Climate of Ghana
The climate of Ghana is tropical.[1] 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.[2] Ghana is located on the Gulf of Guinea, only a few degrees north of the Equator, giving it a warm climate.[3]
Climate[]
The climate of Ghana is tropical and there are two main seasons: the wet and the dry seasons.[4] North Ghana experiences its rainy season from April to mid-October while South Ghana experiences its rainy season from March to mid-November.[4] The tropical climate of Ghana is relatively mild for its latitude.[4] The harmattan, a dry desert wind, blows in north-east Ghana from December to March, lowering the humidity and causing hotter days and cooler nights in northern part of Ghana.[4]
Average daily temperatures range from 30°C (86°F) during the day to 24°C (75°F) at night with a relative humidity between 77 percent and 85 percent.[5] In the southern part of Ghana, there is a bi-modal rainy season: April through June and September through November.[5] Squalls occur in the northern part of Ghana during March and April, followed by occasional rain until August and September, when the rainfall reaches its peak.[5] Rainfall ranges from 78 to 216 centimeters (31 to 85 inches) a year.[5]
Climate data for Ghana | |||||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
Average high °C (°F) | 30.1 (86.2) |
31.2 (88.2) |
31.6 (88.9) |
31.0 (87.8) |
30.0 (86.0) |
28.3 (82.9) |
27.1 (80.8) |
26.8 (80.2) |
27.4 (81.3) |
28.6 (83.5) |
30.0 (86.0) |
29.5 (85.1) |
29.2 (84.6) |
Average low °C (°F) | 24.5 (76.1) |
25.8 (78.4) |
26.2 (79.2) |
26.2 (79.2) |
25.4 (77.7) |
24.6 (76.3) |
23.5 (74.3) |
23.2 (73.8) |
23.6 (74.5) |
24.2 (75.6) |
24.3 (75.7) |
24.1 (75.4) |
24.6 (76.3) |
Average rainfall mm (inches) | 13.6 (0.54) |
40.3 (1.59) |
88.2 (3.47) |
115.7 (4.56) |
160.7 (6.33) |
210.4 (8.28) |
121.3 (4.78) |
88.9 (3.50) |
133.0 (5.24) |
128.1 (5.04) |
56.5 (2.22) |
24.6 (0.97) |
1,184.1 (46.62) |
Average rainy days | 2 | 2 | 5 | 7 | 11 | 14 | 7 | 6 | 8 | 9 | 4 | 2 | 77 |
Average relative humidity (%) | 79 | 77 | 77 | 80 | 82 | 85 | 85 | 83 | 82 | 83 | 80 | 79 | 85 |
Mean monthly sunshine hours | 214 | 204 | 223 | 213 | 211 | 144 | 142 | 155 | 171 | 220 | 240 | 235 | 2,372 |
Source: weatherbase.com[5] |
Climate change in Ghana[]
Climate change in Ghana is impacting the people in Ghana in several ways as the country sits at the intersection of three hydro-climatic zones.[6] Changes in rainfall, weather conditions and sea-level rise will affect the salinity of coastal waters. This is expected to negatively affect both farming and fisheries.[7] The national economy stands to suffer from the impacts of climate change because of its dependence on climate sensitive-sectors such as agriculture, energy, and forestry. Moreover, access to freshwater is expected to become more challenging and reduced water supply will have a negative impact on hydropower, which provides 54% of the country's electricity capacity.[7] Additionally, Ghana will likely see more cases of malaria and cholera, since both are impacted by changes in water conditions.
In 2015, the government produced a document titled "Ghana's Intended Nationally Determined Contribution."[8] Following that, Ghana signed the Paris Climate Agreement in 2016.References[]
- ^ Igawa, Momoko; Kato, Makoto (2017-09-20). "A new species of hermit crab, Diogenes heteropsammicola (Crustacea, Decapoda, Anomura, Diogenidae), replaces a mutualistic sipunculan in a walking coral symbiosis". PLOS ONE. 12 (9): e0184311. Bibcode:2017PLoSO..1284311I. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0184311. ISSN 1932-6203. PMC 5606932. PMID 28931020.
- ^ "Ghana high plains". photius.com. Retrieved 24 June 2013.
- ^ "Ghana: Geography Physical". photius.com. Retrieved 24 June 2013., "Ghana: Location and Size". photius.com. Retrieved 24 June 2013.
- ^ a b c d "UNDP Climate Change Country Profile: Ghana". ncsp.undp.org. Archived from the original on 21 September 2013. Retrieved 24 June 2013.
- ^ a b c d e "Ghana Travel Weather Averages (Weatherbase)". Retrieved 1 June 2013.
- ^ "Ghana". Climatelinks. Retrieved 2020-04-22.
- ^ a b "Climate Risk Profile: Ghana". Climatelinks. USAID. January 2017. Retrieved 2020-04-22.
- ^ "NDC Registry(interim)". Retrieved 24 November 2020.
External links[]
- Environment of Ghana
- Climate by country
- Climate of Africa