Climatology
This page presents South Sudan's climate context for the current climatology, 1991-2020, derived from observed, historical data. Information should be used to build a strong understanding of current climate conditions in order to appreciate future climate scenarios and projected change. You can visualize data for the current climatology through spatial variation, the seasonal cycle, or as a time series. Analysis is available for both annual and seasonal data. Data presentation defaults to national-scale aggregation, however sub-national data aggregations can be accessed by clicking within a country, on a sub-national unit. Other historical climatologies can be selected from the Time Period dropdown list.
Observed, historical data is produced by the Climatic Research Unit (CRU) of University of East Anglia. Data is presented at a 0.5º x 0.5º (50km x 50km) resolution.
South Sudan experiences a tropical climate. Temperature averages are normally above 25°C, with highs exceeding 35°C, particularly during the dry season (January to April). Juba, the capital city, has an average annual high temperature of 34.5°C and an average annual low of 21.6°C. The rainy season differs by location, but it generally occurs between April and November. The lowland areas of Eastern Equatoria, Jonglei, the Upper Nile and Bahr el Ghazal receive annual rainfall between 700 and 1,300 mm. The southeastern tip of Eastern Equatoria receives about 200 mm. The heaviest rainfall occurs in the southern upland areas and lessens towards the north. Western Equatoria and highland parts of Eastern Equatoria receive between 1,200 and 2,200 mm of rainfall annually. Precipitation in South Sudan is impacted by the movement of the Inter-Tropical Convergence Zone (ITCZ).