Climate and average weather in Sokoto
In Sokoto, the summers are sweltering, dry, and mostly clear and the winters are hot and mostly cloudy.
Over the course of the year, the temperature in Sokoto typically varies from 18°C to 41°C, and is rarely below 15°C or above 43°C. April is the hottest month of the year, while August is the coldest.
Based on the travel score, the best times of year to visit Sokoto for warm-weather activities are from early January to late January and mid December to late December.
- Hottest
- Apr
- 41°
- Coldest
- Aug
- 24°
- Wettest
- Aug
- 171 mm
- Driest
- Jan
- 0 mm
- Rain / yr
- 393 mm
- 59 wet days
- Daylight
- 11.2–12.8 h
- shortest–longest
- Elevation
- 296 m
- 13.1°N
- Clearest
- Dec
- 26% cloud
Sokoto is a city in Nigeria, capital of Sokoto State.
- Density
- 7,172/km²
- people per km²
Air quality: WHO Ambient Air Quality Database. Density & description: Wikidata (CC0), GeoNames.
Sokoto 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
Daily average highs and lows in Sokoto, from 1991–2020 of climate data. The shaded bands show the range most days fall in — 10th to 90th percentile.
The hot season lasts 2.6 months, from March 10 to May 26, with daily high temperatures above 38°C. The hottest month of the year in Sokoto is April, with an average high of 41°C and low of 28°C.
The cool season lasts 2.1 months, from July 16 to September 17, with daily high temperatures below 33°C. The coldest month of the year in Sokoto is August, with an average low of 24°C and high of 31°C.
Days typically run about 11°C warmer than nights, with the widest day–night swing (around 14°C) in November.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Avg high (°C) | 32 | 35 | 39 | 41 | 39 | 36 | 33 | 31 | 33 | 36 | 35 | 33 |
| Avg low (°C) | 18 | 21 | 25 | 28 | 28 | 27 | 25 | 24 | 24 | 24 | 21 | 19 |
| Avg high (°C) | Avg low (°C) | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 32 | 18 |
| Feb | 35 | 21 |
| Mar | 39 | 25 |
| Apr | 41 | 28 |
| May | 39 | 28 |
| Jun | 36 | 27 |
| Jul | 33 | 25 |
| Aug | 31 | 24 |
| Sep | 33 | 24 |
| Oct | 36 | 24 |
| Nov | 35 | 21 |
| Dec | 33 | 19 |
How hot and cold Sokoto really feels
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, Sokoto feels like about 42°C (around May 17). About 336 days a year carry some heat stress, and 102 of them tip into dangerous heat (feels-like above 39°C), peaking in May.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Feels-like high (°C) | 32 | 35 | 39 | 41 | 41 | 40 | 37 | 35 | 37 | 37 | 35 | 32 |
| Air high (°C) | 32 | 35 | 39 | 41 | 39 | 36 | 33 | 31 | 33 | 36 | 35 | 33 |
| Feels-like low (°C) | 18 | 21 | 25 | 28 | 28 | 27 | 25 | 24 | 24 | 24 | 21 | 19 |
| Air low (°C) | 18 | 21 | 25 | 28 | 28 | 27 | 25 | 24 | 24 | 24 | 21 | 19 |
| Feels-like high (°C) | Air high (°C) | Feels-like low (°C) | Air low (°C) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 32 | 32 | 18 | 18 |
| Feb | 35 | 35 | 21 | 21 |
| Mar | 39 | 39 | 25 | 25 |
| Apr | 41 | 41 | 28 | 28 |
| May | 41 | 39 | 28 | 28 |
| Jun | 40 | 36 | 27 | 27 |
| Jul | 37 | 33 | 25 | 25 |
| Aug | 35 | 31 | 24 | 24 |
| Sep | 37 | 33 | 24 | 24 |
| Oct | 37 | 36 | 24 | 24 |
| Nov | 35 | 35 | 21 | 21 |
| Dec | 32 | 33 | 19 | 19 |
Average hourly temperature in Sokoto
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 41°C, and coldest before dawn in August, near 24°C.
