Climatograph
Weather
The short rainy season is November to January, but the long rainy season is March to May. In this period there's heavy rain that can go for about half of the day or more. Overall, the Serengeti gets around 35-40 inches of rain per year. The rest of the year the region is mostly warm and dry with temperatures at about 15-20 degrees Celsius.
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Wind Patterns
In the Serengeti, the wind mostly blows from the East. Scientist believe that this wind is what blew ash over the plains creating the vertisol soil. During the wet season, moist air moves in from the equator. But during the dry season, warm, dry air moves in from the Sahara.
Soil
The Serengeti has vertisol soil that was first created from the volcanic ash that erupted from the Kermimasi volcano about 150,000 years ago. This soil is very rich and full of nutrients and helps support the grass that is vital for the grazing animals of the area, such as gazelles or wildebeasts. Although fires can be devastating to the plains, it is also important to help resupply the soil.
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Solar Radiation
![Picture](/uploads/9/0/0/3/90039619/published/solargis-tanzania-dni-solar-resource-map-en.png?1483580949)
The Serengeti is located in the northern part of Tanzania. As you can see this area gets about 1700 kWh/m squared, with some areas getting more at about 2000-2100 kWh/m squared of solar radiation. Too much exposure can be harmful to the ecosystem.