The Nigerian Meteorological Agency (NiMet) says that rains would start early in many southern and North-Central states.
In some sections of the country, like Lagos and Benue, the rainy season will last longer than usual. The temperatures will also be generally warmer across the country, which will have big effects on agriculture, aviation, infrastructure, and disaster risk management.
The Nigerian Meteorological Agency (NiMet) released the outlook yesterday in Abuja during the public presentation of the 2026 Seasonal Climate Prediction (SCP). The Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo, called the document a strategic national planning tool that fits with the federal government’s development priorities.
The 2026 SCP says that Bayelsa, Rivers, Akwa Ibom, Cross River, Benue, Kogi, Nasarawa, Oyo, and parts of Kebbi, Niger, Jigawa, Katsina, Kano, Adamawa, and Taraba states would see rain start early. Borno State, on the other hand, will likely see rain start later.
In some sections of Ogun, Osun, Ondo, Imo, Rivers, Akwa Ibom, Kogi, and Niger states, the rain is likely to stop earlier than usual. In Lagos, Ogun, Anambra, Enugu, Cross River, Benue, Nasarawa, and Kaduna states, the rainy season is predicted to conclude later than usual.
NiMet also said that the rainy season in Lagos, Benue, Enugu, Ebonyi, Ogun, Oyo, Nasarawa, Anambra, Kwara, Kebbi, Kaduna, Gombe, and Taraba states would last longer than usual. On the other hand, sections of Borno, Yobe, and Niger states are projected to have a shorter rainy season.
The agency expects normal yearly rainfall in most parts of the country, but above-normal rainfall in Borno, Sokoto, Kebbi, Kaduna, Enugu, Cross River, Abia, Ebonyi, Akwa Ibom states, and the Federal Capital Territory.
There is a chance that sections of Katsina, Zamfara, Kwara, Oyo, and Ogun states will get less rain than usual. The SCP also said that there would be long dry spells during the season, with some areas of Bauchi, Borno, Gombe, Jigawa, Katsina, Kano, Kebbi, Kwara, Nasarawa, Niger, Plateau, Sokoto, Yobe, and Zamfara states having dry spells that lasted up to 21 days.
The August break in Lagos, Ogun, Ekiti, and certain areas of Oyo states is expected to be long and bad, lasting between 28 and 40 days.
Between January and May 2026, most of Nigeria will have daytime and nighttime temperatures that are higher than the long-term average.
Prof. Charles Anosike, the Director-General and Chief Executive Officer of NiMet, stated in his speech that the agency is still devoted to giving Nigerians accurate, science-based climate information to help them make smart decisions and plan for the future in a climate that is becoming more and more unpredictable.
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