Hello there! Are you currently feeling the harmattan cold against your skin? Chances are that if you live in Nigeria or anywhere near West Africa, you are currently “enjoying” the very special weather called harmattan. In Lagos right now, everywhere is chilled up and we love it! Unlike other parts of Nigeria, the harmattan season started rather late in the city of Lagos this year. Everyone anticipated it including myself. Interestingly, when it did come on Monday it was as if I was taken by surprise; cold! But I have since adjusted to it quite nicely. I hope you have too…
Moving on then, what really do you know about the harmattan season asides the fact that it occurs around this time of the year and brings unusual cold? Do you know that the harmattan is a dry and dusty Northeasterly trade wind, blowing from the Sahara Desert across West Arica and into the Gulf of Guinea? Of course this special weather occurs during the dry season (i.e. between the months of November through to early March) when the Subtropical Ridge of High Pressure is said to stay over the Central Sahara Desert and the Intertropical Convergence Zone over the Gulf of Guinea. As the Northeasterly winds blow through the Sahara Desert, it carries along with it some of the plentiful sands that abound there. This accounts for the dustiness that characterizes the harmattan.
The harmattan season, although characteristically cold especially in Northern parts of Nigeria, is unlike the winter. First of all it is dry and dusty unlike the winter which is wet and characterized by the fall of snow and heavy rains. Also, the harmattan has what Meteorologists call the ambient temperatures, a situation whereby temperatures fluctuate from as low as 9 °C (48 °F) to as high as 30 °C (86 °F)within the same day.
During the harmattan season, the air is particularly dry as the harmattan winds blow over the region. Therefore, in as much as the cold winds provide relief from the scathing heat usually characteristic of the dry season, it also come with much dust and even tend to dry up any available moisture. In any case, the harmattan season has both its advantages and disadvantages because in as much as it comes with so much dust and can even result in the formation of dust storms in some places, it also helps lower the humidity.
Also note that in some West African Countries including Nigeria, the heavy amount of dust which the harmattan winds bring from the Sahara Desert can make visibility impossible by creating a haze/fog which can even block off the sun for several days. This can contribute to a disadvantage because the harmattan haze can so impair visibility such that airlines might have to cancel flights. Also, with the drop in humidity often to as low as 15%, there could be incidents of nosebleeds for some people. Other health effects may also include different conditions of the skin, eyes, and respiratory system, including aggravation of asthma.
In all, we all love the harmattan season. It is almost an integral part of the festive season. And what’s more…everyone is able to cover up and have wonderful sleeps in the night. Also, there is a local belief [fusion_builder_container hundred_percent=”yes” overflow=”visible”][fusion_builder_row][fusion_builder_column type=”1_1″ background_position=”left top” background_color=”” border_size=”” border_color=”” border_style=”solid” spacing=”yes” background_image=”” background_repeat=”no-repeat” padding=”” margin_top=”0px” margin_bottom=”0px” class=”” id=”” animation_type=”” animation_speed=”0.3″ animation_direction=”left” hide_on_mobile=”no” center_content=”no” min_height=”none”][among local farmers] that whenever there is heavy harmattan, it is an indicator of a good farming season. This is because all the leaves that the harmattan winds blow down simply compost and fertilize the farmlands. How nice is that!
So do you love the harmattan season? Let’s hear from you in the comment section…
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