Editing Sahel (section)

=== Climate ===
{{more citations needed section |date=April 2025}}
[[File:Acacia Trees (24227057806).jpg|thumb|[[Ennedi Plateau]] is located at the border of the Sahara and the Sahel]]
[[File:Seasonal westafrica rainfall mean 20070501 20070930.gif|thumb|right|10 year average precipitation during the summer rainy season (May - September) in the Sahel and adjacent regions]]
The Sahel has a [[hot semi-arid climate]] ([[Köppen climate classification]] ''BSh''). The climate is typically hot, sunny, dry and somewhat windy all year long. The Sahel's climate is similar to, but less extreme than, the climate of the [[Sahara desert]] located just to the north.

The Sahel mainly receives a low to very low amount of precipitation annually. The steppe has a very long, prevailing dry season and a short rainy season. The precipitation is also extremely irregular, and varies considerably from season to season. Most of the rain usually falls during four to six months in the middle of the year, while the other months may remain absolutely dry. The interior of the Sahel region generally receives between 200&nbsp;mm and 700&nbsp;mm of rain yearly. A system of subdivisions often adopted for the Sahelian climate based on annual rainfall is as follows: the Saharan-Sahelian climate, with mean annual precipitation between around 100 and 200&nbsp;mm (such as [[Khartoum]], Sudan), the strict Sahelian climate, with mean annual precipitation between around 200 and 700&nbsp;mm (such as [[Niamey]], Niger) and the Sahelian-Sudanese climate, with mean annual precipitation between around 700 and 900&nbsp;mm (such as [[Ouagadougou]], Burkina Faso). The [[relative humidity]] in the steppe is low to very low, often between 10% and 25% during the dry season and between 25% and 75% during the rainy season. The least humid places have a relative humidity under 35%.{{Citation needed|date=August 2022}} Annual rain levels were measured to fall between 20-40% in a span of two decades from 1931-1960 and 1968-1990; the levels recovered slightly in the mid-1990s in some areas, especially in central and eastern areas as far as Senegal.{{sfn|Khatim Kherraz|Nabil Ben Khatra|2019|p=8}}

The Sahel is characterized by constant, intense heat, with an unvarying temperature. The Sahel rarely experiences cold temperatures. During the hottest period, the average high temperatures are generally between {{convert|36|and|42|°C}} (and even more in the hottest regions), often for more than three months, while the average low temperatures are around {{convert|25|to|31|°C}}. During the "coldest period", the average high temperatures are between {{convert|27|and|33|°C}} and the average low temperatures are between {{convert|15|and|21|°C}}.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Global Surface Temperature  |url=https://climate.nasa.gov/vital-signs/global-temperature |website= Global Climate Change: Vital Signs of the Planet |publisher=[[NASA]]  |access-date=26 August 2022 }}</ref> Everywhere in the Sahel, the average mean temperature is over {{convert|18|°C}}.

The Sahel has a high to very high [[sunshine duration]] year-round, between 2,400 hours (about 55% of the daylight hours) and 3,600 hours (more than 80% of the daylight hours). The sunshine duration in the Sahel approaches desert levels, and is comparable to that in the [[Arabian Desert]], for example, even though the Sahel is only a steppe and not a desert. The [[cloud cover]] is low to very low. For example, [[Niamey]], Niger has 3,082 hours of bright sunshine; [[Gao]], Mali has near 3,385 hours of sunshine; [[Timbuktu]], Mali has 3,409 sunny hours, and [[N'Djamena]], Chad has 3,205 hours of sunlight.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.niamey.climatemps.com/|title=Niamey Climate Niamey Temperatures Niamey Weather Averages|website=www.niamey.climatemps.com}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.timbuktu.climatemps.com/|title=Timbuktu Climate Timbuktu Temperatures Timbuktu Weather Averages|website=www.timbuktu.climatemps.com}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.gao.climatemps.com/|title=Gao Climate Gao Temperatures Gao Weather Averages|website=www.gao.climatemps.com}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.n-djamena.climatemps.com/|title=N'Djamena Climate N'Djamena Temperatures N'Djamena Weather Averages|website=www.n-djamena.climatemps.com}}</ref>