5.4 - Climate of Sub-Saharan Africa

Most areas in Africa are Tropical or Subtropical with temperatures generally above 65°F year round. More temperate zones are found at the southern tip of the continent and in the cooler upland zones (hills, mountains, high plateaus). In the Cape Town region of South Africa, their is a Mediterranean climate similar to our own. Seasonal climates in Africa differ more by the amount of rainfall than by temperature.

In the Congo Basin, the ITCZ, caused by winds converging and rising near the Equator, dominates. There is no real dry season here and it is hot and humid year round.  In the northern portion of the Basin rainfall is between 60 and 70 inches annually. In the southern, portion rainfall is 47 to 60 inches.  

 

The ITCZ (as do all components of the global circulation systems) shifts north and south with the seasons. January, summer in the Southern Hemisphere, the ITCZ moves south bringing rainfall to the dry grasslands, or steppes, of Botswana. During winter in the Southern Hemisphere (August) the ITCZ shifts north bringing rainfall to the Sahel.

The Subtropical High, at about 30°N and S of the equator, brings dry air as it descends and warms. the Namib and Kalahari deserts are both located at about 30°S. They along with the Sahara, are the great deserts of the African continent.