Timbuktu climate — normals and trends
Timbuktu (Mali) has a hot desert climate (BWh) under the Köppen-Geiger classification. Its mean annual temperature is 28.9 °C and it receives 127 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 (34.7 °C on average) and the coldest is January (20.9 °C). Rainfall peaks in August.
Timbuktu averages 0 frost days, 305 hot days (≥ 30 °C) and 27 rainy days per year.
Timbuktu has warmed by +2.7 °C between 1940 and 2025, or +0.31 °C per decade. This trend is statistically significant.
The hottest day of the period reached 46.3 °C (on 15 June 1961) and the coldest 5.5 °C (on 9 January 1942).
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
TimbuktuTombouctou
- coords
- 16.77°, -3.01°
- period
- 1940–2025 · 86 yrs
Mean daily temperature
28.9°C
Average daily high
35.3°C
Average daily low
22.6°C
Annual rainfall
127mm
Sunshine / day
11.3h
Mean relative humidity
29%
Average peak wind
21.2km/h
Seasonal range
13.8°C
Frost days (< 0 °C)
0 d/yr
Hot days (≥ 30 °C)
305 d/yr
Rainy days (≥ 1 mm)
27 d/yr
Annual snowfall
0.0 cm
Average feels-like high
34.0 °C
Average feels-like low
20.5 °C
Average peak gust
35.9 km/h
Tropical nights (≥ 20 °C)
245 d/yr
Solar radiation
23.4 MJ/m²
Has the climate changed?
One stripe per year, 1940 to 2025
+2.7 °C
since 1940
+0.3 °C per decade · r² = 0.72 · 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
46.3 °C
15 June 1961
Coldest day
5.5 °C
9 January 1942
Wettest day
112 mm
7 August 1950
Windiest day
44.4 km/h
27 May 2014
Strongest gust
72.7 km/h
27 May 2014
Hottest feels-like
46.9 °C
29 May 2010
Coldest feels-like
1.2 °C
3 January 1943
Sunniest day
12.7 h
4 July 1949
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 | 29.1 °C | +1.2 °C | 0 mm | -1 mm |
| Feb | 31.8 °C | +0.6 °C | 0 mm | +0 mm |
| Mar | 39.3 °C | +4.4 °C | 0 mm | -0 mm |
| Apr | 41.5 °C | +3.1 °C | 0 mm | -0 mm |
| May | 42.5 °C | +1.9 °C | 1 mm | -2 mm |
| Jun | 41.3 °C | +0.9 °C | 3 mm | -7 mm |
| Jul | 38.0 °C | +0.3 °C | 10 mm | -23 mm |
| Aug | 36.8 °C | +1.1 °C | 12 mm | -43 mm |
| Sep | 37.8 °C | +0.5 °C | 12 mm | -10 mm |
| Oct | 39.0 °C | +1.5 °C | 1 mm | -3 mm |
| Nov | 35.8 °C | +2.2 °C | 0 mm | -0 mm |
| Dec | 27.9 °C | -0.9 °C | 8 mm | +8 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 Timbuktu?
Timbuktu has a hot desert climate (Köppen BWh). Over 1940-2025, the average annual temperature is 28.9 °C and it receives 127 mm of precipitation per year.
What is the hottest day ever recorded in Timbuktu?
The hottest day measured in Timbuktu between 1940 and 2025 was 15 June 1961, reaching 46.3 °C.
What is the coldest day in Timbuktu?
The coldest day measured in Timbuktu between 1940 and 2025 was 9 January 1942, at 5.5 °C.
Does it snow in Timbuktu?
Almost never: Timbuktu sees virtually no snow, with about 0 frost days per year.
Has the climate of Timbuktu warmed?
Yes: Timbuktu warmed by +2.7 °C between 1940 and 2025, a statistically significant trend.
What is the wettest day in Timbuktu?
The wettest day measured in Timbuktu between 1940 and 2025 was 7 August 1950, with 112 mm of rain in 24 hours.
What was the windiest day in Timbuktu?
The windiest day measured in Timbuktu between 1940 and 2025 was 27 May 2014, with winds reaching 44.4 km/h.
What is the warmest month in Timbuktu?
The warmest month in Timbuktu is June (34.7 °C on average); the coldest is January (20.9 °C).
How much does it rain in Timbuktu?
Timbuktu receives on average 127 mm of precipitation per year, spread over about 27 rainy days.
Is it sunny in Timbuktu?
Timbuktu gets on average 11.3 hours of sunshine per day, roughly 4,125 hours per year over 1940-2025.
Are there tropical nights in Timbuktu?
Yes: Timbuktu has on average 245 tropical nights per year (temperature staying above 20 °C), over 1940-2025.
What was the most extreme apparent temperature in Timbuktu?
In Timbuktu, between 1940 and 2025, the highest apparent temperature reached 46.9 °C on 29 May 2010, and the lowest was 1.2 °C on 3 January 1943.
Compare Timbuktu with another city
Pick a second city: its normals will be set against these, indicator by indicator.
Nearby cities
The climate around Timbuktu