Sokoto weather by month
Every month at a glance. Click a month for its detailed page.
| Month | High / Low (°C) | Rainfall (mm) | Wet days | Daylight (hours) | Travel score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 32° / 18° | 0 | 0 | 11.3 | 5.4 |
| Feb | 35° / 21° | 0 | 0 | 11.6 | 3.3 |
| Mar | 39° / 25° | 0 | 0.2 | 11.9 | 0.8 |
| Apr | 41° / 28° | 3 | 0.9 | 12.3 | 0.0 |
| May | 39° / 28° | 21 | 4.9 | 12.6 | 0.5 |
| Jun | 36° / 27° | 33 | 8 | 12.8 | 2.1 |
| Jul | 33° / 25° | 83 | 14.3 | 12.7 | 3.2 |
| Aug | 31° / 24° | 171 | 18.8 | 12.4 | 3.5 |
| Sep | 33° / 24° | 68 | 9.2 | 12.1 | 3.7 |
| Oct | 36° / 24° | 13 | 2.9 | 11.7 | 2.6 |
| Nov | 35° / 21° | 0 | 0 | 11.4 | 3.1 |
| Dec | 33° / 19° | 0 | 0 | 11.2 | 5.0 |
Chance of rain
How likely it is to rain on a typical day, and how that shifts across the wetter and drier seasons.
Sokoto gets about 393 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 21 to Oct 2, peaking in August at about 61% 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 171 mm over about 19 wet days; January is the driest, with 0 mm.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rain on a day (%) | 0 | 0 | 1 | 4 | 15 | 27 | 46 | 59 | 32 | 9 | 0 | 0 |
| Rain days | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 5 | 8 | 14 | 19 | 9 | 3 | 0 | 0 |
| Rain on a day (%) | Rain days | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 0 | 0 |
| Feb | 0 | 0 |
| Mar | 1 | 0 |
| Apr | 4 | 1 |
| May | 15 | 5 |
| Jun | 27 | 8 |
| Jul | 46 | 14 |
| Aug | 59 | 19 |
| Sep | 32 | 9 |
| Oct | 9 | 3 |
| Nov | 0 | 0 |
| Dec | 0 | 0 |
Monthly rainfall
Over a full year, Sokoto collects about 393 mm of rain across 59 wet days — roughly 33 mm in an average month.
It doesn’t fall evenly. August is the wettest month with 171 mm, while January is the driest at just 0 mm. The three wettest months alone bring about 82% of the year’s total.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rainfall (mm) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 21 | 33 | 83 | 171 | 68 | 13 | 0 | 0 |
| Rain days | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 5 | 8 | 14 | 19 | 9 | 3 | 0 | 0 |
| Rainfall (mm) | Rain days | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 0 | 0 |
| Feb | 0 | 0 |
| Mar | 0 | 0 |
| Apr | 3 | 1 |
| May | 21 | 5 |
| Jun | 33 | 8 |
| Jul | 83 | 14 |
| Aug | 171 | 19 |
| Sep | 68 | 9 |
| Oct | 13 | 3 |
| Nov | 0 | 0 |
| Dec | 0 | 0 |
Clouds and sunshine
How often the daytime sky is clear, partly cloudy or overcast.
In Sokoto, 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 September 24 and lasts for 6.6 months, ending around April 12. The clearest month is December, when the sky is clear, mostly clear, or partly cloudy 83% of the time on average.
