Chic African Culture Africa Factbook

Highest Temperature Lowest Temperature in Africa

Highest Temperature Lowest Temperature in Africa

Highest Temperature Lowest Temperature in Africa


The hottest average temperature on Earth is Dallol, Ethiopia, averages a temperature of 93 °F or 33.9 °C throughout the year.

The highest temperature recorded anywhere in Africa was at Al Aziziyah, Libya, which reached 136 °F or 57.8 °C on September 13, 1922.

The lowest recorded temperature in Africa is -11 °F or -24 °C at Ifrane, Morocco, on February 11, 1935.

Africa Weather Extremes



In the winter months of June, July and August, snowfall is common in in various towns in South Africa.
Walking to school in the South African snow


Azizia, Libya record holder of the highest temperature ever directly measured on Earth
Azizia, Libya record holder of the highest temperature ever directly measured on Earth


The hottest average temperature in the world belongs to Ethiopia's Danakil Depression

Ethiopia's Danakil Depression is one of the hottest, driest and lowest places on the planet. Danakil Depression of Ethiopia receives 100 to 200mm of rainfall per year and it is also one of the lowest places on the planet, at 410 ft or 125m below sea level. The area is located in the Afar Region of north-east Ethiopia near the border with Eritrea. The climate here has the hottest average temperature on earth and the Afar people call home. Afar, Amharic Adal, Arabic Danakil (singular), a people of the Horn of Africa who speak Afar, a language of the Eastern Cushitic branch of the Afro-Asiatic language family. They live in northeastern Ethiopia, southeastern Eritrea, and Djibouti, where, with the Issas, they are the dominant people.



The highest temperature in Africa belongs to Azizia, Libya

Azizia, Libya, which reached 136 °F or 57.8 °C on September 13, 1922, is a town in northwest Libya around 25 miles south of Tripoli. Al Azizia, Libya highest temperature was of course recorded in the Libyan Desert of the Sahara Desert. On 13 September 2012, the World Meteorological Organization announced that the WMO Commission of Climatology World Archive of Weather and Climate Extremes had found that the record was invalid. Its world record for hottest temperature is now 134.1 °F or 56.7 °C recorded on July 10, 1913, at Greenland Ranch in Death Valley, California in the United States however Al Aziziyah still holds the record for the hottest highest temperature recorded in Africa.



The lowest temperature in Africa belongs to Ifrane, Morocco

Ifrane is a small town in Morocco located at an altitude of 5,460 feet above sea level in the Middle Atlas region. Ifrane Morocco is known as Africa's Little Switzerland and lies high up in Morocco's Atlas Mountains. Because of its elevation, the town experiences snow during the winter months and a cool climate during the summer. The town's first public buildings consisted of a post office and a Catholic church. Moreover, a penitentiary was built which served as a POW camp during World War II. Today skiing is a popular wintertime sport with tourists.




African Cold Weather Feud

It is a common misconception that Africa is hot all the time. In the winter months of June, July, and August, snowfall is common in towns in South Africa.

There is a long-standing African feud over snow and ice; Sutherland is considered to be the consistently coldest town in South Africa with temperatures going well below freezing throughout the winter.

However, Buffelsfontein Farm in Cape Town South Africa holds the official lowest temperature record in the country of 0 °F. This feud is a long-standing controversy to South African Sutherland and Buffelsfontein residents. The feud is on the same level as the US feud between Chicago and New York on who makes the best pizza.

Sutherland is the coldest town in South Africa, with an average yearly temperature of 52°F. The lowest temperature in Sutherland averages 37 °F. Buffelsfontein is actually a privately owned farm in Cape Town South Africa holding the official lowest temperature record in the country; it is on this farm where the official record for the coldest night ever in South Africa was recorded, a freezing 0°F.

Buffelsfontein record was recorded on June 18, 1996, and because of this, the weather service officially calls Buffelsfontein the coldest town in Africa. The coldest temperature recorded in Sutherland was 2°F on July 12, 2003. Averaging the lowest monthly temperatures from the years 2000-2012, the annual average low temperature in Buffelsfontein was 49°F while Sutherland's was 44°F. Sutherland is consistently colder; however, Buffelsfontein holds the record for the coldest day. The debate will continue for the claim to fame of the coldest town in Africa however one fact is clear, it does snow in Africa.


Azizia, Libya
Azizia, Libya 


Why is summer hot and winter is cold?

Let's get rid of some common misconceptions about the seasons. summer is hot and winter is cold because of the tilt of the Earth's axis, not because the earth is closer or farther away from the Sun. Many people believe that the temperature changes because the Earth is closer to the sun in summer and farther from the sun in winter.

During the summer, the sun's rays hit the Earth at a steep angle. The light does not spread out as much, thus increasing the amount of energy hitting any given spot. In addition, the long daylight hours allow the Earth plenty of time to reach warm temperatures. During the winter, the sun's rays hit the Earth at a shallow angle. These rays are more spread out, which minimizes the amount of energy that hits any given spot. Also, the long nights and short days prevent the Earth from warming up.

Summer in the northern hemisphere occurs at the same time as winter in the south, and vice-versa. It turns out that the Earth's orbit is nearly perfectly circular, and the difference between its closest point and its furthest point is very small.



Getting to Know Africa

Historical African Country Name
Top 20 Largest Countries in Africa
How many countries does Africa have?

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