Jan 10, 2011 africa doesnt have seasons like the united states do. A herd of elephants has invaded jutshume village in bulilima, matabeleland south where they have destroyed the little crop which survived the prolonged draught spell experienced by the country. Ethiopia experiences two main climate seasons a dry season and a rainy season. During the dry season, there is a total of around only 4 inches throughout the entire season or 10. Africa is the largest continent after asia, through which the hot climate zones, as well as the continent crosses the line of the equator. The local climate is coastalguinean with four seasons including a long dry season between november and march which is the hottest of the year with average monthly temperatures close to 28c. Flowing across almost the entire width of the country, it makes its way from the highlands in the east through the kalahari depression in the west to empty into the south atlantic ocean. The dry season with a northeasterly harmattan lasts from december to may. Meningitis is one of the killer diseases in africa and the world at large. However, few people are aware of their importance, compared to tropical rainforests, despite them being home to more than half of the continents population. In this paper, we propose a characterization of the main features of wet and dry spells and their space. The rainy season occurs between april and october in the south while in the north, the start of the rainy season is delayed till june. Localized outbreaks occur in enclosed crowded spaces e.
The seasons are called the wet season and the dry season. The first, is the hot, dry tropical continental air mass of the northern high pressure system, which gives rise to the dry, dusty, harmattan winds which blow from the sahara over most of west africa from november to february. I have been on lots of sites that say at the high water levels the falls can be full of spray so you cant see so much and in the dry season they. Fire temperature and residence time during dry season burning in a sudanian savannawoodland of west africa with implication for seed germination get the cifor publications update cifor publishes over 400 publications every year on forests and climate change, landscape restoration, rights, forest policy, agroforestry and much more in multiple. Discover loango tour, 7 day, dry season june to september. There is a rainy season in this case, the monsoon season, which lasts two to three months at latitude 16 n on the west coast, three to four months at 14 n, six to seven months at 10 n, and eight months at 8 n. Climate, climate change, the dry and wet seasons in west. The main characteristics of the west african seasons have been known to the scientific community for more than two centuries. The variation of relative humidity across west africa during the dry season is evaluated using the modern era retrospective analysis for research and applications merra dataset and the method of selforganizing maps. The sudans mean annual rainfall varies between 10 inches 250 mm in the north and 60 inches 1,500 mm in the south, with the hottest months usually from june to september and with a pronounced, and often very prolonged, dry season.
If it were not for the change in wind direction when the southeast trades have crossed the equator, the monsoon system of west africa could not be distinguished from the weather system, caused by the seasonal shift in the latitude of the intertropical convergence, as experienced over most of central africa. Previous work has shown that these events are usually connected to a trough over northwestern africa, an extensive cloud plume on its eastern side, unusual precipitation at the northern and western fringes of the sahara, and reduced surface. Prescribed fire is used in the sudanian savannawoodland of west africa as a forest management tool. This is the dry season and animals congregate around waterholes and rivers. The east coast is on the indian ocean, which has a warm current. Ghana is situated in west africa between latitudes of 4n and 12n, and longitudes of 4w and 2e. During the dry season, the west african lungfish can breathe extract oxygen from the air as lakes and ponds turn to mud and cracked earth. Dry season determinants of malaria disease and net use in. The tropical rain belt lies in the southern hemisphere roughly from october to march. But, the roads are relatively passable and the bugs wont drive you nuts. During these months its the dry season in east africa and west africa, the rainy, wet season in central and southern africa, and winter in north africa with dry, pleasant temps.
The cocoa harvest is not confined to one short period but is spread over several months once or twice a year. Predicting the regional onset of the rainy season in west africa. During the rainy season there is often severe flooding in the coastal plains. Prediction of dry season precipitation in tropical west africa and its relation to forcing from the extratropics peter knippertz institute for atmospheric physics, johannes gutenberg university mainz, mainz, germany. Predicting the regional onset of the rainy season in west africa article in international journal of climatology 283. The rainy season in west africa generally falls from the end of april july and again in september.
Visit a gorilla sanctuary and meet the team behind its efforts. Although humidity is high throughout the year especially on the coast, there are less mosquitoes during the dry season. Although humidity is high throughout the year especially on the coast, there are less mosquitoes during the dry season and unpaved roads are also in the best condition. At the gulf of guinea, precipitation is abundant yearround without a marked dry season. In some parts of africa, there are two known seasons. Enhanced future changes in wet and dry extremes over. May and september are wonderful because it is less cold and, especially in. In liberia the shield has been intensely folded and faulted and is interspersed with ironbearing formations known as itabirites. Therefore, the climate in africa is hot and dry, which leads to the formation of deserts. The main factors influencing conditions are altitude and the surrounding oceans. Precipitation is more abundant along the coast, where up to 4,000 millimeters 155 inches of rain fall in a year, while its less abundant in the north and the northeast, where its slightly above 1,000 mm 40 in per year.
