Climate and average weather in Makeni
In Makeni, the summers are humid, sweltering, fairly dry, and mostly clear and the winters are warm and mostly cloudy.
Over the course of the year, the temperature in Makeni typically varies from 21°C to 36°C, and is rarely below 18°C or above 38°C. March is the hottest month of the year, while August is the coldest.
Based on the travel score, the best time of year to visit Makeni for warm-weather activities is from mid November to mid January.
- Hottest
- Mar
- 36°
- Coldest
- Aug
- 22°
- Wettest
- Aug
- 469 mm
- Driest
- Feb
- 6 mm
- Rain / yr
- 2265 mm
- 208 wet days
- Daylight
- 11.5–12.5 h
- shortest–longest
- Elevation
- 93 m
- 8.9°N
- Clearest
- Jan
- 35% cloud
Makeni is capital city of Northern Province in Sierra Leone.
Air quality: WHO Ambient Air Quality Database. Density & description: Wikidata (CC0), GeoNames.
Makeni 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 mid November to mid January.
Temperature through the year
Daily average highs and lows in Makeni, from 1991–2020 of climate data. The shaded bands show the range most days fall in — 10th to 90th percentile.
The hot season lasts 3.3 months, from January 16 to April 24, with daily high temperatures above 34°C. The hottest month of the year in Makeni is March, with an average high of 36°C and low of 24°C.
The cool season lasts 3.2 months, from June 19 to September 24, with daily high temperatures below 29°C. The coldest month of the year in Makeni is August, with an average low of 22°C and high of 28°C.
Days typically run about 9°C warmer than nights, with the widest day–night swing (around 13°C) in February.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Avg high (°C) | 34 | 35 | 36 | 34 | 32 | 29 | 28 | 28 | 29 | 30 | 31 | 32 |
| Avg low (°C) | 21 | 23 | 24 | 25 | 24 | 23 | 22 | 22 | 22 | 22 | 22 | 22 |
| Avg high (°C) | Avg low (°C) | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 34 | 21 |
| Feb | 35 | 23 |
| Mar | 36 | 24 |
| Apr | 34 | 25 |
| May | 32 | 24 |
| Jun | 29 | 23 |
| Jul | 28 | 22 |
| Aug | 28 | 22 |
| Sep | 29 | 22 |
| Oct | 30 | 22 |
| Nov | 31 | 22 |
| Dec | 32 | 22 |
How hot and cold Makeni 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, Makeni feels like about 39°C (around April 4). About 288 days a year carry some heat stress, peaking in April.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Feels-like high (°C) | 35 | 37 | 38 | 39 | 36 | 33 | 31 | 31 | 32 | 34 | 34 | 34 |
| Air high (°C) | 34 | 35 | 36 | 34 | 32 | 29 | 28 | 28 | 29 | 30 | 31 | 32 |
| Feels-like low (°C) | 21 | 23 | 24 | 25 | 24 | 23 | 22 | 22 | 22 | 22 | 22 | 21 |
| Air low (°C) | 21 | 23 | 24 | 25 | 24 | 23 | 22 | 22 | 22 | 22 | 22 | 22 |
| Feels-like high (°C) | Air high (°C) | Feels-like low (°C) | Air low (°C) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 35 | 34 | 21 | 21 |
| Feb | 37 | 35 | 23 | 23 |
| Mar | 38 | 36 | 24 | 24 |
| Apr | 39 | 34 | 25 | 25 |
| May | 36 | 32 | 24 | 24 |
| Jun | 33 | 29 | 23 | 23 |
| Jul | 31 | 28 | 22 | 22 |
| Aug | 31 | 28 | 22 | 22 |
| Sep | 32 | 29 | 22 | 22 |
| Oct | 34 | 30 | 22 | 22 |
| Nov | 34 | 31 | 22 | 22 |
| Dec | 34 | 32 | 21 | 22 |
Average hourly temperature in Makeni
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 March afternoons, near 36°C, and coldest before dawn in August, near 22°C.
