While counting the hottest and driest countries globally, Africa is usually on the top list because of many deserts (Sahara), making some of the regions warm and dry.
Note that each African country’s hot and dry weather comes from less annual precipitation and warm temperature throughout the year.
These climatic conditions may often change from year to year due to weather and climate variation.
Read more as we highlight the full details of the ten (10) hottest and driest African countries.
1. Mali
Mali is the hottest and driest country in Africa and the globe, surrounded by many deserts.
Sahara desert, among other deserts, makes the climatic condition of Mali hot and dry always.
Mali in the southwest can be located from the Sahara Desert through the Sahel to the Sudanian Savanna.
Also, Mali is a landlocked nation in West Africa and the Southwest of Algeria.
- Why Mali is hot and dry
Mali is hot and dry due to the scorching summers and scarce rainfall that occurred northwards.
Also, one can say that the vast northern desert part of Mali has a hot desert climate.
- The hottest and driest Month in Mali
The hottest month experience in Mali is April; it usually has a temperature of 39.6°C.
Also, in August, the lowest average high temperature reduces to 31.1°C.
- The average temperature of Mali
The average temperature of Mali is 28.45 degrees Celsius, which has been the country’s average climate temperature starting from 1849 up till 2015.
2. Burkina Faso
It is another African country that is hot and, at the same time dry, ranking second in the list of the hottest and driest countries on the continent.
Burkina Faso is a western Africa nation that gets blasted by heat from the harmattan.
Again, there is always a dry wind blowing eastwards that picks up a considerable amount of dust and heat from the Sahara.
- Why Burkina Fasco is hot and dry
As a landlocked country in western Africa, Burkina Faso occupies an extensive plateau with low precipitation.
The country’s terrain is covered by grassy savanna in the north, giving way to sparse forests in the south Sahara Desert.
The country’s hot climate results from high temperatures throughout the year, usually in winter.
Again, the air is always dry because of the prevalence of winds in the northeastern part.
The temperature of the wind rises between 86/90 °F (30/32 °C ) in the north to 90/91 °F (32/33 °C) in the south.
One will also notice that the temperature is still the same even in the coolest months, like December and January, but sometimes they increase more.
- The average temperature in Burkina Faso
The average temperature of Burkina Faso is 28.8 °C (84 °F), while the average monthly temperature is eight °C.
Also, the warmest average max/ high temperature is 40 °C (104 °F) in March, and the calmest average min/ low temperature is 16 °C (61 °F) in January.
- The hottest and driest place in Burkina Faso
The country is hot generally, but there is a place where the temperature is higher than others, Ouahigouya – a city in northern Burkina Faso.
Ouahigouya is the hottest side in Burkina Faso because of the too much heat people experience there.
The area has low latitude and a reasonably low altitude (~ 985 ft/300 m) close to the Sahara Desert.
3. Djibouti
Djibouti is another hottest place in Africa; it is the third hottest and driest country in Africa.
Summers are usually short in the area, and there is also sweltering, which is mostly cloudy.
Also, winters are long, warm, and partly cloudy, and it is oppressive, dry, and windy year-round.
- Location of Djibouti
It situates on the Bab el Mandeb Strait, which lies to the east and separates the Red Sea from the Gulf of Aden.
- The average temperature in Djibouti
The average temperature of Djibouti is 83.3 degrees Fahrenheit (28.5 degrees Celsius), with a year-round moderate heat of 83.3 degrees Fahrenheit (28.5 degrees Celsius).
- Why is Djibouti hot and dry?
Djibouti is hot due to the hot semi-arid climate and the Subtropical desert climate zone (Köppen: Bwh) – the central location for most of the country’s regions.
- Theusual hottest month in Djibouti
The hottest month in Djibouti is July; it has an average high of 106°F and a low of 92°F.
Note: the cool-season lasts for 4.7 months, from November 12 to April 2, with an average daily high temperature below 88°F.
4. Senegal
Senegal is another African country that experiences hotness and dryness, topping the fourth on the list of hot and dry nations.
The primary climatic condition of the country is hot, dry, harmattan wind, with well-defined dry and humid seasons resulting from northeast winter winds and southwest summer winds.
