Harmattan season: Origin, importance, effects
Mia Walsh
Updated on April 07, 2026
Harmattan season is almost here again. While growing up, the harmattan season came along with love and hatred. It was loved because clothes could be washed and they would dry in no time.
Hate because it comes with dry skin and lips; which meant extra cream. The harmattan season is loved by many because it combines cold and warm weather.
Table of Content hide 1What is harmattan? 2Harmattan season in Nigeria 3Harmattan weather 3.1Origin of harmattan 3.2Benefits of harmattan 3.3Effects of harmattan 3.3.1Harmattan haze 3.3.2Health 4When is harmattan season in Nigeria?What is harmattan?
Harmattan is a season in West Africa that lasts from the end of November until the middle of March. The same-named northeasterly trade wind, which originates in the Sahara and sweeps over West Africa and into the Gulf of Guinea, serves as its defining feature. The name is associated with the Twi word haramata. Generally speaking, it is cold outside, but depending on the location, it can also be scorching.
Harmattan season in Nigeria
In Nigeria, the harmattan season should start in the first week of December and go through March.
This wasn’t the case last year because there was an early arrival of rains, and the season started from the last week of November through the first week of February.
As is well known, numerous circumstances lead to the beginning of harmattan. One of these is the colloquial phrase for harmattan rains used by Nigerians.
In Nigeria, the harmattan rains are essentially the final downpours before the start of the harmattan season. The rains are the last and are distinguished by strong winds, thunderstorms, and continuous deluges. There is currently no established rule for how long the rains will last before harmattan sets in; thus they can last for days.
Harmattan breeze is another indicator of the Harmattan season. Once the rains have stopped immediately, all day long, the chilly gusts would blow subtly. Since there would still be water in the clouds from the earlier rains, there wouldn’t be much sunshine.
Harmattan season can be distinguished in large part by the haze that results from the heavy amount of dust in the atmosphere that reduces visibility.
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Early in the day (before noon), while the sun is not out, the temperature can drop as low as 9 °C (48 °F). The temperature can also surge above 30 °C (86 °F) in the afternoon.
Some Nigerians can falsely liken the chilly times of the day to winter. The cold winds that the Harmattan season delivers may be to blame for this. But whereas Harmattan is the driest season in West Africa and is frequently accompanied by chilly, dusty winds, winter is the coldest season in European and American countries.
Early morning is a good time to shower warm because the harmattan’s icy air could get inside you.
If inhaled, the dust contains particles that can lead to illnesses, including cough and catarrh. Therefore, it is important to wear a face mask outside.
Furthermore, extended exposure might lead to cracked lips and skin due to the atmosphere’s dryness. It is customary in Nigeria to lubricate the lips and skin after showering.
Personal experiences with some harmattan seasons have shown that prolonged exposure to the elements can cause the outer layers of the lips to erode. However, this can be avoided by constantly moisturising the lips with vaseline.
Additionally, harmattan takes place on Christmas and New Year’s days, making them very meaningful and memorable for us. The frigid early morning air serves as a prelude to the celebration, which often begins in the afternoon.
More harmattan strikes some regions of Nigeria than others. Harmattan has a greater impact on Northern Nigeria because of its proximity to the Sahara Desert, where the dry and dusty trade winds originate. States in the north, such as Kano, Yobe, the Plateau, and Nasarawa, would enjoy the piercing cold in the morning.
Lagos sees less harmattan impact due to its distance and proximity to the Atlantic Ocean.
Harmattan weather
The dry season, which lasts through the months with the lowest sun, is when the harmattan blows. During this season, the Intertropical Convergence Zone (ITCZ) of low pressure remains over the Gulf of Guinea, and the subtropical ridge of high pressure remains over the central Sahara. The harmattan gathers tiny dust and sand particles across the Sahara (between 0.5 and 10 microns). It also goes by the name “doctor wind” due to how refreshingly dry it is in comparison to the humid, tropical air.
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Origin of harmattan
Although the word harmattan has been a part of the English language since 1671, its true place of origin is West Africa, namely Ghana. Given that it is our weather, it makes sense.
According to the Oxford English Dictionary (OED), Harmattan was originally called “haramata,” a Twi or Fante term. However, “haramata” has a unique history. It originated from “Aherramantah,” a considerably lengthier term. However, it turns out that “Aherramantah” is a combination of the words tar and aherraman. The fascinating part comes next.
Aherraman, which means “to blow,” refers to the wind. Tah, on the other hand, refers to the “tallow” or grease that ancient Africans applied to their skin to combat the dry roughness brought on by the weather.
Aherramantah sounds like a mouthful to me, as it probably does to you. Therefore, kudos to the clever African who came up with the brilliant idea to shorten it to “haramata,” which later evolved into Harmattan.
Benefits of harmattan
Harmattan comes with good benefits as well; some of them are:
- It prevents food from spoiling even if it is not heated or refrigerated and even if someone takes meat from a soup pot by dipping their fingers inside the soup pot.
- It helps our clothing dry quickly after washing them; while you are still washing, most of the first load of laundry is already mostly dry.
- The sun will be up, and the air will be dry and harsh, yet we won’t typically sweat much during the dry season.
- The weather is ideal for drying foods like egusi, ogbono, garri, achica (a traditional delicacy from Enugu State), and various other cereals and delicacies. Additionally, it aids with food preservation.
Effects of harmattan
This season is distinct from winter since it is marked by chilly, dry winds covered in dust and significant differences between day and nighttime temperatures. All day long, temperatures can easily drop to 9 °C (48 °F), but they can also occasionally rise to 30 °C (86 °F) in the afternoon when the relative humidity falls to 5 percent. It can also be very warm in some places, like the Sahara.
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Some of the effects include:
When the Harmattan blows over the area, the air is especially dry and desiccating. The Harmattan produces weather that resembles the desert: it reduces humidity, dissipates cloud cover, hinders the production of rainfall, and occasionally produces large clouds of dust that can cause dust storms or sandstorms. Wind can worsen crop damage and raise the risk of fire. Tornadoes may develop as a result of the Harmattan’s interaction with monsoon winds.
Harmattan haze
Similar to dense fog, heavy amounts of dust in the air in some West African nations can severely reduce visibility and block the sun for several days. The Harmattan haze is the name of this phenomenon. Each year, cancelled or diverted flights cost airlines millions of dollars. The skies are clear when the haze is light. Tree limbs may die as a result of the air’s severe dryness.
Health
Some persons may get spontaneous nosebleeds when the humidity falls to as low as 15%. Humans may also experience diseases affecting their eyes, skin (dryness), lips, and respiratory system, including a worsening of asthma.
When is harmattan season in Nigeria?
In Nigeria, the harmattan season should start in the first week of December and go through March. Although in some instances, the date can change. Like last year, harmattan started in October and ended in February.