Zebras do migrate during the wet season when there is plenty of food. Often, the previous dry season leads to food shortages in the wet season, as the crops have yet to mature. The climate observed is the result of the interactions between the ocean, the land and the atmosphere. At december hot tropical summer comes to the republic of south africa. The tropical wet and dry climate is part of the climate classification system that groups climates based on vegetation. Data shows that in africa the start of the dry season coincides with a rise in the cases of measleswhich researchers believe might be attributed to the higher concentration of people in the dry season, as agricultural operations are all but impossible without irrigation. Africa discovery offers the best gabon safaris and tours for any budget. October to november is a shorter rainy season and its followed by a short dry season from december to february. Meningitis is mostly prevalent in the northern and central parts of africa and is usually seasonal. Ghana is located on the gulf of guinea, only a few degrees north of the equator, giving it a warm climate. The tropical climate is characterized by a wet season and a dry season. Therefore, the climate in africa is hot and dry, which leads to the formation of deserts north africa morocco algeria tunisia egypt west africa canary islands cape verde nigeria east africa ethiopia uganda kenya. Winter and summer in south africa occur at opposite times to.
Liberia forms part of the west african shield, a rock formation 2. As the rainy season restores the lungfishs aquatic habitat, it can rely mostly on its gills to extract oxygen from the water. In rainy season clothes do not dry faster because in rainy season there is humidity in air. The first case of ebola was identified in guinea in december 20, at the beginning of the dry season. In west africa, waddy 1958 described an area that suffered epidemics as having only one definable frontier, the junction of the forestwith the savanna, when there is an abrupt change from a permanently humid climate to one with a severe dry season. October is also the start of the wet season in central africa and the dry season in west africa until may. Guinea is one of the wettest countries in west africa. The monsoon season with a southwesterly wind lasts from june to november.
Precipitation usually arrives during distinct rainy seasons, whereas in the dry season grazing animals concentrate near widely spaced water holes. The savanna biome is found across stretches of africa, south america, australia, india, and other dry tropical regions. Characteristics of wet and dry spells in the west african. Average daytime temperature is in the range between 26 c 79 f in cape town and 28 c 82 f in pretoria and durban. How the ebola outbreak became deadliest in history live. Citeseerx dry season determinants of malaria disease and.
The way that the malaria vectors anopheles arabiensis and mbiae survive the dry season in sub. Experience loango national parks variety of intact ecosystems. The predictability of dryseason precipitation in tropical. The way that the malaria vectors anopheles arabiensis and mbiae survive the dry season in subsaharan sahel or northern savanna areas of africa remains enigmatic. Then from june to midseptember is the long dry season. One unpleasant thing about this disease is that it is capable of reducing the quality of life even after recovery. The best time to visit south africas parks is from may to september.
Most precipitation in the sahel falls during the peak of a short rainy season from july through september. However, with a water content of up to 95%, tomatoes actually require a lot of water to grow. January and february is the best time to go to east africa to see the wildlife, which will be clustered around the diminishing waterholes and easier to spot in. The rainy season lasts from may to september in the north, from april to october in the center, and from april to november in the south. In guinea, the climate is tropical, with a dry season in winter and a rainy season in summer due to the southwest monsoon. Guinea weather, climate and geography world travel guide. It is a rectangularshaped country bordered to the north by burkina faso, the east by togo, the south by the atlantic ocean and the west by cote divoire. In countries with a pronounced wet and dry season, the main crop occurs 56 months after the start of the wet season. Accompanied by expert guides, take walking safaris and cultural excursions, boat trips and game drives. The timing of the cocoa harvest varies from country to country, depending on the climate and the variety of cocoa.
The continents northern half is primarily desert or arid, while its central and southern areas contain both savanna plains and very dense jungle rainforest regions. There are many advantages to traveling during the dry season, the most obvious being the reduced chance of wet weather days. Over west africa, very few analyses of wet and dry spell features were realized, focusing essentially on dry spells and based on local in situ observations sivakumar, 1992. Most of africa is in the tropics, and except for the peaks of mountains in the great rift valley, it never freezes. Jan 23, 2012 the local climate is coastalguinean with four seasons including a long dry season between november and march which is the hottest of the year with average monthly temperatures close to 28c. Liberia is humid most of the year with annual rainfall heavy in monrovia and along the coast. The west of the country becomes rainy but showers occur after noon with sunny half of a day before. An extremely dry season may have triggered the ebola to break out. Tropical wear, lightweight and natural fabrics throughout the. In the meningitis belt of subsaharan africa, a zone stretching across the continent from senegal to ethiopia, large outbreaks and epidemics take place during the dry season november to june. February and march have been observed to be the hottest months of the year in nigeria and the rest of west africa. From april to september, the rain belt lies in the northern hemisphere, and the southern tropics have their dry season. The december to july dry season is the most popular time to visit. An indirectgenetic procedure was used, comparing gene frequencies at several time.
