The Cape Verde islands consist of a group of ten main islands and a number of smaller islets. They are situated about 480 km/300 miles off the west coast of Guinea in Africa. The islands are volcanic and hilly.
The cold Atlantic Canary Current, in the Atlantic Ocean, creates an arid atmosphere around the islands. There are two seasons: December–June is cool and dry, with temperatures at sea level averaging 21°C (70°F); July–November is warmer, with temperatures averaging 27°C (81°F). The temperature is typically tropical with no cool season, although there is a small range of temperature around the year; the coolest months are December to March.
The atmosphere of the islands is generally hazy, especially in the direction of Africa. With occasional exceptions during summer and autumn, the prevailing wind is from the northeast, blowing most strongly from November to May. The Harmattan, a very dry east wind from the African continent, occasionally makes itself felt.
The heat of summer is high, the thermometer ranging from 27° to 32°C (80° to 90°F) near the sea. The combination of moderately high temperature and high humidity can be unpleasant, except when this is tempered by the daily sea breeze. Daily hours of sunshine average from seven to ten and are highest in the months February to June. There is rather more cloud during the rainier months.
The Cape Verde islands have a rather low and unreliable rainfall, being at the northern limit of the tropical rain-belt. Most of the rain falls between August and October, when there is thunder and a light variable wind from southeast or southwest. The rainfall is very low at sea level but increases in the hills. Annual precipitation is only about 130 millimeters (5 inches) in the northern islands and 300 millimeters (12 inches) in the southern ones. Following the rains, the vegetation springs up with surprising rapidity. But droughts can be severe and often last for years.
Climate data for Praia (1981–2010) | |||||||||||||
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Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
Average high °C (°F) | 26.5 (79.7) | 27.0 (80.6) | 28.1 (82.6) | 28.2 (82.8) | 28.9 (84.0) | 29.6 (85.3) | 29.6 (85.3) | 30.4 (86.7) | 30.9 (87.6) | 31.0 (87.8) | 29.7 (85.5) | 27.7 (81.9) | 29.0 (84.2) |
Daily mean °C (°F) | 22.9 (73.2) | 22.9 (73.2) | 23.6 (74.5) | 23.9 (75.0) | 24.7 (76.5) | 25.5 (77.9) | 26.1 (79.0) | 27.1 (80.8) | 27.4 (81.3) | 27.2 (81.0) | 26.1 (79.0) | 24.1 (75.4) | 25.1 (77.2) |
Average low °C (°F) | 19.3 (66.7) | 19.2 (66.6) | 19.5 (67.1) | 19.9 (67.8) | 20.7 (69.3) | 21.6 (70.9) | 22.7 (72.9) | 23.9 (75.0) | 24.2 (75.6) | 23.6 (74.5) | 22.5 (72.5) | 20.8 (69.4) | 21.5 (70.7) |
Average precipitation mm (inches) | 3.1 (0.12) | 0.6 (0.02) | 0.3 (0.01) | 0.0 (0.0) | 0.5 (0.02) | 0.0 (0.0) | 8.0 (0.31) | 60.4 (2.38) | 60.9 (2.40) | 31.0 (1.22) | 2.7 (0.11) | 5.0 (0.20) | 172.5 (6.79) |
Source: Instituto Nacional de Meteorologia e Geofísica |
In summary:
A cold Atlantic current produces an arid atmosphere around the islands. There are two seasons: December–June is cool and dry, with temperatures at sea level averaging 21°C (70°F); July–November is warmer, with temperatures averaging 27°C (81°F).
Although some rain comes during the latter season, rainfall is sparse overall, generally around 130 mm (5 in) annually in the northern islands and 300 mm (12 in) in the south. The archipelago is subject to cyclical droughts.