Climate and average weather in Potiskum

In Potiskum, the summers are sweltering, dry, and mostly clear and the winters are hot and mostly clear.

Best: early January to late January

Over the course of the year, the temperature in Potiskum typically varies from 14°C to 39°C, and is rarely below 11°C or above 41°C. April is the hottest month of the year, while January is the coldest.

Based on the travel score, the best times of year to visit Potiskum for warm-weather activities are from early January to late January and mid December to late December.

Hottest
Apr
39°
Coldest
Jan
14°
Wettest
Aug
202 mm
Driest
Jan
0 mm
Rain / yr
524 mm
76 wet days
Daylight
11.3–12.7 h
shortest–longest
Elevation
427 m
11.7°N
Clearest
Dec
28% cloud

Potiskum weather by month, at a glance

The whole year in one picture — sky, rain, humidity, temperature and travel score. Click any band to jump to its full chart.

Each stripe is one measure across the whole year, stacked so a single day reads top to bottom. The sky band runs overcast grey on top down to clear blue at the base — more blue means sunnier — followed by the rainfall curve, the humidity band, a temperature strip that tints each stretch of the year by how warm its average high is, and the travel-score line at the foot. Scan straight down any date to read that day across every measure at once; the score climbs highest around early January to late January.

Temperature through the year

Average highAverage lowShaded bands: 10–90% of days

Daily average highs and lows in Potiskum, from 1991–2020 of climate data. The shaded bands show the range most days fall in — 10th to 90th percentile.

The hot season lasts 2.7 months, from March 12 to June 2, with daily high temperatures above 36°C. The hottest month of the year in Potiskum is April, with an average high of 39°C and low of 24°C.

The cool season lasts 1.5 months, from December 11 to January 24, with daily high temperatures below 30°C. The coldest month of the year in Potiskum is January, with an average low of 14°C and high of 29°C.

Days typically run about 13°C warmer than nights, with the widest day–night swing (around 16°C) in March.

10°20°30°40°JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
Jan2914
Feb3317
Mar3721
Apr3924
May3826
Jun3525
Jul3223
Aug3023
Sep3223
Oct3422
Nov3318
Dec3015

How hot and cold Potiskum really feels

Feels-like highFeels-like lowactual air temp

The felt-temperature range through the year — heat index on the day's high (summer humidity), wind chill on the night's low (winter wind). The dashed lines are the plain thermometer; the gap is how much hotter or colder it really feels.

On the hottest afternoons, once humidity is folded in, Potiskum feels like about 39°C (around May 13). About 291 days a year carry some heat stress, and 42 of them tip into dangerous heat (feels-like above 39°C), peaking in May.

10°15°20°25°30°35°40°JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecdangerous heat
Feels-like high (°C)Air high (°C)Feels-like low (°C)Air low (°C)
Jan29291414
Feb33331717
Mar37372121
Apr39392424
May39382626
Jun38352525
Jul35322323
Aug34302223
Sep36322323
Oct35342222
Nov33331818
Dec30301515

Average hourly temperature in Potiskum

A compact picture of the whole year, hour by hour: each column is a day, each row an hour, and the color is the modeled average temperature. Darker overlays mark night, lighter ones the civil-twilight hours around sunrise and sunset.

Read left to right for the day of the year and top to bottom for the hour of the day; the color is the modeled temperature, cool blues through to hot reds on the same scale as the other charts. A vertical slice is a single day's swing — coolest just before dawn, warmest in the mid-afternoon — while a horizontal slice follows one hour across the seasons. The darker overlay marks night and the lighter one the twilight around sunrise and sunset. Colors run warmest on April afternoons, near 39°C, and coldest before dawn in January, near 14°C.

JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec12 AM2 AM4 AM6 AM8 AM10 AM12 PM2 PM4 PM6 PM8 PM10 PM12 AM

Potiskum weather by month

Every month at a glance. Click a month for its detailed page.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan29° / 14°0011.46.9
Feb33° / 17°0011.64.8
Mar37° / 21°0011.92.1
Apr39° / 24°41.112.30.8
May38° / 26°234.912.51.3
Jun35° / 25°439.712.72.6
Jul32° / 23°1321912.63.3
Aug30° / 23°20222.412.43.4
Sep32° / 23°9714.312.13.7
Oct34° / 22°234.411.73.5
Nov33° / 18°0011.54.4
Dec30° / 15°0011.36.7

Chance of rain

How likely it is to rain on a typical day, and how that shifts across the wetter and drier seasons.

