Climate of South Sudan

The Climate of South Sudan

In South Sudan, a country north of the equator and formed in 2011 after the division of Sudan, the climate is tropical, hot all year round, with a very hot and dry winter (which can actually be considered as summer), and a slightly less hot, but humid and rainy summer. The country is covered by a plateau at an altitude of between 400 and 700 meters in the north-central region, while in the south it varies between 700 and 1,000 meters. The predominant vegetation is savannah, more or less arid depending on the area, while in the southwest there are also forests, and in some areas crossed by rivers, wetlands, including the Sudd. The South is the largest marshland in the world; it is located in the north of the country, along the White Nile and its tributaries, which are lost in a myriad of lakes, canals and lagoons, which are covered with aquatic plants and inhabited by a large number of species of land animals and birds. The summer rains increase the surface of the flooded areas.

South Sudan has a tropical climate with wet and dry seasons. The seasons are characterized by the oscillation, north and south, of the boundary between moist southerly air and dry northerly air. This phenomenon, more specifically, involves the seasonal migration and pulsation of the northern tropical continental air mass and the southern maritime continental air mass, which are divided by the intertropical convergence zone. In winter the north winds of the tropical air mass blow across the country toward the front, which may be as far south as the Tropic of Capricorn. These winds are relatively cool and dry and usually bring no rain. By April the front begins to move northward, and the moist southerly air of the maritime air mass is drawn in from the South Atlantic Ocean. Because of this, South Sudan has a rainy season, the total length of which varies according to latitude and is generally no more than eight to nine months a year, beginning as early as April and continuing as late as December.

South Sudan’s lowest annual temperatures are in the high 60s to high 70s F (low to mid-20s C) in the centre and north of the country, while the lowest annual temperatures in the outlying areas are slightly cooler, about high 50s to high 60s F (mid-10s to low 20s C). The highest annual temperatures for most of South Sudan generally range from the mid-80s to the mid-90s F (low to mid-30s C), although some areas toward the north of the country range from the mid-90s to mid-100s F (mid-to-upper 30s C). The highest temperatures normally occur just before the rainy season.

In South Sudan, most precipitation usually occurs during the summer months and varies across the country. The majority of the country receives about 30–40 inches (750–1,000 mm) annually. Areas in the western part of the country receive slightly more, about 40–60 inches (1,000–1,500 mm) annually, while some areas in the northeastern and southeastern parts of the country receive less, about 20–30 inches (500–750 mm). Some areas in the extreme southeast receive fewer than 20 inches (500 mm).