Makeni 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 | 34° / 21° | 7 | 2 | 11.5 | 3.8 |
| Feb | 35° / 23° | 6 | 1.4 | 11.7 | 2.9 |
| Mar | 36° / 24° | 24 | 5.7 | 11.9 | 2.5 |
| Apr | 34° / 25° | 51 | 10.2 | 12.2 | 2.7 |
| May | 32° / 24° | 179 | 23 | 12.4 | 2.8 |
| Jun | 29° / 23° | 306 | 28.2 | 12.5 | 2.9 |
| Jul | 28° / 22° | 405 | 29.5 | 12.5 | 3.2 |
| Aug | 28° / 22° | 469 | 29.9 | 12.3 | 3.3 |
| Sep | 29° / 22° | 413 | 29 | 12.1 | 2.9 |
| Oct | 30° / 22° | 294 | 29.7 | 11.8 | 2.8 |
| Nov | 31° / 22° | 101 | 16.3 | 11.6 | 4.0 |
| Dec | 32° / 22° | 13 | 3.1 | 11.5 | 4.8 |
Chance of rain
How likely it is to rain on a typical day, and how that shifts across the wetter and drier seasons.
Makeni gets about 2265 mm of precipitation a year. On a typical day the chance of rain is very wet, but that rises and falls sharply with the seasons.
The wetter season lasts 6.3 months, from around May 5 to Nov 12, peaking in August at about 98% chance on a given day. The drier stretch runs the rest of the year, bottoming out around Feb 6.
August is the wettest month by volume, with 469 mm over about 30 wet days; February is the driest, with 6 mm.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rain on a day (%) | 6 | 6 | 18 | 36 | 73 | 93 | 95 | 96 | 97 | 94 | 53 | 12 |
| Rain days | 2 | 1 | 6 | 10 | 23 | 28 | 30 | 30 | 29 | 30 | 16 | 3 |
| Rain on a day (%) | Rain days | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 6 | 2 |
| Feb | 6 | 1 |
| Mar | 18 | 6 |
| Apr | 36 | 10 |
| May | 73 | 23 |
| Jun | 93 | 28 |
| Jul | 95 | 30 |
| Aug | 96 | 30 |
| Sep | 97 | 29 |
| Oct | 94 | 30 |
| Nov | 53 | 16 |
| Dec | 12 | 3 |
Monthly rainfall
Over a full year, Makeni collects about 2265 mm of rain across 208 wet days — roughly 189 mm in an average month.
It doesn’t fall evenly. August is the wettest month with 469 mm, while February is the driest at just 6 mm. The three wettest months alone bring about 57% of the year’s total.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rainfall (mm) | 7 | 6 | 24 | 51 | 179 | 306 | 405 | 469 | 413 | 294 | 101 | 13 |
| Rain days | 2 | 1 | 6 | 10 | 23 | 28 | 30 | 30 | 29 | 30 | 16 | 3 |
| Rainfall (mm) | Rain days | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 7 | 2 |
| Feb | 6 | 1 |
| Mar | 24 | 6 |
| Apr | 51 | 10 |
| May | 179 | 23 |
| Jun | 306 | 28 |
| Jul | 405 | 30 |
| Aug | 469 | 30 |
| Sep | 413 | 29 |
| Oct | 294 | 30 |
| Nov | 101 | 16 |
| Dec | 13 | 3 |
Clouds and sunshine
How often the daytime sky is clear, partly cloudy or overcast.
In Makeni, 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 November 8 and lasts for 5.6 months, ending around April 25. The clearest month is January, when the sky is clear, mostly clear, or partly cloudy 77% of the time on average.
