by Rainy Season
It goes without saying that the rainstorms in Congo are pretty epic. We all know that in Central Africa when it rains it rains hard. The rainy season in Congo lasts from October to April and during that time it rains about 3-5 times a week. It can rain during the day or during the night and both can be equally devastating.
How can you tell when a rainstorm will happen?
During the rainy season, it gets SUPER hot. Like everyday it’s 85 F + and gets into the 90’s with full humidity. The sun shines relentlessly all day. Then around 3pm the wind starts picking up and you know it’s going to rain. A very strong wind will come from the direction of the incoming rainstorm and dust will start to fly everywhere and houses will start shaking. Everyone starts running around seeking the nearest form of shelter knowing that a rainstorm is coming.
Then, all of a sudden, you see this gigantic cloud in the sky that looks like a humongous black wall coming at you. It’s a really awe-inspiring sight to see the first time you see. Then once the wall is over you the rain will come down in buckets as if a million hoses in the sky just spray water and if you get caught in it you will be soaked from head to toe, including shoes and socks. No umbrella or rain jacket will protect you from the inundation that will happen. The rain lasts a long time too, like from 1 to 2 hours. You can’t wait it out, you will just have to face it and be ok with getting soaked. I would look forward to the rainstorms since they would cool me down after being blasted by the sun all day.
Really Cool Story:
I was teaching a lesson in another area and we saw the wind pick up and the giant cloud wall coming for us but we decided to stay in the area and teach one last lesson. We sat in that lesson and the rain was so loud on the metal roof that we couldn’t hear each other in the lesson. We waited in the house for about an hour and 1/2 after the worst of the storm had passed. We went outside and the whole neighborhood was just flooded, it had been transformed into a full on river! We were going to have to canoe down the road! Me and my companion walked in 2 ft deep water to get to the bus and once my companion jumped down something and the water went always up to his waist! It was a super fun experience.
Dry Season
The dry season is like the complete opposite of the rainy season. The dry season lasts from April to September and it get really overcast, the rain completely goes away, and it actually gets cold. The mornings are in the 40’s and the high during the day is like mid 70’s and other days are in the 60’s. You will probably have to wear a long sleeve shirt in your area or you might get sick. I got a sore throat from breathing in too much cold air in my area. The funniest thing to see during the dry season is parents wrapping their children in winter jackets even though its only 60 F.
The nice thing is that it’s overcast and the sun isn’t blasting your face anymore and there’s no more mud on the ground like there is during the rainy season.
