Zaria climate
Zaria (Nigeria) has a tropical savanna (dry winter) climate (Köppen Aw). The average temperature over the year is 24 °C76 °F, and about 1,129 mm44 in of precipitation falls in an average year.
Temperature by month
Precipitation by month
Zaria climate table
| Month | High °C°F | Low °C°F | Mean °C°F | Precip. mmin |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 2984 | 1254 | 2169 | 00.0 |
| Feb | 3391 | 1660 | 2476 | 00.0 |
| Mar | 3596 | 1966 | 2781 | 90.3 |
| Apr | 3595 | 2271 | 2883 | 522.0 |
| May | 3391 | 2271 | 2781 | 1044.1 |
| Jun | 3087 | 2170 | 2678 | 1375.4 |
| Jul | 2883 | 2069 | 2476 | 2519.9 |
| Aug | 2781 | 2068 | 2475 | 28811 |
| Sep | 2883 | 2068 | 2475 | 2178.5 |
| Oct | 3086 | 1966 | 2476 | 662.6 |
| Nov | 3086 | 1559 | 2373 | 40.2 |
| Dec | 2984 | 1254 | 2169 | 00.0 |
| Year | 3596 | 1254 | 2476 | 1,12944 |
“Year” row: highest monthly high, lowest monthly low, annual mean and annual total.
| Month | Humid. | Cloud | Solar | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 33% | 24% | 5.6 | 11:32 |
| Feb | 28% | 31% | 5.9 | 11:46 |
| Mar | 28% | 53% | 6.2 | 12:02 |
| Apr | 48% | 65% | 6.3 | 12:22 |
| May | 67% | 70% | 6.1 | 12:38 |
| Jun | 75% | 63% | 5.8 | 12:46 |
| Jul | 81% | 71% | 5.4 | 12:43 |
| Aug | 85% | 77% | 5.0 | 12:29 |
| Sep | 83% | 67% | 5.7 | 12:10 |
| Oct | 71% | 50% | 5.9 | 11:52 |
| Nov | 50% | 31% | 5.8 | 11:36 |
| Dec | 41% | 21% | 5.5 | 11:29 |
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 Zaria is like
The warmest month is April, with an average high of 35 °C95 °F and a low of 22 °C71 °F. The coldest is December, when highs average 29 °C84 °F and lows 12 °C54 °F. Seasonal differences are small — just 7.8 °C14.1 °F between the warmest and the coolest month.
It is wet, with about 1,129 mm44 in of precipitation per year. The wettest three-month stretch is July–September, which brings 67% of the annual total. Months with less than 20 mm0.8 in on average: November–March. The wettest month is August (288 mm11 in), the driest is December (0 mm0.0 in).
Relative humidity ranges from 28% in February to 85% in August. The clearest skies (lowest average cloud amount, 21%) are typical of December. Average wind speed near the ground ranges from 5 km/h (3 mph) in September to 12 km/h (8 mph) in January. Daylight lasts from about 11.5 hours in December to 12.8 hours in June.
Best time to visit Zaria
Based on these averages, the most comfortable months for sightseeing and outdoor activities are December and January: average highs of 29 °C84 °F to 29 °C84 °F with 0 mm0.0 in to 0 mm0.0 in of precipitation per month.
The most challenging month is August, which is very wet (288 mm11 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 Zaria
- Wetter months (May–September) — highs 2781 to 33 °C91 °F, lows 2068 to 22 °C71 °F, about 200 mm7.9 in of precipitation a month. Pack light summer clothes such as T-shirts, shorts or light dresses and an umbrella or light rain jacket.
- Drier months (October–April) — highs 2984 to 35 °C96 °F, lows 1254 to 22 °C71 °F, about 19 mm0.7 in of precipitation a month. Pack very light, breathable clothing, a sun hat and plenty of water and an extra layer for the cooler mornings and evenings.
How Zaria compares
Compared with Kaduna, about 72 km to the southwest, Zaria has practically the same average temperature and receives 19% less precipitation (1,129 mm44 in vs 1,399 mm55 in). The difference is largest in May (0.8 °C1.4 °F warmer).
Of the 74 places in Nigeria covered by World Climates, Zaria is the 68th warmest by annual mean temperature and the 48th 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): Mongu (Zambia, Aw), Kolhapur (India, Aw) and Luis Eduardo Magalhães (Brazil, Aw).
Nearby places
- Funtua 64 km · 24 °C76 °F · 871 mm34 in
- Kaduna 72 km · 24 °C76 °F · 1,399 mm55 in
- Kano 131 km · 26 °C79 °F · 628 mm25 in
- Gusau 165 km · 27 °C80 °F · 748 mm29 in
- Jos 183 km · 22 °C72 °F · 1,034 mm41 in
- Katsina 209 km · 27 °C80 °F · 691 mm27 in
- Minna 210 km · 26 °C79 °F · 1,151 mm45 in
- Chakwama 217 km · 27 °C81 °F · 665 mm26 in
Frequently asked questions
What is the warmest month in Zaria?
April is the warmest month in Zaria, with an average high of 35 °C (95 °F) and an average low of 22 °C (71 °F).
What is the coldest month in Zaria?
December is the coldest month, with an average high of 29 °C (84 °F) and an average low of 12 °C (54 °F).
When does it rain the most in Zaria?
August is the wettest month with about 288 mm (11.4 in) of precipitation; December is the driest with about 0 mm (0.0 in).
What is the best time to visit Zaria?
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.