The dry season in africas sahel region, north of the equator, is in december and january. However, differences in altitude tend to add a number of variations, both in terms of temperatures and rainfall. Some animals have adaptation and survival strategies for the wet season. In the future, cp4a shows a significant lengthening of dry spells during the wet season over the sahel, gulfofguinea and central africa. Effective population size and persistence of anopheles. Generally speaking, the best time to visit ghana coincides with the northern hemisphere winter october to april. It borders the sahara on the north and extends southward to the forests of west africa and the congo river basin. Discover the climate and geography of guinea world travel guide. Most of the farmers we met in west africa prefer to farm tomatoes during the dry season when rainfall is unlikely. The harmattan is a season in the west african subcontinent, which occurs between the end of november and the middle of march. Rainy season in nigeria is experienced in two different ways. In summer, moist equatorial air masses originating over the atlantic ocean bring annual monsoon rains nicholson, 20. In north africa, october is the start of the winter months and the cooler temps make this the ideal time for travelling to countries like morocco, egypt, tunisia and algeria.
It is located between 5 and 25 degrees latitude, in central and south america, africa, australia and asia. Fire temperature and residence time during dry season burning. Other regions of the world experience lower overall rates of disease and occasional. In wa west africa, the novapr period is known as the dry season, while humidity levels are still high. Hot, dry continental air masses originating from the high pressure system above the sahara desert give rise to dusty harmattan winds over most of west africa from november to february. At higher latitudes, precipitation decreases and is limited to a wet season of decreasing. West africa and the sahel region in particular have long been prone to droughts and food shortages, and over the past decade, rising insecurity. Rwandas long rainy season lasts from about march to may, when the rain is heavy and persistent.
As for the rainy season in wa, it lasts from july all the way up to september. We examined this problem by calculating the effective sizes n e of an. The incidence of malaria increases in areas where the rainy season coincides with high temperatures, particularly in tropical areas. We used an ensemble of 25 regional simulations forced by a total of ten gcms, with a control period of 1971. Generally, the dry season runs from november to april in west african countries like ghana and senegal. Potential contribution of neem azadirachta indica leaves to. Climate, climate change, the dry and wet seasons in west africa 2 climate, climate change, the dry and wet seasons in west africa 2 on february 27, 20 12.
During this time, some farmers move into cities, creating hubs of. Average annual rainfall was 1,100 mm in 20072008 with less than 10% falling during the long dry season. Meningococcal disease occurs worldwide, with the highest incidence of disease found in the meningitis belt of subsaharan africa. Soil obviously during the wet season, the soil in the african savanna is going to be wet and mushy but during the dry season it becomes very porous and dry. A characterization of the variation in relative humidity. In guinea, the climate is tropical, with a dry season in winter and a rainy season in summer due to the south west monsoon. In this region, major epidemics occur every 5 to 12 years with attack rates reaching 1,000 cases per 100,000 population.
South africa has a lovely, temperate climate with plenty of sunny, dry days. The dry forests and woodlands of subsaharan africa are major ecosystems, with a broad range of strong economic and cultural incentives for keeping them intact. Bioclimatic regions of west africa download high resolution version 56 mb from north to south from the sahara to the humid southern coast west africa can be subdivided into five broad eastwest belts that characterize the climate and the vegetation. Fire temperature and residence time during dry season. The eastern coastal belt is warm and comparatively dry, the south west corner of ghana is hot and humid, and the north of ghana is hot and dry. Precipitation during the boreal winter dry season in tropical west africa is rare but occasionally connected to highimpacts for the local population.
As a result of these interacting air masses, west africas precipitation regime is characterized by latitudinal belts of decreasing rainfall and wet season length. The climate is tropical and humid with a wet and a dry season. The southwest winter monsoon flows as a shallow humid layer of surface air less than 2,000 metres about 6,600 feet overlain by the primary northeast trade wind, which blows from the sahara and the sahel as a deep stream of dry, often dusty air. Hi i was wondering if anyone could provide some insight to a possible trip to the falls this year. Animals migrate to find food, whether they are in africa and facing a dry season, or are birds heading south for the winter. Environmental risk and meningitis epidemics in africa. In southern nigeria, the rainy season features heavy and abundant rain. Just like everyone learned in elementary school, nigeria, like the rest of west africa and other tropical lands, has only two seasons, the dry and rainy season also called the wet season.
Prediction of dryseason precipitation in tropical west. Epidemics have been rarely reported from the humid forested or coastal regions. The dry season is most intense between november and march. West africa generally, the dry season runs from november to april in west african countries like ghana and senegal. Inflow fluctuates with the shifting patterns of rainfall associated with the west african monsoon, making the system very sensitive to drought. We examined this problem by calculating the effective sizes ne of an.
In ghana, the climate is tropical, with a dry season in winter and a rainy season in summer due to the african monsoon. It is characterized by the dry and dusty northeasterly trade wind, of the same name, which blows from the sahara desert over west africa into the gulf of guinea. The west coast is on the atlantic ocean with a cold current. An experiment was carried out to assess the effects of season of burning, and different vertical probe positions on maximum fire temperature and temperature residence time above 60c which is considered lethal for plant tissues. Lowland areas usually see hotter temperatures than in the highland regions, which cover a great deal of ethiopia.