The cloudier part of the year begins around June 29 and lasts for 2.9 months, ending around September 23. The cloudiest month is August, when it is overcast or mostly cloudy 78% of the time.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Clearer (%) | 81 | 81 | 69 | 64 | 64 | 72 | 40 | 22 | 52 | 71 | 76 | 83 |
| Cloudier (%) | 19 | 19 | 31 | 36 | 36 | 28 | 60 | 78 | 48 | 29 | 24 | 17 |
| Clearer (%) | Cloudier (%) | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 81 | 19 |
| Feb | 81 | 19 |
| Mar | 69 | 31 |
| Apr | 64 | 36 |
| May | 64 | 36 |
| Jun | 72 | 28 |
| Jul | 40 | 60 |
| Aug | 22 | 78 |
| Sep | 52 | 48 |
| Oct | 71 | 29 |
| Nov | 76 | 24 |
| Dec | 83 | 17 |
Daylight, sunrise and sunset
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 11, brings about 12 h 48 min of light; the shortest, around January 1, only 11 h 12 min — a swing of roughly 1 h 36 min.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Daylight (h) | 11.3 | 11.6 | 11.9 | 12.3 | 12.6 | 12.8 | 12.7 | 12.4 | 12.1 | 11.7 | 11.4 | 11.2 |
| Sunrise (AM) | 7:09 | 7:07 | 6:51 | 6:31 | 6:17 | 6:16 | 6:24 | 6:30 | 6:31 | 6:33 | 6:43 | 6:58 |
| Sunset (PM) | 6:28 | 6:41 | 6:46 | 6:48 | 6:53 | 7:02 | 7:06 | 6:56 | 6:36 | 6:15 | 6:06 | 6:12 |
| Daylight (h) | Sunrise (AM) | Sunset (PM) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 11.3 | 7:09 | 6:28 |
| Feb | 11.6 | 7:07 | 6:41 |
| Mar | 11.9 | 6:51 | 6:46 |
| Apr | 12.3 | 6:31 | 6:48 |
| May | 12.6 | 6:17 | 6:53 |
| Jun | 12.8 | 6:16 | 7:02 |
| Jul | 12.7 | 6:24 | 7:06 |
| Aug | 12.4 | 6:30 | 6:56 |
| Sep | 12.1 | 6:31 | 6:36 |
| Oct | 11.7 | 6:33 | 6:15 |
| Nov | 11.4 | 6:43 | 6:06 |
| Dec | 11.2 | 6:58 | 6:12 |
Sunny days
How many genuinely sunny days each month brings — days the sky stays clear or mostly clear — banded into plain-language zones.
Sokoto averages about 15 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 6.6 months, from around Sep 29 to Apr 17. The sunniest month is December, with roughly 21 sunny days (bright).
The greyest month is August, down near 2 sunny days — about 91% fewer than the December peak.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sunny days | 21 | 19 | 17 | 15 | 14 | 16 | 6 | 2 | 9 | 17 | 19 | 22 |
| Sky | Bright | Bright | Bright | Mixed | Mixed | Bright | Gloomy | Gloomy | Mixed | Bright | Bright | Bright |
| Sunny days | Sky | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 21 | Bright |
| Feb | 19 | Bright |
| Mar | 17 | Bright |
| Apr | 15 | Mixed |
| May | 14 | Mixed |
| Jun | 16 | Bright |
| Jul | 6 | Gloomy |
| Aug | 2 | Gloomy |
| Sep | 9 | Mixed |
| Oct | 17 | Bright |
| Nov | 19 | Bright |
| Dec | 22 | Bright |
Humidity comfort
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 Sokoto, how humid it feels changes dramatically over the year.
The more humid part of the year lasts 6.0 months, from around April 25 to October 24. 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 25 to April 24, and January is the most comfortable month — the air is dry or comfortable 100% of the time.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dry (%) | 100 | 99 | 95 | 58 | 9 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 22 | 90 | 100 |
| Comfortable (%) | 0 | 0 | 2 | 10 | 7 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 5 | 0 |
| Humid (%) | 0 | 0 | 2 | 18 | 18 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 10 | 3 | 0 |
| Muggy (%) | 0 | 0 | 1 | 12 | 45 | 40 | 12 | 0 | 2 | 17 | 2 | 0 |
| Oppressive (%) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 21 | 56 | 88 | 98 | 92 | 43 | 1 | 0 |
| Miserable (%) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Dry (%) | Comfortable (%) | Humid (%) | Muggy (%) | Oppressive (%) | Miserable (%) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 100 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Feb | 99 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Mar | 95 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Apr | 58 | 10 | 18 | 12 | 2 | 0 |
| May | 9 | 7 | 18 | 45 | 21 | 0 |
| Jun | 0 | 1 | 3 | 40 | 56 | 0 |
| Jul | 0 | 0 | 0 | 12 | 88 | 0 |
| Aug | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 98 | 2 |
| Sep | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 92 | 5 |
| Oct | 22 | 7 | 10 | 17 | 43 | 1 |
| Nov | 90 | 5 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 |
| Dec | 100 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
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 Sokoto is typically calm, near 10 km/h, and varies moderately with the seasons.
The windier part of the year lasts 4.6 months, from around Nov 15 to Apr 4. The windiest month is January, averaging about 13 km/h (light breeze).
