Kidal climate — normals and trends
Kidal (Mali) has a hot desert climate (BWh) under the Köppen-Geiger classification. Its mean annual temperature is 28.7 °C and it receives 59 mm of precipitation per year.
These figures are normals computed over 86 complete calendar years, from 1940 to 2025, using ERA5 reanalysis data from the Copernicus programme.
The warmest month is June (35.0 °C on average) and the coldest is January (19.6 °C). Rainfall peaks in August.
Kidal averages 0 frost days, 290 hot days (≥ 30 °C) and 17 rainy days per year.
Kidal has warmed by +2.8 °C between 1940 and 2025, or +0.33 °C per decade. This trend is statistically significant.
The hottest day of the period reached 46.0 °C (on 7 June 2016) and the coldest 3.8 °C (on 5 January 1945).
Data from ERA5 reanalysis (Copernicus Climate Change Service), redistributed under a CC-BY 4.0 licence. Normals are recomputed whenever the archive is updated.
Climate normals · ERA5
KidalKidal
- coords
- 18.44°, 1.41°
- period
- 1940–2025 · 86 yrs
Mean daily temperature
28.7°C
Average daily high
35.2°C
Average daily low
21.6°C
Annual rainfall
59mm
Sunshine / day
11.3h
Mean relative humidity
22%
Average peak wind
23.0km/h
Seasonal range
15.4°C
Frost days (< 0 °C)
0 d/yr
Hot days (≥ 30 °C)
290 d/yr
Rainy days (≥ 1 mm)
17 d/yr
Annual snowfall
0.0 cm
Average feels-like high
33.0 °C
Average feels-like low
18.2 °C
Average peak gust
38.3 km/h
Tropical nights (≥ 20 °C)
228 d/yr
Solar radiation
23.7 MJ/m²
Has the climate changed?
One stripe per year, 1940 to 2025
+2.8 °C
since 1940
+0.3 °C per decade · r² = 0.74 · p = < 0.001
Trend fitted by linear regression (ordinary least squares) on annual means. A trend is shown only when it is statistically significant (p < 0.05).
A climograph overlays rainfall (bars) and temperature (line): the standard reading in climatology, where you can see at a glance whether the warm season is also the dry one.
Records for the period
Hottest day
46.0 °C
7 June 2016
Coldest day
3.8 °C
5 January 1945
Wettest day
55 mm
5 September 2024
Windiest day
49.5 km/h
8 August 1945
Strongest gust
73.8 km/h
8 August 1945
Hottest feels-like
45.5 °C
11 May 2016
Coldest feels-like
-2.5 °C
5 January 1945
Sunniest day
12.3 h
25 May 1940
Normals computed over complete calendar years 1940–2025.
A specific year
Pick a year and see how it compares to normal — warmer, drier or more extreme than usual?
Across the whole year
Month by month
| High | vs. normal | Precipitation | vs. normal | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 28.6 °C | +2.0 °C | 0 mm | -1 mm |
| Feb | 31.6 °C | +1.7 °C | 0 mm | -0 mm |
| Mar | 38.6 °C | +4.8 °C | 0 mm | -0 mm |
| Apr | 40.3 °C | +2.4 °C | 0 mm | -1 mm |
| May | 42.6 °C | +2.0 °C | 0 mm | -3 mm |
| Jun | 41.4 °C | +0.4 °C | 2 mm | -3 mm |
| Jul | 40.0 °C | +0.9 °C | 8 mm | -7 mm |
| Aug | 39.2 °C | +1.3 °C | 11 mm | -13 mm |
| Sep | 39.3 °C | +0.8 °C | 3 mm | -6 mm |
| Oct | 38.7 °C | +1.7 °C | 1 mm | -0 mm |
| Nov | 34.1 °C | +1.9 °C | 0 mm | -0 mm |
| Dec | 29.0 °C | +1.3 °C | 0 mm | -0 mm |
The year's extremes
What was the weather like that day?
Your birthday, a wedding, a memorable trip: discover the actual weather for any date since 1940.
Frequently asked questions
What is the climate of Kidal?
Kidal has a hot desert climate (Köppen BWh). Over 1940-2025, the average annual temperature is 28.7 °C and it receives 59 mm of precipitation per year.
What is the hottest day ever recorded in Kidal?
The hottest day measured in Kidal between 1940 and 2025 was 7 June 2016, reaching 46.0 °C.
What is the coldest day in Kidal?
The coldest day measured in Kidal between 1940 and 2025 was 5 January 1945, at 3.8 °C.
Does it snow in Kidal?
Almost never: Kidal sees virtually no snow, with about 0 frost days per year.
Has the climate of Kidal warmed?
Yes: Kidal warmed by +2.8 °C between 1940 and 2025, a statistically significant trend.
What is the wettest day in Kidal?
The wettest day measured in Kidal between 1940 and 2025 was 5 September 2024, with 55 mm of rain in 24 hours.
What was the windiest day in Kidal?
The windiest day measured in Kidal between 1940 and 2025 was 8 August 1945, with winds reaching 49.5 km/h.
What is the warmest month in Kidal?
The warmest month in Kidal is June (35.0 °C on average); the coldest is January (19.6 °C).
How much does it rain in Kidal?
Kidal receives on average 59 mm of precipitation per year, spread over about 17 rainy days.
Is it sunny in Kidal?
Kidal gets on average 11.3 hours of sunshine per day, roughly 4,125 hours per year over 1940-2025.
Are there tropical nights in Kidal?
Yes: Kidal has on average 228 tropical nights per year (temperature staying above 20 °C), over 1940-2025.
What was the most extreme apparent temperature in Kidal?
In Kidal, between 1940 and 2025, the highest apparent temperature reached 45.5 °C on 11 May 2016, and the lowest was -2.5 °C on 5 January 1945.
Compare Kidal with another city
Pick a second city: its normals will be set against these, indicator by indicator.