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A Köppen climate classification map of Ghana.
Tropical climatic Lagoons and Vacation Holiday Resorts in Dodi Island on the Volta Lake.

The climate of Ghana is tropical. [1] The eastern coastal belt is warm and comparatively dry, the south-west corner of Ghana is hot and humid, and the north of Ghana is hot and dry. [2] Ghana is located on the Gulf of Guinea, only a few degrees north of the Equator, giving it a warm climate. [3]

Climate

The climate of Ghana is tropical and there are two main seasons: the wet and the dry seasons. [4] North Ghana experiences its rainy season from April to mid-October while South Ghana experiences its rainy season from March to mid-November. [4] The tropical climate of Ghana is relatively mild for its latitude. [4] The harmattan, a dry desert wind, blows in north-east Ghana from December to March, lowering the humidity and causing hotter days and cooler nights in northern part of Ghana. [4]

Average daily temperatures range from 30 °C (86 °F) during the day to 24 °C (75 °F) at night with a relative humidity between 77 percent and 85 percent. [5] In the southern part of Ghana, there is a bi-modal rainy season: April through June and September through November. [5] Squalls occur in the northern part of Ghana during March and April, followed by occasional rain until August and September, when the rainfall reaches its peak. [5] Rainfall ranges from 78 to 216 centimeters (31 to 85 inches) a year. [5]

Climate data for Ghana
Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year
Mean daily maximum °C (°F) 30.1
(86.2)
31.2
(88.2)
31.6
(88.9)
31.0
(87.8)
30.0
(86.0)
28.3
(82.9)
27.1
(80.8)
26.8
(80.2)
27.4
(81.3)
28.6
(83.5)
30.0
(86.0)
29.5
(85.1)
29.2
(84.6)
Mean daily minimum °C (°F) 24.5
(76.1)
25.8
(78.4)
26.2
(79.2)
26.2
(79.2)
25.4
(77.7)
24.6
(76.3)
23.5
(74.3)
23.2
(73.8)
23.6
(74.5)
24.2
(75.6)
24.3
(75.7)
24.1
(75.4)
24.6
(76.3)
Average rainfall mm (inches) 13.6
(0.54)
40.3
(1.59)
88.2
(3.47)
115.7
(4.56)
160.7
(6.33)
210.4
(8.28)
121.3
(4.78)
88.9
(3.50)
133.0
(5.24)
128.1
(5.04)
56.5
(2.22)
24.6
(0.97)
1,184.1
(46.62)
Average rainy days 2 2 5 7 11 14 7 6 8 9 4 2 77
Average relative humidity (%) 79 77 77 80 82 85 85 83 82 83 80 79 85
Mean monthly sunshine hours 214 204 223 213 211 144 142 155 171 220 240 235 2,372
Source: weatherbase.com [5]


Climate change in Ghana

Many parts of Accra flood during the rainy season, causing environmental crisis in Ghana.

Climate change in Ghana is impacting the people in Ghana in several ways as the country sits at the intersection of three hydro-climatic zones. [6] Changes in rainfall, weather conditions and sea-level rise [7] will affect the salinity of coastal waters. This is expected to negatively affect both farming and fisheries. [8]

The national economy stands to suffer from the impacts of climate change because of its dependence on climate-sensitive sectors such as agriculture, energy, and forestry. Moreover, access to freshwater is expected to become more challenging while reduced water supply will have a negative impact on hydropower, which provides 54% of the country's electricity capacity. [8] Additionally, Ghana will likely see more cases of malaria and cholera, since both are impacted by changes in water conditions.

In 2015, the government produced a document titled "Ghana's Intended Nationally Determined Contribution". [9] Following that, Ghana signed the Paris Climate Agreement in 2016. The Intended Nationally Determined Contribution after 2016 became the Nationally Determined Contributions commonly referred to as NDCs which was reviewed in 2021.

References

  1. ^ Igawa, Momoko; Kato, Makoto (2017-09-20). "A new species of hermit crab, Diogenes heteropsammicola (Crustacea, Decapoda, Anomura, Diogenidae), replaces a mutualistic sipunculan in a walking coral symbiosis". PLOS ONE. 12 (9): e0184311. Bibcode: 2017PLoSO..1284311I. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0184311. ISSN  1932-6203. PMC  5606932. PMID  28931020.
  2. ^ "Ghana high plains". photius.com. Retrieved 24 June 2013.
  3. ^ "Ghana: Geography Physical". photius.com. Retrieved 24 June 2013., "Ghana: Location and Size". photius.com. Retrieved 24 June 2013.
  4. ^ a b c d "UNDP Climate Change Country Profile: Ghana". ncsp.undp.org. Archived from the original on 21 September 2013. Retrieved 24 June 2013.
  5. ^ a b c d e "Ghana Travel Weather Averages (Weatherbase)". Retrieved 1 June 2013.
  6. ^ "Ghana at a glance". climatelinks.org. Retrieved 30 December 2022.
  7. ^ "Ghana's coastline, swallowed by the sea". UNESCO. 2021-01-11. Retrieved 2023-03-16.
  8. ^ "NDC Registry (interim)". unfccc.int. Retrieved 24 November 2020.

External links