How much rain does a savanna usually receive in a year?

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Flat savanna plain with scattered acacia trees under a partly cloudy sky in Serengeti National Park, Tanzania. — Savanna A savanna marked with acacia trees in Serengeti National Park, Tanzania. Africa's Serengeti Plain is commonly used as an example of the savanna biome—a hot, seasonally dry ecological region characterized by an open tree canopy (i.e., scattered trees) above an understory of continuous grasses.

In general, a savanna receives a mean annual precipitation of 80 to 150 cm (31 to 59 inches). However, in some central continental locations, annual rainfall can be as low as 50 cm (20 inches).1

These regions are characterized by alternating wet and dry seasons, with significant rainfall typically occurring over only a few months each year.1