Potiskum gets about 524 mm of precipitation a year. On a typical day the chance of rain is some rain, but that rises and falls sharply with the seasons.

The wetter season lasts 4.4 months, from around May 28 to Oct 9, peaking in August at about 74% chance on a given day. The drier stretch runs the rest of the year, bottoming out around Jan 1.

August is the wettest month by volume, with 202 mm over about 22 wet days; January is the driest, with 0 mm.

0%10%20%30%40%50%60%70%80%JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecdrierwetterdriermostly drysome rainoften wetvery wetAug 7 · 74%Jan 1 · 0%
Rain on a day (%)Rain days
Jan00
Feb00
Mar00
Apr41
May155
Jun3310
Jul6119
Aug7122
Sep4814
Oct144
Nov00
Dec00

Monthly rainfall

Over a full year, Potiskum collects about 524 mm of rain across 76 wet days — roughly 44 mm in an average month.

It doesn’t fall evenly. August is the wettest month with 202 mm, while January is the driest at just 0 mm. The three wettest months alone bring about 82% of the year’s total.

050100150200250JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec004234313220297230
Rainfall (mm)Rain days
Jan00
Feb00
Mar00
Apr41
May235
Jun4310
Jul13219
Aug20222
Sep9714
Oct234
Nov00
Dec00

Clouds and sunshine

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

How often the daytime sky is clear, partly cloudy or overcast.

In Potiskum, the average share of the sky covered by clouds shows significant seasonal variation over the course of the year.

The clearer part of the year begins around October 4 and lasts for 6.5 months, ending around April 18. The clearest month is December, when the sky is clear, mostly clear, or partly cloudy 80% of the time on average.

The cloudier part of the year begins around June 22 and lasts for 3.4 months, ending around October 3. The cloudiest month is August, when it is overcast or mostly cloudy 79% of the time.

0%100%10%90%20%80%30%70%40%60%50%50%60%40%70%30%80%20%90%10%100%0%JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecDec 21 · 83%Aug 13 · 19%clearmostly clearpartly cloudymostly cloudyovercastclearercloudierclearer
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
Jan7822
Feb7525
Mar6733
Apr6139
May6238
Jun6238
Jul3862
Aug2179
Sep4555
Oct6436
Nov7327
Dec8020

Daylight, sunrise and sunset

DaylightNight

Hours of daylight through the year, with sunrise and sunset times.

The gold band is daylight — sunrise runs along its lower edge, sunset along the upper — so it widens toward summer and pinches toward winter, with night the dark area above and below. The longest day, around June 5, brings about 12 h 42 min of light; the shortest, around January 1, only 11 h 18 min — a swing of roughly 1 h 24 min.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AMJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
Jan11.46:446:06
Feb11.66:426:19
Mar11.96:286:23
Apr12.36:086:24
May12.55:566:28
Jun12.75:556:36
Jul12.66:036:40
Aug12.46:086:31
Sep12.16:086:12
Oct11.76:095:53
Nov11.56:175:44
Dec11.36:325:51

Sunny days

How many genuinely sunny days each month brings — days the sky stays clear or mostly clear — banded into plain-language zones.

Potiskum averages about 13 sunny days a month — counting the days the sky stays clear or mostly clear — with a clear seasonal swing between 1 and 22 days.

The sunnier stretch runs 6.2 months, from around Oct 12 to Apr 18. The sunniest month is December, with roughly 21 sunny days (bright).

The greyest month is August, down near 2 sunny days — about 92% fewer than the December peak.

