Sierra Leone Climate and Weather

Sierra Leone experiences a hot and humid tropical climate with a wet and dry season.

The summer rainy season is between May and October with most rain falling in July and August. Temperatures average 86°F (30°C) throughout the year with night time temperatures hovering around 75°F (24°C). The Harmattan desert wind blows between November and February, relieving the high humidity in Freetown and making this period the coolest time of year in the city.

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LOCATION & GEOGRAPHY: Sierra Leone is located in the southwestern part of West Africa. It is bound by Guinea to the north and northeast, Liberia to the southeast and the Atlantic Ocean to the south and southwest. The country is divided into four topographical regions. (1.) Interior plateaux and mountains which rise in the east and northeast to form the Tingi Hills and Loma Mountains. The plateaux and mountains account for nearly 50% of the land area. (2.) The interior low plains which are rolling lowlands of swampy grasslands known as Bolilands. (3.) The coastal swamp lands which are located on a plain and consist of numerous peninsulas and estuaries. (4.) The Sierra Leone Peninsula which is a mountainous area with a strip of flat land at the foothill of the mountains. The territory also consists of a number of offshore islands, of which the largest is Sherbro. The country is drained by nine rivers, the Rokel, Gbangbar, Jong, Sewa, Waanje, Great Scarcies, Little Scarcies, Moa and Mano. Major Cities (pop. est.); Freetown 470,000, Bo 26,000, Kenema 13,000, Makeni 12,000 (1985). Land Use; forested 29%, pastures 31%, agricultural-cultivated 7%, other 33% (1993).

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CLIMATE: Sierra Leone has a tropical climate with a wet season from May to October and a dry season from November to April. Average annual precipitation varies from 5,080 mm (200 inches) along the coast and decreases inland towards the north to 2,160 mm (86 inches). The prevailing winds are the SW Monsoon during the wet season and the northeastern Harmattan which is a dust laden wind from the Sahara Desert during the dry season. Average temperature ranges in Freetown are from 21 degrees Celsius (73 degrees Fahrenheit) to 31 degrees Celsius (88 degrees Fahrenheit) all year.