Soma climate — normals and trends
Soma (The Gambia) has a hot semi-arid climate (BSh) under the Köppen-Geiger classification. Its mean annual temperature is 27.4 °C and it receives 811 mm of precipitation per year.
These figures are normals computed over 86 complete calendar years, from 1940 to 2025, using ERA5 reanalysis data from the Copernicus programme.
The warmest month is May (29.7 °C on average) and the coldest is January (24.8 °C). Rainfall peaks in August.
Soma averages 0 frost days, 326 hot days (≥ 30 °C) and 85 rainy days per year.
Soma has warmed by +1.1 °C between 1940 and 2025, or +0.13 °C per decade. This trend is statistically significant.
The hottest day of the period reached 43.3 °C (on 14 May 2021) and the coldest 12.2 °C (on 1 February 1968).
Data from ERA5 reanalysis (Copernicus Climate Change Service), redistributed under a CC-BY 4.0 licence. Normals are recomputed whenever the archive is updated.
Climate normals · ERA5
SomaLower River Division
- coords
- 13.43°, -15.53°
- period
- 1940–2025 · 86 yrs
Mean daily temperature
27.4°C
Average daily high
33.9°C
Average daily low
22.1°C
Annual rainfall
811mm
Sunshine / day
10.5h
Mean relative humidity
57%
Average peak wind
13.9km/h
Seasonal range
4.9°C
Frost days (< 0 °C)
0 d/yr
Hot days (≥ 30 °C)
326 d/yr
Rainy days (≥ 1 mm)
85 d/yr
Annual snowfall
0.0 cm
Average feels-like high
36.5 °C
Average feels-like low
23.3 °C
Average peak gust
29.0 km/h
Tropical nights (≥ 20 °C)
283 d/yr
Solar radiation
21.0 MJ/m²
Has the climate changed?
One stripe per year, 1940 to 2025
+1.1 °C
since 1940
+0.1 °C per decade · r² = 0.43 · p = < 0.001
Trend fitted by linear regression (ordinary least squares) on annual means. A trend is shown only when it is statistically significant (p < 0.05).
A climograph overlays rainfall (bars) and temperature (line): the standard reading in climatology, where you can see at a glance whether the warm season is also the dry one.
Records for the period
Hottest day
43.3 °C
14 May 2021
Coldest day
12.2 °C
1 February 1968
Wettest day
186 mm
25 July 1978
Windiest day
33.2 km/h
5 September 1961
Strongest gust
63.7 km/h
29 August 1942
Hottest feels-like
47.2 °C
18 May 1998
Coldest feels-like
8.3 °C
23 December 1967
Sunniest day
12.0 h
8 July 2007
Normals computed over complete calendar years 1940–2025.
A specific year
Pick a year and see how it compares to normal — warmer, drier or more extreme than usual?
Across the whole year
Month by month
| High | vs. normal | Precipitation | vs. normal | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 33.9 °C | +1.3 °C | 0 mm | -1 mm |
| Feb | 34.7 °C | -0.1 °C | 0 mm | -1 mm |
| Mar | 36.8 °C | 0.0 °C | 0 mm | -0 mm |
| Apr | 38.3 °C | +0.6 °C | 0 mm | 0 mm |
| May | 37.7 °C | +0.3 °C | 1 mm | -1 mm |
| Jun | 35.8 °C | +0.6 °C | 6 mm | -37 mm |
| Jul | 32.3 °C | +0.5 °C | 111 mm | -71 mm |
| Aug | 31.1 °C | +0.5 °C | 346 mm | +53 mm |
| Sep | 32.0 °C | +0.9 °C | 249 mm | +35 mm |
| Oct | 33.8 °C | +1.2 °C | 44 mm | -24 mm |
| Nov | 34.0 °C | +0.2 °C | 4 mm | -1 mm |
| Dec | 31.8 °C | -0.5 °C | 0 mm | -2 mm |
The year's extremes
What was the weather like that day?
Your birthday, a wedding, a memorable trip: discover the actual weather for any date since 1940.
Frequently asked questions
What is the climate of Soma?
Soma has a hot semi-arid climate (Köppen BSh). Over 1940-2025, the average annual temperature is 27.4 °C and it receives 811 mm of precipitation per year.
What is the hottest day ever recorded in Soma?
The hottest day measured in Soma between 1940 and 2025 was 14 May 2021, reaching 43.3 °C.
What is the coldest day in Soma?
The coldest day measured in Soma between 1940 and 2025 was 1 February 1968, at 12.2 °C.
Does it snow in Soma?
Almost never: Soma sees virtually no snow, with about 0 frost days per year.
Has the climate of Soma warmed?
Yes: Soma warmed by +1.1 °C between 1940 and 2025, a statistically significant trend.
What is the wettest day in Soma?
The wettest day measured in Soma between 1940 and 2025 was 25 July 1978, with 186 mm of rain in 24 hours.
What was the windiest day in Soma?
The windiest day measured in Soma between 1940 and 2025 was 5 September 1961, with winds reaching 33.2 km/h.
What is the warmest month in Soma?
The warmest month in Soma is May (29.7 °C on average); the coldest is January (24.8 °C).
How much does it rain in Soma?
Soma receives on average 811 mm of precipitation per year, spread over about 85 rainy days.
Is it sunny in Soma?
Soma gets on average 10.5 hours of sunshine per day, roughly 3,833 hours per year over 1940-2025.
Are there tropical nights in Soma?
Yes: Soma has on average 283 tropical nights per year (temperature staying above 20 °C), over 1940-2025.
What was the most extreme apparent temperature in Soma?
In Soma, between 1940 and 2025, the highest apparent temperature reached 47.2 °C on 18 May 1998, and the lowest was 8.3 °C on 23 December 1967.
Compare Soma with another city
Pick a second city: its normals will be set against these, indicator by indicator.
Nearby cities
The climate around Soma