Aviation weather in Africa

Harmattan dust reduces visibility across West Africa for months, the intertropical convergence zone drags a belt of severe storms north and south with the seasons, and coverage of the reports themselves varies by state.

At a glance

Main hazards Dust and sand, Thunderstorms, High temperature, Low visibility, Turbulence
Most demanding season December – March
Thunderstorm season March – June
Representative airports FAOR · HECA · DNMM · HKJK · GMMN
Official sources South African Weather Service aviation · ASECNA (West and Central Africa)

The services linked above are the authoritative source for this region. This page explains what their reports contain; it is not a substitute for an official briefing.

What these hazards mean

Dust and sand Blowing dust drops visibility within minutes and erodes engine components; the reports code it as DU, SA, DS or SS.
Thunderstorms Cumulonimbus cells carrying severe turbulence, hail, lightning and downdraughts; avoided laterally, never flown through.
High temperature Density altitude cuts engine and wing performance; above certain temperatures some aircraft simply cannot depart at weight.
Low visibility Fog, mist, haze, dust or heavy precipitation cutting visibility below the minimum for the approach in use.
Turbulence Clear-air, mechanical or convective. The clear-air kind gives no visual warning and is why the seatbelt sign stays on in cruise.

METAR decoder

Paste a raw observation and read it in plain language. It runs in your browser — the report never leaves your device, and nothing is stored.

Works with ICAO reports and with the North American SM / inHg variant.

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Last updated 2026-08-09 by aviationwheater.siten.co · About us

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