The Climate of
Gabon
Equator marker in Gabon
Climate Map
Climate map of Gabon
What is the climate of Gabon like?
Gabon is located on the equator in western Africa. It shares borders with Cameroon and Equatorial Guinea to the north and with the Republic of the Congo to the south and east. It has a coastline on the South Atlantic and lies between 2°N and 4°S.
Gabon has the hot and humid climate typical of tropical regions: hot, wet, and humid around the year, and with much cloud. The hottest month is January, with an average high at Libreville of 30°C (86°F) and an average low of 23°C (73°F). Average July temperatures in the capital range between 20° and 28°C (68° and 82°F).
From June to September, virtually no rain falls but high humidity prevails. During the remaining months, rainfall is heavy, although there is lower rainfall around December and January. The high rainfall is caused by the condensation of moist air resulting from the meeting of two Atlantic Ocean currents: the cold Benguela Current from the south and the warm Guinea Current from the north. Annual rainfall is almost everywhere between 1,250 and 2,000 millimeters (50 and 80 inches), rising to 2,500 millimeters (120 inches) near the coast and in the higher districts. At Libreville, the average annual rainfall is more than 2,500 millimeters (100 inches). Farther north on the coast, it is 3,800 millimeters (150 inches).
| Climate data for Libreville (1961–1990) | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Average high °C (°F) | 29.5 (85.1) | 30.0 (86.0) | 30.2 (86.4) | 30.1 (86.2) | 29.4 (84.9) | 27.6 (81.7) | 26.4 (79.5) | 26.8 (80.2) | 27.5 (81.5) | 28.0 (82.4) | 28.4 (83.1) | 29.0 (84.2) | 28.6 (83.5) |
| Daily mean °C (°F) | 26.8 (80.2) | 27.0 (80.6) | 27.1 (80.8) | 26.6 (79.9) | 26.7 (80.1) | 25.4 (77.7) | 24.3 (75.7) | 24.3 (75.7) | 25.4 (77.7) | 25.7 (78.3) | 25.9 (78.6) | 26.2 (79.2) | 25.9 (78.6) |
| Average low °C (°F) | 24.1 (75.4) | 24.0 (75.2) | 23.9 (75.0) | 23.1 (73.6) | 24.0 (75.2) | 23.2 (73.8) | 22.1 (71.8) | 21.8 (71.2) | 23.2 (73.8) | 23.4 (74.1) | 23.4 (74.1) | 23.4 (74.1) | 23.3 (73.9) |
| Average precipitation mm (inches) | 250.3 (9.85) | 243.1 (9.57) | 363.2 (14.30) | 339.0 (13.35) | 247.3 (9.74) | 54.1 (2.13) | 6.6 (0.26) | 13.7 (0.54) | 104.0 (4.09) | 427.2 (16.82) | 490.0 (19.29) | 303.2 (11.94) | 2,841.7 (111.88) |
| Source: NOAA | |||||||||||||
References
- E. A. Pearce, Charles Gordon Smith, (1990) The Hutchinson World Weather Guide, John Murray Press. ISBN 1859863426
- Timothy L. Gall, (ed.), (2003), Worldmark Encyclopedia of the Nations, Eleventh Edition, Thomson Gale
- Hugh Chisholm, (ed.), (1911), Encyclopædia Britannica, Eleventh edition, Cambridge University Press
The Climate of
Gabon
In summary:
Gabon has the moist, hot climate typical of tropical regions. The hottest month is January, with an average high at Libreville of 30°C (86°F) and an average low of 23°C (73°F). Average July temperatures in the capital range between 20° and 28° C (68° and 82°F).
From June to September there is virtually no rain but high humidity; during the remaining months, rainfall is heavy, although there is lower rainfall in December and January..