0510152025JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecsunniergreyersunniergloomymixedbrightbrilliantDec 2122 daysAug 91 days
Sunny daysSky
Jan20Bright
Feb18Bright
Mar16Bright
Apr13Mixed
May14Mixed
Jun12Mixed
Jul5Gloomy
Aug2Gloomy
Sep7Gloomy
Oct14Mixed
Nov17Bright
Dec21Bright

Humidity comfort

DryComfortableHumidMuggyOppressiveMiserable

Share of days at each humidity comfort level, based on the dew point — the measure that tracks how muggy it actually feels.

Humidity comfort is graded by the dew point — the temperature at which the air would be fully saturated — because it tracks how muggy it actually feels far better than relative humidity does. A low dew point feels dry and crisp; a high one feels sticky and oppressive no matter the reading on a humidity gauge.

In Potiskum, how humid it feels changes dramatically over the year.

The more humid part of the year lasts 5.9 months, from around April 24 to October 21. The muggiest month is June, when the air feels humid, muggy or worse about 99% of the time.

The most comfortable stretch runs from around October 22 to April 23, and February is the most comfortable month — the air is dry or comfortable 100% of the time.

0%10%20%30%40%50%60%70%80%90%100%JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecFeb 26 · 100%Jun 14 · 0%comfortableoppressivedrymuggyhumidcomfortablehumidcomfortable
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)Muggy (%)Oppressive (%)Miserable (%)
Jan10000000
Feb10000000
Mar9532000
Apr5811161410
May1172247130
Jun00451450
Jul00018820
Aug0005950
Sep0014941
Oct306816400
Nov9422110
Dec10000000

Wind

Average wind speed through the year, banded into plain-language speed zones so a number reads as 'breezy' or 'calm' without knowing the scale.

This is the average sustained wind speed at the standard 10 metres above open ground — the steady flow a weather station reports, not the sharper gusts that come and go, which can run half again as fast. It's the number that says whether a place is generally breezy or calm.

Across the year, average wind speed in Potiskum is typically calm, near 9 km/h, and varies little with the seasons.

The windier part of the year lasts 5.4 months, from around Nov 5 to Apr 17. The windiest month is February, averaging about 11 km/h (calm).

The calmer part of the year runs from around Jun 25 to Nov 4, with October the calmest month at about 8 km/h.

051015JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecwindiercalmerwindiercalmlight breezeFeb 12 · 11 km/hOct 5 · 7 km/h
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
Jan11calm
Feb11calm
Mar11calm
Apr10calm
May9calm
Jun9calm
Jul9calm
Aug8calm
Sep7calm
Oct8calm
Nov10calm
Dec11calm

Hazard calendar for Potiskum

In seasonPeak

When the seasonal hazards worth planning around — the rainy season, tropical-cyclone risk and dust haze — are active through the year.

Potiskum's monsoon runs July–September, when most of the year's rain falls.

Potiskum sees dust haze year-round, heaviest in April.

Monsoon
Dust
Jan
Feb
Mar
Apr
May
Jun
Jul
Aug
Sep
Oct
Nov
Dec

Best time to visit Potiskum

TravelBeach/poolTemperatureCloudsPrecipitation

To characterize how pleasant the weather is in Potiskum throughout the year, we compute two travel scores — one for general sightseeing, one for beach and pool weather.

Around late January, Potiskum is still near the tail of its best-weather window — great conditions with the peak-season crowds already thinning.

Inferred from the travel-score curve; month-by-month visitor numbers are a planned addition.

The travel score favors clear, rainless days with daytime highs between 18°C and 28°C. Based on this score, the best time of year to visit Potiskum for general outdoor tourist activities is from mid December to late January, with a peak score in the first week of January.

0246810JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecbest timetravel scoretemperaturecloudsprecipitationJan 2 · 7.6

The travel score (filled area), and its constituents: the temperature score (red line), the cloud cover score (blue line), and the precipitation score (green line).

Travel score (0–10)Rating
Jan6.9good
Feb4.8fair
Mar2.2poor
Apr0.9poor
May1.3poor
Jun2.6poor
Jul3.3poor
Aug3.4poor
Sep3.7fair
Oct3.5fair
Nov4.5fair
Dec6.6good

The beach/pool score favors clear, rainless days with daytime highs between 24°C and 34°C. Based on this score, the best time of year to visit Potiskum for hot-weather activities is from late October to late February, with a peak score in the last week of December.

