Lafia climate
Lafia (Nigeria) has a tropical savanna (dry winter) climate (Köppen Aw). The average temperature over the year is 27 °C81 °F, and about 994 mm39 in of precipitation falls in an average year.
Temperature by month
Precipitation by month
Lafia climate table
| Month | High °C°F | Low °C°F | Mean °C°F | Precip. mmin |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 3494 | 1966 | 2780 | 10.1 |
| Feb | 3698 | 2271 | 2984 | 60.2 |
| Mar | 3798 | 2475 | 3086 | 150.6 |
| Apr | 3494 | 2476 | 2985 | 833.3 |
| May | 3290 | 2475 | 2882 | 1204.7 |
| Jun | 3087 | 2373 | 2780 | 1285.0 |
| Jul | 2985 | 2272 | 2678 | 1526.0 |
| Aug | 2983 | 2272 | 2578 | 2038.0 |
| Sep | 2984 | 2272 | 2678 | 1696.7 |
| Oct | 3086 | 2272 | 2679 | 1084.3 |
| Nov | 3391 | 2169 | 2780 | 80.3 |
| Dec | 3493 | 1865 | 2679 | 00.0 |
| Year | 3798 | 1865 | 2781 | 99439 |
“Year” row: highest monthly high, lowest monthly low, annual mean and annual total.
| Month | Humid. | Cloud | Solar | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 34% | 32% | 5.6 | 11:41 |
| Feb | 38% | 44% | 5.6 | 11:51 |
| Mar | 51% | 69% | 5.7 | 12:03 |
| Apr | 67% | 80% | 5.6 | 12:18 |
| May | 77% | 82% | 5.3 | 12:30 |
| Jun | 81% | 71% | 4.9 | 12:37 |
| Jul | 83% | 78% | 4.6 | 12:34 |
| Aug | 85% | 84% | 4.2 | 12:24 |
| Sep | 85% | 79% | 4.7 | 12:09 |
| Oct | 82% | 66% | 5.3 | 11:55 |
| Nov | 61% | 37% | 5.8 | 11:43 |
| Dec | 40% | 28% | 5.7 | 11:38 |
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 Lafia is like
The warmest month is March, with an average high of 37 °C98 °F and a low of 24 °C75 °F. The coldest is August, when highs average 29 °C83 °F and lows 22 °C72 °F. Seasonal differences are small — just 5 °C8.9 °F between the warmest and the coolest month.
Annual precipitation is moderate at about 994 mm39 in. The wettest three-month stretch is July–September, which brings 53% of the annual total. Months with less than 20 mm0.8 in on average: November–March. The wettest month is August (203 mm8.0 in), the driest is December (0 mm0.0 in).
Relative humidity ranges from 34% in January to 85% in August. The clearest skies (lowest average cloud amount, 28%) are typical of December. Average wind speed near the ground ranges from 4 km/h (3 mph) in October to 10 km/h (6 mph) in January.
Best time to visit Lafia
Based on these averages, the most comfortable months for sightseeing and outdoor activities are October–December: average highs of 30 °C86 °F to 34 °C93 °F with 0 mm0.0 in to 108 mm4.3 in of precipitation per month.
The most challenging month is August, which is very wet (203 mm8.0 in) and humid (85% 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 Lafia
- Wetter months (April–October) — highs 2983 to 34 °C94 °F, lows 2272 to 24 °C76 °F, about 138 mm5.4 in of precipitation a month. Pack very light, breathable clothing, a sun hat and plenty of water and an umbrella or light rain jacket.
- Drier months (November–March) — highs 3391 to 37 °C98 °F, lows 1865 to 24 °C75 °F, about 6 mm0.2 in of precipitation a month. Pack very light, breathable clothing, a sun hat and plenty of water.
How Lafia compares
Compared with Makurdi, about 85 km to the south, Lafia is on average 0.9 °C1.7 °F warmer and receives 19% less precipitation (994 mm39 in vs 1,230 mm48 in). The difference is largest in January (2.1 °C3.8 °F warmer).
Of the 74 places in Nigeria covered by World Climates, Lafia is the 15th warmest by annual mean temperature and the 53rd 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: Banfora (Burkina Faso, Aw), Kara (Togo, Aw) and Bobo-Dioulasso (Burkina Faso, Aw).
Nearby places
- Makurdi 85 km · 26 °C79 °F · 1,230 mm48 in
- Abuja 128 km · 25 °C77 °F · 1,185 mm47 in
- Gboko 141 km · 25 °C78 °F · 1,230 mm48 in
- Jos 165 km · 22 °C72 °F · 1,034 mm41 in
- Suleja 165 km · 25 °C78 °F · 1,146 mm45 in
- Nsukka 220 km · 24 °C75 °F · 1,368 mm54 in
- Abakaliki 245 km · 26 °C78 °F · 1,538 mm61 in
- Bauchi 249 km · 26 °C79 °F · 766 mm30 in
Frequently asked questions
What is the warmest month in Lafia?
March is the warmest month in Lafia, with an average high of 37 °C (98 °F) and an average low of 24 °C (75 °F).
What is the coldest month in Lafia?
August is the coldest month, with an average high of 29 °C (83 °F) and an average low of 22 °C (72 °F).
When does it rain the most in Lafia?
August is the wettest month with about 203 mm (8.0 in) of precipitation; December is the driest with about 0 mm (0.0 in).
What is the best time to visit Lafia?
Judging by long-term averages, the most comfortable months are October–December.
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.