Khartoum climate

In most places talking about the weather provides an easily accessible and seemingly endless subject of conversation. The weather forecast is the most popular programme on many tv channels and it is widely discussed to what extent the actual weather happens to match the predictions. Strangers not knowing how to start a conversation will very probably go for some random comment about the current climatic conditions and this should give them a good 10 minutes of effortless thematic discourse.

Here, well, there is not much to talk about.

When we go abroad, people invariably ask us "How hot is it in Khartoum?" There is only one possible answer to that question: "Very." The monthly average high temperature never goes below 30 C, reaching 41 degrees in May and June and possibly peaking at 50 degrees certain days. It IS hot, no doubt. But it also only rains 16 days per year, meaning that the heat is extremely dry and as such bearable. Winds often blow, bringing us further relief from the soaring temperatures.

Here I don't need to peek out the window in the morning to decide what to wear. I don't need to carry an umbrella, gloves or a spare jacket. Technically, I don't even need to own any of these items. We get 3700 hours of glorious sunshine each year. That is over 10 hours per day on average. But it does get a bit boring. I do miss "weather". I get all excited when the winds pick up, the sky goes orange and a haboob covers the city, creating the illusion of fog made up of fine desert sand. When it rains, we undress the kids and send them out in the yard to run around naked, giggling and laughing.

Now it is April 4th and we have been spared the *real* heat so far. We have enjoyed very reasonable temperatures at day and cool nights. Our tap water was fresh in the morning and at night the kid's bathwater wasn't too hot for them to sit in. We might have a few more days of respite, but we know, the heat is inexorably coming.