Jos climate
Jos (Nigeria) has a tropical savanna (dry winter) climate (Köppen Aw). The average temperature over the year is 22 °C72 °F, and about 1,034 mm41 in of precipitation falls in an average year.
Temperature by month
Precipitation by month
Jos climate table
| Month | High °C°F | Low °C°F | Mean °C°F | Precip. mmin |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 2985 | 1253 | 2169 | 00.0 |
| Feb | 3289 | 1559 | 2374 | 20.1 |
| Mar | 3392 | 1763 | 2577 | 140.5 |
| Apr | 3290 | 1965 | 2578 | 1275.0 |
| May | 3085 | 1865 | 2475 | 1275.0 |
| Jun | 2882 | 1864 | 2373 | 1184.7 |
| Jul | 2678 | 1763 | 2171 | 2007.9 |
| Aug | 2475 | 1762 | 2069 | 2469.7 |
| Sep | 2577 | 1762 | 2169 | 1445.7 |
| Oct | 2781 | 1661 | 2271 | 502.0 |
| Nov | 2984 | 1457 | 2170 | 70.3 |
| Dec | 2984 | 1253 | 2069 | 00.0 |
| Year | 3392 | 1253 | 2272 | 1,03441 |
“Year” row: highest monthly high, lowest monthly low, annual mean and annual total.
| Month | Humid. | Cloud | Solar | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 21% | 28% | 5.7 | 11:36 |
| Feb | 20% | 38% | 5.7 | 11:48 |
| Mar | 27% | 56% | 6.0 | 12:03 |
| Apr | 51% | 73% | 5.8 | 12:20 |
| May | 69% | 80% | 5.4 | 12:34 |
| Jun | 75% | 77% | 5.0 | 12:42 |
| Jul | 80% | 84% | 4.5 | 12:39 |
| Aug | 85% | 89% | 4.1 | 12:27 |
| Sep | 83% | 82% | 4.8 | 12:10 |
| Oct | 71% | 66% | 5.4 | 11:53 |
| Nov | 45% | 33% | 5.9 | 11:39 |
| Dec | 27% | 24% | 5.7 | 11:33 |
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 Jos is like
The warmest month is April, with an average high of 32 °C90 °F and a low of 19 °C65 °F. The coldest is December, when highs average 29 °C84 °F and lows 12 °C53 °F. Seasonal differences are small — just 5.1 °C9.1 °F between the warmest and the coolest month.
It is wet, with about 1,034 mm41 in of precipitation per year. The wettest three-month stretch is July–September, which brings 57% of the annual total. Months with less than 20 mm0.8 in on average: November–March. The wettest month is August (246 mm9.7 in), the driest is December (0 mm0.0 in).
Relative humidity ranges from 20% in February to 85% in August. The clearest skies (lowest average cloud amount, 24%) are typical of December. Average wind speed near the ground ranges from 6 km/h (3 mph) in September to 11 km/h (7 mph) in January. Daylight lasts from about 11.5 hours in December to 12.7 hours in June.
Best time to visit Jos
Based on these averages, the most comfortable months for sightseeing and outdoor activities are October–January: average highs of 27 °C81 °F to 29 °C85 °F with 0 mm0.0 in to 50 mm2.0 in of precipitation per month.
The most challenging month is August, which is very wet (246 mm9.7 in).
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 Jos
- Wetter months (April–September) — highs 2475 to 32 °C90 °F, lows 1762 to 19 °C65 °F, about 160 mm6.3 in of precipitation a month. Pack light summer clothes such as T-shirts, shorts or light dresses and an umbrella or light rain jacket.
- Drier months (October–March) — highs 2781 to 33 °C92 °F, lows 1253 to 17 °C63 °F, about 12 mm0.5 in of precipitation a month. Pack light summer clothes such as T-shirts, shorts or light dresses and an extra layer for the cooler mornings and evenings.
How Jos compares
Compared with Kaduna, about 172 km to the northwest, Jos is on average 2.1 °C3.7 °F cooler and receives 26% less precipitation (1,034 mm41 in vs 1,399 mm55 in). The difference is largest in September (3.1 °C5.6 °F cooler).
Of the 74 places in Nigeria covered by World Climates, Jos is the 74th warmest by annual mean temperature and the 52nd 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 (seasons shifted for the other hemisphere where needed): Ngaoundéré (Cameroon, Aw), Luena (Angola, Aw) and Tshilenge (DR Congo, Aw).
Nearby places
- Bauchi 113 km · 26 °C79 °F · 766 mm30 in
- Lafia 165 km · 27 °C81 °F · 994 mm39 in
- Kaduna 172 km · 24 °C76 °F · 1,399 mm55 in
- Abuja 181 km · 25 °C77 °F · 1,185 mm47 in
- Zaria 183 km · 24 °C76 °F · 1,129 mm44 in
- Chakwama 200 km · 27 °C81 °F · 665 mm26 in
- Suleja 205 km · 25 °C78 °F · 1,146 mm45 in
- Pindiga 226 km · 26 °C78 °F · 962 mm38 in
Frequently asked questions
What is the warmest month in Jos?
April is the warmest month in Jos, with an average high of 32 °C (90 °F) and an average low of 19 °C (65 °F).
What is the coldest month in Jos?
December is the coldest month, with an average high of 29 °C (84 °F) and an average low of 12 °C (53 °F).
When does it rain the most in Jos?
August is the wettest month with about 246 mm (9.7 in) of precipitation; December is the driest with about 0 mm (0.0 in).
What is the best time to visit Jos?
Judging by long-term averages, the most comfortable months are October–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.
The grid cell’s average elevation is 981 m, while Jos lies at about 1,186 m. Temperatures on this page were therefore adjusted by −1.3 °C2.4 °F using the standard lapse rate of 6.5 °C per 1,000 m.