CLIMATE

Burkina Faso experiences a tropical climate with three seasons: warm and dry (November–March), hot and dry (March–April), and hot and wet (May–October). Typical annual rainfall varies from about 1,000 mm (39.4 in) in the south to less than 250 mm (9.8 in) in the extreme north and northeast.

Recent climate changes have been evidenced throughout the country, however, with the eastern and southwestern regions experiencing increasingly high temperatures and drought, severely affecting agricultural activities, population distribution, and the economy. Meanwhile, in the normally desert-like north, unexpected and unpredictable heavy rains have in recent years caused flooding and widespread damage.