Multidimensional Assessment of Climatic Variability and Extreme Events in Kano, Nigeria: Implications for Semi-Arid Agro-Ecological Transition Zones

Abstract

This study addresses the limited understanding of short-term climatic behavior in Kano, Nigeria. It is a key agro-ecological transition zone, and the study provides a multidimensional assessment of temperature, rainfall, relative humidity, wind speed, and wind direction. Daily climatic data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, Mann–Kendall trend analysis with Sen’s slope estimator, seasonal variation analysis, percentile-based extreme event detection, correlation analysis, and wind-rose characterization. The results show that maximum and minimum temperatures averaged 34.06°C and 19.79°C, respectively, and exhibited strong seasonal cycles. Rainfall was highly variable, with a skewness of 6.84 and extreme events defined at a 16.3 mm threshold. Trend analysis revealed no statistically significant long-term trends across all variables, indicating that short-term variability dominates the eight-year record. Strong correlations were observed between relative humidity and rainfall (r = 0.776) and between minimum and average temperatures (r = 0.921). Extreme heat events peaked in 2015–2016, while extreme rainfall events remained relatively stable across years. Wind patterns were dominated by easterly and southwesterly flows, with most speeds ranging between 4 and 12 knots. These findings provide localized evidence of short-term climatic behavior and its implications for agricultural planning, water resource management, and climate adaptation in semi-arid environments.