The calmer part of the year runs from around Jul 12 to Nov 14, with October the calmest month at about 8 km/h.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wind speed (km/h) | 13 | 12 | 11 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 9 | 8 | 8 | 10 | 12 |
| Feels | light breeze | light breeze | calm | calm | calm | calm | calm | calm | calm | calm | calm | light breeze |
| Wind speed (km/h) | Feels | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 13 | light breeze |
| Feb | 12 | light breeze |
| Mar | 11 | calm |
| Apr | 10 | calm |
| May | 10 | calm |
| Jun | 10 | calm |
| Jul | 10 | calm |
| Aug | 9 | calm |
| Sep | 8 | calm |
| Oct | 8 | calm |
| Nov | 10 | calm |
| Dec | 12 | light breeze |
Hazard calendar for Sokoto
When the seasonal hazards worth planning around — the rainy season, tropical-cyclone risk and dust haze — are active through the year.
Sokoto sees seasonal dust haze (December–July), heaviest in April.
Best time to visit Sokoto
To characterize how pleasant the weather is in Sokoto throughout the year, we compute two travel scores — one for general sightseeing, one for beach and pool weather.
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 Sokoto for general outdoor tourist activities is from mid December to late January, with a peak score in the first week of January.
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).
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Travel score (0–10) | 5.4 | 3.3 | 0.9 | 0.0 | 0.5 | 2.1 | 3.2 | 3.5 | 3.6 | 2.7 | 3.1 | 5.0 |
| Rating | fair | poor | poor | poor | poor | poor | poor | poor | fair | poor | poor | fair |
| Travel score (0–10) | Rating | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 5.4 | fair |
| Feb | 3.3 | poor |
| Mar | 0.9 | poor |
| Apr | 0.0 | poor |
| May | 0.5 | poor |
| Jun | 2.1 | poor |
| Jul | 3.2 | poor |
| Aug | 3.5 | poor |
| Sep | 3.6 | fair |
| Oct | 2.7 | poor |
| Nov | 3.1 | poor |
| Dec | 5.0 | fair |
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 Sokoto for hot-weather activities is from late November to mid February, with a peak score in the first week of January.
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 Sokoto, by month
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 41°C), the essentials are light clothes and sun protection. In the cold season around August (highs near 31°C), pack light clothes, rain gear and sun protection.
In April, Sokoto sees daytime highs around 41°C and nights near 28°C. Pack light clothes and sun protection.
UV index (midday) in Sokoto by month
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 Sokoto peaks around August 16 at about 13 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near December 17 at about 6 (high).
The index reaches 3 or more — the level where the WHO recommends sun protection — every month of the year.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| UV index (midday) | 9 | 8 | 10 | 11 | 10 | 11 | 11 | 13 | 11 | 10 | 9 | 6 |
| Level | Very high | Very high | Very high | Extreme | Extreme | Extreme | Extreme | Extreme | Extreme | Extreme | Very high | High |
| UV index (midday) | Level | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 9 | Very high |
| Feb | 8 | Very high |
| Mar | 10 | Very high |
| Apr | 11 | Extreme |
| May | 10 | Extreme |
| Jun | 11 | Extreme |
| Jul | 11 | Extreme |
| Aug | 13 | Extreme |
| Sep | 11 | Extreme |
| Oct | 10 | Extreme |
| Nov | 9 | Very high |
| Dec | 6 | High |
Average hourly UV index in Sokoto
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 6.5 hours reach 6 or more. Mornings and late afternoons stay comparatively gentle year round.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| UV ≥ 3 (h/day) | 6.5 | 6.5 | 7.5 | 7.5 | 7.5 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 7.5 | 7 | 6.5 | 5.5 |
| UV ≥ 6 (h/day) | 4 | 4 | 5 | 5.5 | 5.5 | 5.5 | 6 | 6.5 | 5.5 | 5 | 4 | 0 |
| UV ≥ 3 (h/day) | UV ≥ 6 (h/day) | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 6.5 | 4 |
| Feb | 6.5 | 4 |
| Mar | 7.5 | 5 |
| Apr | 7.5 | 5.5 |
| May | 7.5 | 5.5 |
| Jun | 8 | 5.5 |
| Jul | 8 | 6 |
| Aug | 8 | 6.5 |
| Sep | 7.5 | 5.5 |
| Oct | 7 | 5 |
| Nov | 6.5 | 4 |
| Dec | 5.5 | 0 |
Air quality in Sokoto by month
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 Sokoto is worst in February — around 105 µg/m³ PM2.5 (unhealthy), about 4.8× the cleanest month (August, 22 µg/m³).
