A few weeks a friend suggested I post something on the climate in Ethiopia. It has taken me a while to get to it, but here is what I have learned.
Although Ethiopia is in the tropics, just north of the equator, its high altitude keeps the temperatures relatively cool. The temperatures vary with altitude. In the highest mountains, known as the dega or cool zone by Ethiopians, daytime temperatures range from freezing to 60 degrees F in the hot months. The temperate or weina dega zone has temperatures from 60 to 86 degrees F during the day and a sweater is needed at night. The kolla zone, which lies below 5000 feet in the desserts and at the bottom of big river gorges, has daytime temperatures that average 80 degrees F.
Ethiopia has a rainy season, they call the rains kremt. Kremt begins at the end of June and end in September. The rains are a vital planting time for the Ethiopians. They are a time of concern for adopting parents because the courts close during the rains. I have been told that the electricity is so unreliable during this time that they just close the courts. No one wants to receive a referral and then have their case put on hold when the courts are closed.
There is often a short rain, called belg, about Easter when another planting may be possible. The southern part of the country is influenced by monsoons blowing in from the Indian Ocean.
So although Ethiopia is cooler than one may guess for the tropical spot it holds on the map, it is warm compared to our current weather!
Weather has been the major topic of the weekend. With the blizzard that blew through here, Chad has been moving snow like crazy. (Our business does snow removal along with commercial general contracting and earthwork.) He has only slept about 10 hours since we got home from Christmas. Our kids had a blast playing outside this afternoon while I shoveled away. Don't you miss the day when snow was fun instead of work?
It will be fun to see how Joshua reacts to snow next winter. Sierra has always loved to play in the snow, while Krissy does not. The first time I brought her out in the snow as a toddler, she stood in one place and cried! She still is grumpy the first morning she wakes up to snow. So he will be in good company no matter how he feels about the cold white stuff.