024681012JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecbest timebest timebeach/pool scoretemperaturecloudsprecipitationDec 24 · 9.2

The beach/pool score (filled area), and its constituents: the temperature score (red line), the cloud cover score (blue line), and the precipitation score (green line).

What to pack for Potiskum, by month

EssentialRecommendedOptional

Month by month, what's worth putting in the bag — from the temperature range, rain chance, sun and wind. Tap a month for a quick packing note.

For a warm-season trip around April (highs near 39°C), the essentials are light clothes and sun protection. In the cold season around January (highs near 29°C), pack light clothes and sun protection.

Light clothing
Warm layer
Winter coat
Rain gear
Sun protection
Windbreaker

In April, Potiskum sees daytime highs around 39°C and nights near 24°C. Pack light clothes and sun protection.

UV index (midday) in Potiskum by month

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV index through the year, shaded by the WHO exposure levels — how much sun protection each month calls for.

Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Potiskum peaks around August 19 at about 12 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near December 15 at about 8 (very high).

The index reaches 3 or more — the level where the WHO recommends sun protection — every month of the year.

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecExtremeVery highExtremeVery highAug 19UV 12Dec 15UV 8
UV index (midday)Level
Jan10Very high
Feb11Extreme
Mar11Extreme
Apr11Extreme
May10Very high
Jun10Very high
Jul11Extreme
Aug12Extreme
Sep12Extreme
Oct11Extreme
Nov9Very high
Dec8Very high

Average hourly UV index in Potiskum

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Modeled clear-sky UV for every hour of every day — when in the day sun protection actually matters.

The whole year hour by hour: each column is a day, each row an hour, and the color is the modeled clear-sky UV index — the midday peak scaled down as the sun sits lower in the sky. Darker overlays mark night, lighter ones the civil-twilight hours around sunrise and sunset.

UV falls off far faster than brightness as the sun drops, so even in August the burn window is concentrated in the middle of the day: about 8 hours a day reach index 3 (protection recommended), and 6 hours reach 6 or more. Mornings and late afternoons stay comparatively gentle year round.

JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec12 AM2 AM4 AM6 AM8 AM10 AM12 PM2 PM4 PM6 PM8 PM10 PM12 AM
UV ≥ 3 (h/day)UV ≥ 6 (h/day)
Jan75
Feb7.55.5
Mar7.55.5
Apr85.5
May7.55
Jun85.5
Jul85.5
Aug86
Sep7.55.5
Oct7.55.5
Nov74.5
Dec6.53.5

Air quality in Potiskum by month

GoodModeratePoorUnhealthyVery unhealthy

Average fine-particle pollution (PM2.5) through the year — so you can see which months the air is worst, not just the yearly average.

Air quality in Potiskum is worst in February — around 107 µg/m³ PM2.5 (unhealthy), about 3.9× the cleanest month (August, 27 µg/m³).

Modeled monthly averages (CAMS reanalysis, 2015–2024).

0306090120JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecUnhealthyPoorModeratePoorUnhealthyFeb 14106 µg/m³Aug 1528 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan101Unhealthy
Feb107Unhealthy
Mar99Unhealthy
Apr78Unhealthy
May54Poor
Jun47Poor
Jul31Moderate
Aug27Moderate
Sep32Moderate
Oct52Poor
Nov63Unhealthy
Dec93Unhealthy
Almanac & agriculture

Growing season

Chance of a frost-free dayFrost-free year round

Potiskum is frost-free year round — even the coldest nights rarely reach freezing, so there is no start or end to the growing season.

0%25%50%75%100%JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecfrost-free year round
Frost-free chance (%)Frost nights
Jan1000
Feb1000
Mar1000
Apr1000
May1000
Jun1000
Jul1000
Aug1000
Sep1000
Oct1000
Nov1000
Dec1000

Growing degree days

Degree days (base 10°C)Frost-free shaded

Growing degree days tally heat above 10°C: each day adds however many degrees its average temperature runs over that threshold, and cold days add nothing. Potiskum banks about 6,229 degree days a year, and the running total — which growers use to time plantings and predict maturity — climbs fastest around May.