- The average temperature
The average daily temperature of Senegal is around 26° Celsius (79° Fahrenheit), and the average minimum temperature of 64.4°F which is equivalent to 18° C.
- Why Senegal is hot and dry
Senegal is a hot and dry country within three climate zones, with a hot desert zone in the north, a semi-arid zone in the center, and a tropical savanna area in the south.
- The hottest Month in Senegal
The hottest and driest month one can witness in Senegal is October; it has temperatures rarely dipping below 34°C (93°F).
5. Mauritania
Another hot and dry area in Africa is Mauritania, ranking fifth on the list. The country has a dry, hot, and windy climate severely exposed to the effects of desertification.
Just a few parts of Mauritania experience little rainfall throughout the year.
Mauritania, a country on the Atlantic coast of Africa, forms a geographic and cultural bridge between the North African Maghrib.
- The average temperature of Mauritania
It has a daily average temperature of about 26.5 °C (80 °F), and in winter, it reduces to 20 °C (68 °F), then it remains nearly 24 °C (75 °F) in July.
- Why is Mauritania hot
Mauritania is hot due to the hot climate and desert, with a semi-desert in its southern part because of the summer monsoon.
- The hottest month in Mauritania
The hottest months in Mauritania are June, May, and then July, during mid-June; the temperature usually goes high around 103.8°F (39.9°C) with temperatures rarely dropping below 80.6°F (27°C) at night.
6. Ethiopia
Ethiopia comes on the list while mentioning the hottest and driest places in Africa because of Dallol, which maintains an average annual temperature of 35°C (95°F) due to the hot weather there.
Ethiopia, located in the horn of Africa, 3′ and 14.8″ latitude 33′ and 48′ longitude bordering Somalia, Sudan, in northeastern Africa, receives less annual precipitation.
- The average temperature of Ethiopia
The average daily mean temperature of Ethiopia is around 78 degrees Fahrenheit (25 degrees Celsius).
- Why Ethiopia is hot and dry
Ethiopia is hot and dry due to the deserted climate of Dallol, which occurs because of the shallow elevation.
Again, this kind of elevation brings about a meager seasonality impact and constants extreme heat, together with a lack of nighttime cooling.
- The hottest and driest months in Ethiopia
The hottest and driest months in Ethiopia are February and March; they usually have about (23.3°C).
Note: the month with the lowest average high temperature in Ethiopia is August; it has about (19.2°C).
7. Botswana
Botswana is a hot and dry area in Africa. Its yearly climate varies from dry temperate weather months from winter to humid subtropical weather interspersed with periods of hot weather, mainly drier during summer.
In the center of Southern Africa, Botswana has a roughly triangular territory spanning 965 km (600 miles) to the south from its north side and 600 miles from east to west.
- The average temperature of Botswana
Botswana has a monthly maximum temperature, which ranges from 29.5ºC to 35ºC summer.
- Why Botswana is hot and dry
Botswana has a semi-arid climate with its temperature ranging between 77 °F and 81 °F (25 °C and 27 °C).
The country is hot and dry for much of the year because summer heralds the windy season, which carries dust from the Kalahari desert, and other dry places around.
- Hottest and driest months in Botswana
The hottest and driest months in Botswana are December and January in the center-south, while in the north, the hottest days occur in October and November.
- The hottest temperature in Botswana
The hottest average temperature ever experienced in Botswana is about 28.86 Celsius, and that was in December 1972, then in June 1968, they recorded a low of 12.57 Celsius.
During that time, a daytime temperature during this period is usually around 35 °C (95 °F), but can even reach 40 °C (104 °F).
8. Somalia
Somalia is also another African country that experiences hot weather and dryness.
It has uneven rainfall and regular droughts, with a northeast monsoon from December to February.
Somalia is in the easternmost country of Africa, on the horn of Africa, extending from just south of the equator northward to the Gulf of Aden.
- The average temperature of Somalia
The average climatic temperature of Somalia measured 26.88 Celsius from 1850 until 2015.
It recorded higher in 2007 when its average is approximately 29.60 Celsius.
