Jos is a city located on the Jos Plateau, which stands at an elevation of 4,250 feet above sea level. It is the capital city of the state and is notable for having one of the coolest climates in Nigeria. It lies on the Delimi River and near the source of the Jamaari River (called the Bunga farther downstream).
Jos has a cool rainy climate and its surrounding plateau is the source of many rivers, like the Kaduna, Karami, and N’gell, which supply the Niger River; the Mada, Ankwe, Dep, Shemanker, and Wase, which flows into River Benue; the Lere, Maijuju, and Bagei, which supply the Gongola; and the Kano, Delimi, Bunga, Jamaari, and Misau, which occasionally feeds the Lake Chad. The plateau consists of steep, irregular southern slopes possessing many waterfalls, including the famous Gurara Falls
Though Jos was a forested area in the past, it exists mostly as an open savanna grassland as a result of human activities such as farming, cattle grazing, and mining.
Compared to other parts of Nigeria, Jos has a more temperate and milder temperature earning it the name, the “Jewel of the Plateau.”
Its average monthly temperatures range from 21–25 °C (70–77 °F), and then during the harmattan season from mid-November to February, when dry and dusty air blows from the Sahara Desert, temperatures in Jos can drop to as low as 7 °C (45 °F). This is due to its elevation: the higher you go, the cooler it becomes.
Jos receives about 55 inches of rain every year. Due to its elevation also, its precipitation formation is both convectional and orographic. Though there has been no record of it snowing in Jos, the region has experienced hail stones.
It is important to note that while Jos is perceived as cold, it may not be as cold as what people in temperate or cold-climate regions.
The cooler temperatures in Jos are majorly relative to the typically hot and humid conditions found in most parts of Nigeria.