Modeled monthly averages (CAMS reanalysis, 2015–2024).
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PM2.5 (µg/m³) | 96 | 105 | 98 | 76 | 45 | 34 | 23 | 22 | 30 | 53 | 69 | 89 |
| Level | Unhealthy | Unhealthy | Unhealthy | Unhealthy | Poor | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Poor | Unhealthy | Unhealthy |
| PM2.5 (µg/m³) | Level | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 96 | Unhealthy |
| Feb | 105 | Unhealthy |
| Mar | 98 | Unhealthy |
| Apr | 76 | Unhealthy |
| May | 45 | Poor |
| Jun | 34 | Moderate |
| Jul | 23 | Moderate |
| Aug | 22 | Moderate |
| Sep | 30 | Moderate |
| Oct | 53 | Poor |
| Nov | 69 | Unhealthy |
| Dec | 89 | Unhealthy |
Growing season
Sokoto is frost-free year round — even the coldest nights rarely reach freezing, so there is no start or end to the growing season.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Frost-free chance (%) | 100 | 100 | 100 | 100 | 100 | 100 | 100 | 100 | 100 | 100 | 100 | 100 |
| Frost nights | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Frost-free chance (%) | Frost nights | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 100 | 0 |
| Feb | 100 | 0 |
| Mar | 100 | 0 |
| Apr | 100 | 0 |
| May | 100 | 0 |
| Jun | 100 | 0 |
| Jul | 100 | 0 |
| Aug | 100 | 0 |
| Sep | 100 | 0 |
| Oct | 100 | 0 |
| Nov | 100 | 0 |
| Dec | 100 | 0 |
Growing degree days
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. Sokoto banks about 7,068 degree days a year, and the running total — which growers use to time plantings and predict maturity — climbs fastest around April.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Growing degree days (°C·days) | 466 | 507 | 674 | 724 | 736 | 643 | 583 | 539 | 552 | 613 | 545 | 485 |
| Growing degree days (°C·days) | |
|---|---|
| Jan | 466 |
| Feb | 507 |
| Mar | 674 |
| Apr | 724 |
| May | 736 |
| Jun | 643 |
| Jul | 583 |
| Aug | 539 |
| Sep | 552 |
| Oct | 613 |
| Nov | 545 |
| Dec | 485 |
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.
Sokoto receives about 6.2 kWh/m² a day of solar energy on average — intense — with a clear seasonal swing between 5.1 and 7.2 kWh/m².
The brighter stretch of the year lasts 4.9 months, from around Feb 3 to Jul 1. The brightest month is April, averaging about 7.1 kWh/m² (intense).
The dimmest month is August, down near 5.2 kWh/m² — roughly 27% less than the April peak.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Solar energy (kWh/m²) | 5.9 | 6.4 | 7.0 | 7.1 | 6.7 | 6.6 | 5.7 | 5.1 | 6.0 | 6.2 | 6.1 | 5.8 |
| Level | Bright | Intense | Intense | Intense | Intense | Intense | Bright | Bright | Bright | Intense | Intense | Bright |
| Solar energy (kWh/m²) | Level | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 5.9 | Bright |
| Feb | 6.4 | Intense |
| Mar | 7.0 | Intense |
| Apr | 7.1 | Intense |
| May | 6.7 | Intense |
| Jun | 6.6 | Intense |
| Jul | 5.7 | Bright |
| Aug | 5.1 | Bright |
| Sep | 6.0 | Bright |
| Oct | 6.2 | Intense |
| Nov | 6.1 | Intense |
| Dec | 5.8 | Bright |
Where is Sokoto?
Sokoto sits at 13.1°N, 5.2°E, 296 m above sea level, in Nigeria. The nearest listed city is Gwadabawa, 33 km away.
Topography around Sokoto
How much the land rises and falls, and what covers it, within 3, 16 and 80 km of Sokoto.
Within 3 km, the terrain around Sokoto has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 62 m around an average of 274 m above sea level; within 16 km, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 93 m; within 80 km, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 192 m.
The land around Sokoto is covered by artificial surfaces (64%) within 3 km, cropland (67%) within 16 km, and cropland (50%) and grassland (40%) within 80 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
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 Sokoto (13.0627°, 5.2432°, elevation 296 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).