The cloudier part of the year begins around April 26 and lasts for 6.4 months, ending around November 7. The cloudiest month is August, when it is overcast or mostly cloudy 99% of the time.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Clearer (%) | 77 | 76 | 63 | 44 | 13 | 6 | 3 | 1 | 6 | 15 | 43 | 69 |
| Cloudier (%) | 23 | 24 | 37 | 56 | 87 | 94 | 97 | 99 | 94 | 85 | 57 | 31 |
| Clearer (%) | Cloudier (%) | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 77 | 23 |
| Feb | 76 | 24 |
| Mar | 63 | 37 |
| Apr | 44 | 56 |
| May | 13 | 87 |
| Jun | 6 | 94 |
| Jul | 3 | 97 |
| Aug | 1 | 99 |
| Sep | 6 | 94 |
| Oct | 15 | 85 |
| Nov | 43 | 57 |
| Dec | 69 | 31 |
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 May 25, brings about 12 h 30 min of light; the shortest, around January 1, only 11 h 30 min — a swing of roughly 1 hour.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Daylight (h) | 11.5 | 11.7 | 11.9 | 12.2 | 12.4 | 12.5 | 12.5 | 12.3 | 12.1 | 11.8 | 11.6 | 11.5 |
| Sunrise (AM) | 7:11 | 7:12 | 7:00 | 6:43 | 6:32 | 6:33 | 6:40 | 6:43 | 6:41 | 6:39 | 6:46 | 7:00 |
| Sunset (PM) | 6:43 | 6:54 | 6:56 | 6:54 | 6:57 | 7:04 | 7:08 | 7:01 | 6:44 | 6:27 | 6:21 | 6:29 |
| Daylight (h) | Sunrise (AM) | Sunset (PM) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 11.5 | 7:11 | 6:43 |
| Feb | 11.7 | 7:12 | 6:54 |
| Mar | 11.9 | 7:00 | 6:56 |
| Apr | 12.2 | 6:43 | 6:54 |
| May | 12.4 | 6:32 | 6:57 |
| Jun | 12.5 | 6:33 | 7:04 |
| Jul | 12.5 | 6:40 | 7:08 |
| Aug | 12.3 | 6:43 | 7:01 |
| Sep | 12.1 | 6:41 | 6:44 |
| Oct | 11.8 | 6:39 | 6:27 |
| Nov | 11.6 | 6:46 | 6:21 |
| Dec | 11.5 | 7:00 | 6:29 |
Sunny days
How many genuinely sunny days each month brings — days the sky stays clear or mostly clear — banded into plain-language zones.
Makeni averages about 7 sunny days a month — counting the days the sky stays clear or mostly clear — with a clear seasonal swing between 0 and 20 days.
The sunnier stretch runs 5.0 months, from around Nov 18 to Apr 18. The sunniest month is February, with roughly 18 sunny days (bright).
The greyest month is May, down near 1 sunny days — about 96% fewer than the February peak.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sunny days | 19 | 17 | 13 | 7 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 6 | 16 |
| Sky | Bright | Bright | Mixed | Gloomy | Gloomy | Gloomy | Gloomy | Gloomy | Gloomy | Gloomy | Gloomy | Bright |
| Sunny days | Sky | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 19 | Bright |
| Feb | 17 | Bright |
| Mar | 13 | Mixed |
| Apr | 7 | Gloomy |
| May | 1 | Gloomy |
| Jun | 0 | Gloomy |
| Jul | 0 | Gloomy |
| Aug | 0 | Gloomy |
| Sep | 0 | Gloomy |
| Oct | 1 | Gloomy |
| Nov | 6 | Gloomy |
| Dec | 16 | 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 Makeni, how humid it feels changes noticeably over the year.
The more humid part of the year lasts 9.1 months, from around March 8 to December 9. The muggiest month is April, when the air feels humid, muggy or worse about 100% of the time.
The most comfortable stretch runs from around December 10 to March 7, and January is the most comfortable month — the air is dry or comfortable 21% of the time.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dry (%) | 10 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 |
| Comfortable (%) | 11 | 7 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 |
| Humid (%) | 24 | 30 | 20 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 9 |
| Muggy (%) | 40 | 44 | 40 | 21 | 4 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 30 |
| Oppressive (%) | 14 | 14 | 36 | 63 | 76 | 96 | 98 | 98 | 100 | 97 | 93 | 51 |
| Miserable (%) | 0 | 0 | 2 | 10 | 20 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 4 | 1 |
| Dry (%) | Comfortable (%) | Humid (%) | Muggy (%) | Oppressive (%) | Miserable (%) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 10 | 11 | 24 | 40 | 14 | 0 |
| Feb | 4 | 7 | 30 | 44 | 14 | 0 |
| Mar | 0 | 2 | 20 | 40 | 36 | 2 |
| Apr | 0 | 0 | 6 | 21 | 63 | 10 |
| May | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 76 | 20 |
| Jun | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 96 | 4 |
| Jul | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 98 | 0 |
| Aug | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 98 | 0 |
| Sep | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 100 | 0 |
| Oct | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 97 | 3 |
| Nov | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 93 | 4 |
| Dec | 3 | 6 | 9 | 30 | 51 | 1 |
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.
