Mali weather is classified as subtropical in the south and dry and arid in the North. Precipitation levels vary throughout the country, changeable from a near absence of rainfall in the desert north to a wet season making its appearance for about five months from June to October in the south.
The heart of the country experiences precipitation between June and August. The dry arid season is between the months November to May, welcoming cooler daily temperatures between November and February that become wintry at night in the north. Mali weather during the months from April to June is at its most uncomfortable, with extreme heat, which also makes its presence felt in December when the scorching, dry Harmattan wind blows. Daily temperatures average around 30°C. The majority of the country receives no rainfall at all, making droughts a recurring problem. During the rainy season the Niger River floods regularly in June and July, as well as in November and December.
Mali weather in the South and West follows patterns similar to those usually associated with Sudan with a brief rainy season between June to September. Average rainfall is 140cm in the far south of Sikasso.
Moving towards the north is the Sahelian zone, a semiarid district alongside the southern border of the Sahara. Within the Sahelian zone there are substantial variations of temperature, especially in April, May, and June, the period when temperatures reach highs of around 34 to 39 °C.
Further north weather in Mali begins to become Saharan, a noticeable absence of rain and an extremely dry environment is experienced. In excess of 40% of the country is actually desert, thus making agriculture difficult. The year is divided into three main seasons varying in length according to latitude: October–January, a cool and dry season; between February right through to May Mali weather becomes hot and arid; and June through to September is a season of constant rainfall characterized by lower temperatures and an increase in humidity.
Copyright © Advert Network
