Sierra Leone Weather

The climate in Sierra Leone is tropical and hot year round, with a dry season from December to April and a wet season from May to November.

Temperatures don’t change much throughout the year, with maximum temperatures around 28/30°C in Freetown, dipping to about 23/25°C at night. In the interior of the country, temperatures are slightly higher, reaching 35°C or even higher during the day.

The harmattan wind from the Sahara blows in December, January and February, bringing dry and dusty conditions, and clouding Sierra Leone’s beautiful blue skies. It can also get uncomfortably hot, up to 40°C in some years.

The rainy season kicks off in late March in the southern part of the country, and by June it’s in full swing all over Sierra Leone – the rainiest months are July and August, when up to 800 mm of rain falls during a single month. Travel becomes very hard during the rainy season, as roads often flood or become very muddy. It takes several more hours and it may even become impossible to access remote corners of the country.