Wind in Makeni is steady company: average speeds sit near 5 km/h — calm — in every month of the year, with no meaningful windy or calm season.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wind speed (km/h) | 5 | 6 | 7 | 7 | 6 | 5 | 6 | 6 | 5 | 4 | 4 | 4 |
| Feels | calm | calm | calm | calm | calm | calm | calm | calm | calm | calm | calm | calm |
| Wind speed (km/h) | Feels | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 5 | calm |
| Feb | 6 | calm |
| Mar | 7 | calm |
| Apr | 7 | calm |
| May | 6 | calm |
| Jun | 5 | calm |
| Jul | 6 | calm |
| Aug | 6 | calm |
| Sep | 5 | calm |
| Oct | 4 | calm |
| Nov | 4 | calm |
| Dec | 4 | calm |
Hazard calendar for Makeni
When the seasonal hazards worth planning around — the rainy season, tropical-cyclone risk and dust haze — are active through the year.
Makeni's monsoon runs June–October, when most of the year's rain falls.
Makeni sees seasonal dust haze (February–April), heaviest in February.
Best time to visit Makeni
To characterize how pleasant the weather is in Makeni throughout the year, we compute two travel scores — one for general sightseeing, one for beach and pool weather.
Around early January, Makeni 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 Makeni for general outdoor tourist activities is from mid November to mid January, with a peak score in the second week of December.
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) | 3.8 | 2.9 | 2.5 | 2.7 | 2.8 | 2.9 | 3.2 | 3.3 | 2.9 | 2.8 | 4.0 | 4.7 |
| Rating | fair | poor | poor | poor | poor | poor | poor | poor | poor | poor | fair | fair |
| Travel score (0–10) | Rating | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 3.8 | fair |
| Feb | 2.9 | poor |
| Mar | 2.5 | poor |
| Apr | 2.7 | poor |
| May | 2.8 | poor |
| Jun | 2.9 | poor |
| Jul | 3.2 | poor |
| Aug | 3.3 | poor |
| Sep | 2.9 | poor |
| Oct | 2.8 | poor |
| Nov | 4.0 | fair |
| Dec | 4.7 | 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 Makeni for hot-weather activities is from late November to mid February, with a peak score in the last week of December.
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 Makeni, 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 March (highs near 36°C), the essentials are light clothes and sun protection. In the cold season around August (highs near 28°C), pack light clothes and rain gear.
In March, Makeni sees daytime highs around 36°C and nights near 24°C. Pack light clothes and sun protection. About 6 days see rain.
UV index (midday) in Makeni 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 Makeni peaks around August 20 at about 13 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near December 16 at about 8 (very 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 | 12 | 12 | 10 | 12 | 12 | 11 | 13 | 13 | 11 | 9 | 8 |
| Level | Very high | Extreme | Extreme | Very high | Extreme | Extreme | Extreme | Extreme | Extreme | Extreme | Very high | Very high |
| UV index (midday) | Level | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 9 | Very high |
| Feb | 12 | Extreme |
| Mar | 12 | Extreme |
| Apr | 10 | Very high |
| May | 12 | Extreme |
| Jun | 12 | Extreme |
| Jul | 11 | Extreme |
| Aug | 13 | Extreme |
| Sep | 13 | Extreme |
| Oct | 11 | Extreme |
| Nov | 9 | Very high |
| Dec | 8 | Very high |
Average hourly UV index in Makeni
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.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| UV ≥ 3 (h/day) | 7 | 7.5 | 8 | 7.5 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 7.5 | 7 | 6.5 |
| UV ≥ 6 (h/day) | 5 | 5.5 | 6 | 5.5 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 5.5 | 4.5 | 4 |
| UV ≥ 3 (h/day) | UV ≥ 6 (h/day) | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 7 | 5 |
| Feb | 7.5 | 5.5 |
| Mar | 8 | 6 |
| Apr | 7.5 | 5.5 |
| May | 8 | 6 |
| Jun | 8 | 6 |
| Jul | 8 | 6 |
| Aug | 8 | 6 |
