Africa’s climate encompasses a wide spectrum of weather conditions across the continent, ranging from equatorial to subtropical and desert climates. The continent experiences several climate types, including the equatorial climate, tropical wet and dry climate, tropical monsoon climate, semi-desert climate (semi-arid), desert climate (hyper-arid and arid), and subtropical highland climate. Temperate climates are an exception, primarily found at high elevations and along the outer fringes.
Notably, the climate of Africa varies more significantly in terms of rainfall rather than temperature, which tends to remain consistently high throughout the year. The deserts of Africa, particularly sunny and dry, are influenced by the subtropical ridge known for its subsiding, hot, dry air masses. This contributes to Africa holding numerous heat-related records: it is home to the hottest extended region year-round, the areas with the highest summer temperatures, the longest duration of sunshine, and more.
Africa’s geographical placement straddles the equatorial and subtropical latitudes in both the northern and southern hemispheres, leading to a diverse array of climate zones. The continent mostly lies within the intertropical zone between the Tropic of Cancer and the Tropic of Capricorn. This positioning contributes to its high levels of humidity and intense precipitation. Generally, Africa is characterized by its warm to hot climates, particularly in the north which is marked by aridity and high temperatures. Only the extreme northern and southern regions of the continent exhibit a Mediterranean climate.
The equator, along with the Tropics of Cancer and Capricorn, crosses through Africa, making it the most tropical continent. The global heating effect near the equator triggers significant upward motion and convection along the monsoon trough or Inter-tropical Convergence Zone. This process causes air to rise and move away from the equator aloft, cooling and sinking as it approaches the Mid-Latitudes, leading to subsidence around the 30th parallels in both hemispheres. This circulation pattern, known as the Hadley cell, is responsible for the formation of the subtropical ridge and many of the world’s deserts, including the Sahara.
Temperature variations across the continent are profound. The Sahara regions of Algeria and Mali are among the hottest, while cooler temperatures are found in the southern parts and at higher elevations in the eastern and north-western areas. Dallol, Ethiopia, records some of the highest average temperatures on Earth at 33.9 °C (93.0 °F) year-round. The highest temperature ever recorded in Africa was 57.8 °C (136.0 °F) in ‘Aziziya, Libya, on September 13, 1922, although this record was later invalidated due to thermometer inaccuracies. Currently, the world’s hottest location is Death Valley in California. Meanwhile, the lowest temperature recorded in Africa was -24 °C (-11 °F) in Ifrane, Morocco, on February 11, 1935. Despite these extremes, much of Africa consistently experiences high temperatures, particularly its deserts, steppes, and savannahs, with the Sahara and the Danakil Desert being among the hottest places on Earth.
