Raining on the First

Christmas here in Nigeria is characterized not just by the merriment but also by the weather. Back then, the simple act of entering the bathroom to have your bath, be it morning, afternoon or evening, was scary. That’s because whatever option you chose, whether it is heating your bath water to the highest point, or bathing the chilling water as it is, both would never be able to counter the cold that usually envelops you the moment you leave your bathroom, and it’s warmth, as a result of your bathing activity.

Over here, Christmas and New Year celebrations have always coincided with harmattan period so it sort of became a norm to look forward to the harmattan season alongside the celebrations. An addition to the already plenty happenings packed for Christmas. However, this last Christmas was entirely different. I woke up in the middle of the night, drenched in sweat. It felt weird because every part of me was anticipating the celebration later in the day, so waking up due to intense heat in the middle of the night, was not on my Christmas bingo card for the next ten years.

It was so strange, waking up to see that the hot air hadn’t reduced one bit. Christmas air is usually dry, cold and dusty. So, last year’s was a novelty. The greatest shocker of the whole season was when it rained heavily on the 1st of January, 2026. If it only drizzled, I’d have categorized it as a weird experience during the dry or ordinary season. But celebrating the new year while it rained for hours was something no one saw coming. And even with how swiftly the weather changed back then, we still haven’t been able to pinpoint the exact season we currently are in.

Climate change isn’t a change that happens drastically. It happens slowly, gradually upturning seasons in its wake. Before, I dreaded harmattan as a season, because of how dry it leaves your skin and dot so many other reasons. But in the past 13 months, we haven’t gotten actual harmattan. I’ve only experienced mild symptoms like my breathing harshly because of the dry air, otherwise, nothing.

All the colds we’ve gotten so far, has been as a result of rain falling, and this makes me miss the harmattan season a little bit. Judging by how it’s been over the years, before every harmattan comes dry season. If there is still harmattan in store for this year, I doubt I’ll be able to come to terms with experiencing harmattan in May, after this rain takes it’s sweet time.

Years back, we already knew what to expect in January and February (dry season) but this year has been entirely different in my part of the country. It’s been raining since the first of the year, and now, I’m curious as to when we’ll get to experience dry season, in this year 2026. How about you? What’s the climate been like in your country recently?

Thanks for reading.

Image above was taken by me.