- Why Somalia is hot and dry
Somalia experiences hotness and dryness due to the southeast trade winds, which blow in summer in this southern part of the country.
Also, the humidity is high, although sea breezes temper the heat, and sometimes, there can be torrid days when the wind blows from the interior, which happens all year round.
Note: torrid here means hot and dry.
- The hottest and driest months in Somalia
The hottest month in Somalia in April, it is the warmest month, and the average temperature is (32°C).
Note: the months with the lowest average high temperature are July, August, and September (29°C).
9. Sudan
Sudan is one of the African countries that are very hot and dry too. Some areas in Sudan have a tropical climate, leading to hotness all year round, with a hot, dry winter is a bit less hot than winter but is more humid.
Sudan, located in northeastern Africa, got its name from the Arabic expression bilād al-sūdān, meaning land of the blacks.
- Why Sudan is hot and dry
Sudan experiences the highest temperature of hotness and dryness during the dry season due to some deserts encircling the country.
Also, dust storms frequently occur within the desert zone, resulting in high temperatures in the south throughout the central plains region, but the humidity is generally low.
- The average temperature of Sudan
The average temperature of Sudan usually is above 25°C, with highs exceeding 35°C; this is mainly during the dry season.
Note Sudan experiences dry seasons from January to April.
Also, a place called Juba, the capital city in Sudan, usually has an average annual high temperature of 34.5°C and an average annual low temperature of 21.6°C.
- The hottest and driest month in Sudan
The hottest and driest month in Sudan is May, with the highest average temperature of about (41.9°C).
January has the lowest average high temperature, which usually has about (30.7°C), while the highest average low temperature is June (27.6°C).
10. Tunisia
Lastly, on the list of the hottest and driest countries in Africa, we have Tunisia.
Most regions of this country are famous for hot and dry summers and mild winters.
Again in summer, the temperatures of Tunisia can rise above 40 degrees Celsius (104° Fahrenheit).
- The average temperature of Tunisia
The year temperature of Tunisia has recorded a peak of 48.8 degrees Celsius.
- Why Tunisia is hot and dry
Tunisia is hot due to its proximity to the edge of the Sahara Desert, and it has a hot desert climate.
Again, the southern region experiences hot summers with high humidity that makes the country dry.
- Hottest and driest months in Tunisia
The hottest and driest months in Tunisia are June, July, August, and September.
The warmest month is August, with an average maximum temperature of 34°C (94°F).
Note: The coldest month in Tunisia is February which has an average maximum temperature of 16°C (60°F).
What are the three hottest countries?
The three hottest countries in the world include Mauritania, Sudan, Niger, and Qatar.
What is the hottest country in Africa?
Mali is the hottest country in Africa, with its daily temperature averaging about 28.45 degrees celsius.
What is the fifth hottest country?
The fifth hottest country globally is Tuvalu; the maximum and minimum temperatures (average of 28 degrees Celcius) stay similar throughout the year.
What are the top 20 hottest countries in the world?
The top 20 hottest countries in the world are;
- 1st Mali with the temperature of 28.25°C
- 2nd Burkina Faso average temp 28.8 °C (84 °F), °C
- 3rd Kiribati 28.2°C
- 4th is Djibouti 28°C
- 5th is Tuvalu 28°C
- 6th – Senegal 27.85 °C making
- 7th is the Maldives, with a temperature of 27.65 °C
- 8th is Mauritania, with a temperature of 27.65 °C
- 9th is Palau 27.6 °C
- 10th is Benin 27.55 °C
- 11th – Gambia 27.5 °C
- 12th – Marshall Islands 27.4 °C
- 13th – Ghana 27.2
- 14th – Bahrain 27.15
- 15th – Niger 27.15
- 16th – Qatar 27.15
- 17th – Seychelles 27.15
- 18th – Togo 27.15
- 19th – Somalia 27.05
- 20th – United Arab Emirates 27
Bottom Line
The post above shows the African countries are usually hot and dry, generally having excess evaporation over precipitation, less than 50 cm (20 inches) annually.
It will help researchers who want to embark on a similar topic or the same topic; it will serve as a guideline.
Also, the countries listed will benefit those who wish to visit that area for a tour or vacation.
