By Abbas Nazil
Nigerians across several regions are expressing growing concern over the delayed arrival and weakening intensity of the harmattan season, prompting widespread debate about whether the once-predictable weather pattern is disappearing.
Harmattan is traditionally known as a period of dry, dusty winds blowing from the Sahara Desert across West Africa, usually occurring between late November and mid-March.
The season is often marked by cold mornings, hot afternoons, dry air, and dusty haze, with temperatures fluctuating widely between night and day.
For decades, the harmattan period shaped daily life in Nigeria, influencing clothing choices, health routines, and even market trends during the ember months.
Items such as sweaters, mentholated balms, petroleum jelly, and skin moisturizers typically experienced increased demand as households prepared for cold and dry conditions.
However, recent years have shown a noticeable shift in this pattern, with many Nigerians reporting shorter, weaker, or completely absent harmattan conditions.
In 2023, the harmattan reportedly began around mid-December in several regions, deviating from its usual late-November onset.
By the following season, spanning late 2024 into early 2025, the dry winds reportedly did not emerge until January in some areas.
As of the 2025/2026 season, residents in many parts of southern Nigeria say they are yet to experience any significant signs of harmattan.
This unusual delay has sparked conversations across social media platforms, where users question whether climate change is altering Nigeria’s seasonal cycles.
One X user, identified as @drstranged, shared his surprise at the persistent heat during what should have been peak harmattan period.
He noted that even in the South East, where cooler, drier air is usually noticeable by late November, temperatures remained unusually high close to Christmas.
According to him, the weather felt more like late dry season conditions rather than the expected harmattan climate.
These observations reflect a broader public sentiment that long-standing seasonal expectations are no longer reliable.
In response to these concerns, FrankTalkNow consulted Mrs. Toluwani Ogunsanya, a meteorologist based in Ilorin, to provide expert insight.
She dismissed claims that harmattan has gone extinct, explaining that the changes are consistent with broader climate variability driven by global warming.
Mrs. Ogunsanya stated that she has observed significant variations in Nigeria’s climatic patterns for over six years.
She explained that both the severity and duration of harmattan have fluctuated, particularly in southern parts of the country, over the past four years.
According to her, harmattan remains more consistent in northern Nigeria, where dry conditions, hot days, and cold nights are still being experienced.
She emphasized that climate change is causing longer rainy seasons, hotter temperatures, irregular cloud formation, and extreme weather events nationwide.
As a result, she said harmattan may still occur across Nigeria, but with uneven intensity depending on location.
Experts warn that these shifting patterns could have broader implications for health, agriculture, and daily living if adaptation measures are not taken.
While harmattan may not be extinct, its changing behavior is increasingly viewed as a visible sign of Nigeria’s exposure to global climate change.