02,0004,0006,000JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
Growing degree days (°C·days)
Jan363
Feb413
Mar578
Apr640
May671
Jun598
Jul539
Aug505
Sep517
Oct554
Nov470
Dec383

Solar energy

Average daily shortwave solar energy reaching the ground, banded into brightness zones so the number means something at a glance.

Solar energy is how much sunlight actually reaches the ground each day, measured in kilowatt-hours per square metre (kWh/m²) — the combined effect of how long the sun is up, how high it climbs, and how much cloud gets in the way. It's the raw fuel a solar panel has to work with: for scale, 1 kWh/m² a day is dim and wintry, while 7+ is desert-bright.

Potiskum receives about 6.3 kWh/m² a day of solar energy on average — intense — with a clear seasonal swing between 5.2 and 7.4 kWh/m².

The brighter stretch of the year lasts 4.7 months, from around Jan 29 to Jun 20. The brightest month is April, averaging about 7.2 kWh/m² (intense).

The dimmest month is August, down near 5.3 kWh/m² — roughly 27% less than the April peak.

012345678JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecdimmerbrighterdimmerdimmoderatebrightintenseApr 27.4 kWhAug 125.2 kWh
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
Jan6.1Intense
Feb6.7Intense
Mar7.2Intense
Apr7.2Intense
May6.8Intense
Jun6.4Intense
Jul5.8Bright
Aug5.2Bright
Sep6.0Intense
Oct6.3Intense
Nov6.3Intense
Dec5.9Bright

Where is Potiskum?

Potiskum sits at 11.7°N, 11.1°E, 427 m above sea level, in Nigeria. The nearest listed city is Daura, 40 km away.

NafadaKariDamaturuAzareDukkuDarazoGashua

Topography around Potiskum

How much the land rises and falls, and what covers it, within 3, 16 and 80 km of Potiskum.

Within 3 km, the terrain around Potiskum has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 29 m around an average of 421 m above sea level; within 16 km, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 98 m; within 80 km, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 327 m.

The land around Potiskum is covered by artificial surfaces (72%) within 3 km, cropland (74%) within 16 km, and cropland (66%) and grassland (27%) within 80 km.

3 km
29 m
16 km
98 m
80 km
327 m
treesshrubsgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrain
Nearby: Daura 40 km · Nafada 74 km · Kari 77 km · Damaturu 96 km · Azare 97 km · Dukku 105 km · Darazo 108 km · Gashua 129 km

Nigeria travel facts

Travel advisory
Level 3
Reconsider Travel
Power plugs
Type D / G
230 V · 50 Hz
Prices
≈ 13% of US
price level, 2025
GDP per capita
$1,224
2025
Happiness
4.8 / 10
World Happiness, 2025
Safe drinking water
30%
of population, 2024
Homicide rate
15.7
per 100k, 2023
Road deaths
20.7
per 100k/yr, 2019
Income group
Lower middle
World Bank
English
High
EF EPI 569
Religion
Muslim 54%other Christian 35%Roman Catholic 11%other 1%

Sources: World Bank, US State Department, World Happiness Report, WHO/UNICEF, EF EPI, CIA World Factbook.

Data sources

Temperature, precipitation, cloud, humidity, wind and solar figures are a 1991–2020 climatology for Potiskum (11.7139°, 11.0811°, elevation 427 m), computed from hourly ERA5 reanalysis — contains modified Copernicus Climate Change Service information. Sun figures are astronomical calculations, not observations. City data © GeoNames, CC BY 4.0. Map outlines from Natural Earth (public domain); interactive map © Google. UV index is derived from CAMS (Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service) clear-sky UV data — contains modified Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service information. Monthly air-quality (PM2.5) seasonality is from the CAMS EAC4 reanalysis (Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service), scaled to the WHO annual mean where available. Topography is sampled from the Copernicus DEM GLO-90 elevation model (© ESA/Airbus) and ESA WorldCover 2021 land cover (CC BY 4.0).