| Sep | 8 | 6 |
| Oct | 7.5 | 5.5 |
| Nov | 7 | 4.5 |
| Dec | 6.5 | 4 |
Air quality in Makeni 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 Makeni is worst in April — around 237 µg/m³ PM2.5 (very unhealthy), about 22.1× the cleanest month (August, 11 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) | 98 | 103 | 145 | 237 | 43 | 20 | 13 | 11 | 12 | 18 | 26 | 55 |
| Level | Unhealthy | Unhealthy | Unhealthy | Very unhealthy | Poor | Moderate | Moderate | Good | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Unhealthy |
| PM2.5 (µg/m³) | Level | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 98 | Unhealthy |
| Feb | 103 | Unhealthy |
| Mar | 145 | Unhealthy |
| Apr | 237 | Very unhealthy |
| May | 43 | Poor |
| Jun | 20 | Moderate |
| Jul | 13 | Moderate |
| Aug | 11 | Good |
| Sep | 12 | Moderate |
| Oct | 18 | Moderate |
| Nov | 26 | Moderate |
| Dec | 55 | Unhealthy |
Growing season
Makeni 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. Makeni banks about 6,225 degree days a year, and the running total — which growers use to time plantings and predict maturity — climbs fastest around March.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Growing degree days (°C·days) | 545 | 533 | 614 | 583 | 549 | 485 | 473 | 465 | 468 | 500 | 491 | 518 |
| Growing degree days (°C·days) | |
|---|---|
| Jan | 545 |
| Feb | 533 |
| Mar | 614 |
| Apr | 583 |
| May | 549 |
| Jun | 485 |
| Jul | 473 |
| Aug | 465 |
| Sep | 468 |
| Oct | 500 |
| Nov | 491 |
| Dec | 518 |
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.
Makeni receives about 4.8 kWh/m² a day of solar energy on average — bright — with a clear seasonal swing between 3.4 and 6.2 kWh/m².
The brighter stretch of the year lasts 5.4 months, from around Nov 28 to May 9. The brightest month is March, averaging about 6.1 kWh/m² (intense).
The dimmest month is August, down near 3.4 kWh/m² — roughly 44% less than the March peak.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Solar energy (kWh/m²) | 5.6 | 6.0 | 6.1 | 5.7 | 4.6 | 4.0 | 3.6 | 3.4 | 4.0 | 4.4 | 4.6 | 5.2 |
| Level | Bright | Bright | Intense | Bright | Bright | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Bright | Bright | Bright | Bright |
| Solar energy (kWh/m²) | Level | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 5.6 | Bright |
| Feb | 6.0 | Bright |
| Mar | 6.1 | Intense |
| Apr | 5.7 | Bright |
| May | 4.6 | Bright |
| Jun | 4.0 | Moderate |
| Jul | 3.6 | Moderate |
| Aug | 3.4 | Moderate |
| Sep | 4.0 | Bright |
| Oct | 4.4 | Bright |
| Nov | 4.6 | Bright |
| Dec | 5.2 | Bright |
Where is Makeni?
Makeni sits at 8.9°N, 12.0°W, 93 m above sea level, in Sierra Leone. The nearest listed city is Mile 91, 50 km away.
Topography around Makeni
How much the land rises and falls, and what covers it, within 3, 16 and 80 km of Makeni.
Within 3 km, the terrain around Makeni has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 205 m around an average of 104 m above sea level; within 16 km, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 253 m; within 80 km, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 936 m.
The land around Makeni is covered by artificial surfaces (45%), trees (27%) and grassland (24%) within 3 km, trees (56%) and grassland (32%) within 16 km, and trees (59%) and grassland (28%) within 80 km.
Sierra Leone travel facts
- Travel advisory
- Level 2
- Exercise Increased Caution
- Power plugs
- Type D / G
- 230 V · 50 Hz
- Prices
- ≈ 24% of US
- price level, 2025
- GDP per capita
- $846
- 2025
- Happiness
- 3.3 / 10
- World Happiness, 2025
- Safe drinking water
- 11%
- of population, 2024
- Homicide rate
- 2.2
- per 100k, 2020
- Road deaths
- 33
- per 100k/yr, 2019
- Income group
- Low
- World Bank
- 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 Makeni (8.886°, -12.0442°, elevation 93 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).