The Nigerian Meteorological Agency has projected that Lagos, Delta, Bayelsa, Cross River, Rivers, and Akwa Ibom states will experience the highest number of rainy days in 2025, ranging between 250 and 290 days.
This was contained in the agency’s 2025 Seasonal Climate Prediction, released on Monday.
According to NiMet, the next category of states to record significant rainfall – between 200 and 250 rainy days – includes Ogun, Oyo, Ekiti, Osun, Ebonyi, Anambra, and Enugu.
In the central region, states such as Niger, Kogi, Benue, Plateau, Nasarawa, Kwara, and the Federal Capital Territory are expected to record between 150 and 200 rainy days.
For the northern states of Sokoto, Katsina, Zamfara, Kano, Jigawa, Yobe, and Borno, rainfall is projected to span between 110 and 150 days in the year.
NiMet also forecast that the total annual rainfall across the country will vary from 405 mm in the far north to 3,010 mm in coastal regions.
“The total amount of rainfall across Nigeria in 2025 is predicted to be between 405 mm in the far north and 3010 mm in the coastal states of the country.
“It is predicted that the annual rainfall total in Borno, Yobe, Sokoto, and Katsina states is likely to be less than 685 mm.
“Rainfall in the central states (parts of Niger, Kwara, Plateau, Nasarawa, Benue states, and the FCT) is expected to range from 970 mm to 1500 mm.
“It is projected that Rivers, Bayelsa, Cross River, and Akwa Ibom states will have between 2700 mm and 3010 mm of annual rainfall total.
“The forecast shows that in 2025, the total rainfall amounts in most parts of Nigeria are likely to be normal to below normal when compared to the long-term average,” the report read.
Specifically, states like Borno, Yobe, Sokoto, and Katsina are expected to receive less than 685 mm of rainfall, while the central states – including parts of Niger, Kwara, Plateau, Nasarawa, Benue, and the FCT – may experience rainfall between 970 mm and 1,500 mm.
Coastal states such as Rivers, Bayelsa, Cross River, and Akwa Ibom are projected to receive between 2,700 mm and 3,010 mm of rainfall.
NiMet noted that rainfall in most parts of the country in 2025 is expected to be normal to below normal compared to long-term averages.
However, parts of Kaduna, Ebonyi, Cross River, Lagos, Abia, Akwa Ibom, and the FCT are projected to witness above-normal annual rainfall totals.
The onset of the rainy season is expected between March and April in southern states such as Lagos, Ogun, Ondo, Ekiti, Edo, Cross River, Enugu, Ebonyi, Imo, Abia, and Anambra.
In the central belt, rainfall is predicted to commence between April and May, covering Niger, Kwara, Kogi, Benue, Plateau, Nasarawa, Taraba, and the FCT.
The northern states — Sokoto, Zamfara, Katsina, Kano, Jigawa, Bauchi, Yobe, and Borno — are forecast to experience onset between early June and July.
However, delayed onset is expected in parts of Plateau, Kaduna, Niger, Benue, Nasarawa, Taraba, Adamawa, and Kwara states.
In contrast, an early onset is predicted for Delta, Bayelsa, Rivers, Anambra, and parts of Oyo, Ogun, Osun, Ondo, Lagos, Edo, Enugu, Imo, and Ebonyi states.