis (precipitation is the bias-corrected MERRA-2 product), cloud and solar values from CERES satellite data. They describe a grid cell of roughly 50–70 km, not a single weather station, so they can differ from airport records — most of all on coasts, in mountains and for rainfall. Average highs and lows are the monthly mean temperature plus/minus half of the average daily temperature range. Counts of rainy days are not part of this dataset.