Dakar climate — normals and trends
Dakar (Senegal) has a hot desert climate (BWh) under the Köppen-Geiger classification. Its mean annual temperature is 23.9 °C and it receives 328 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 October (27.4 °C on average) and the coldest is February (20.5 °C). Rainfall peaks in August.
Dakar averages 0 frost days, 1 hot days (≥ 30 °C) and 36 rainy days per year.
Dakar has warmed by +0.5 °C between 1940 and 2025, or +0.05 °C per decade. This trend is statistically significant.
The hottest day of the period reached 32.2 °C (on 19 October 2011) and the coldest 15.6 °C (on 7 February 1954).
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
DakarDakar
- coords
- 14.69°, -17.44°
- period
- 1940–2025 · 86 yrs
Mean daily temperature
23.9°C
Average daily high
24.6°C
Average daily low
23.3°C
Annual rainfall
328mm
Sunshine / day
11.0h
Mean relative humidity
77%
Average peak wind
25.1km/h
Seasonal range
6.9°C
Frost days (< 0 °C)
0 d/yr
Hot days (≥ 30 °C)
1 d/yr
Rainy days (≥ 1 mm)
36 d/yr
Annual snowfall
0.0 cm
Average feels-like high
27.1 °C
Average feels-like low
23.7 °C
Average peak gust
33.3 km/h
Tropical nights (≥ 20 °C)
311 d/yr
Solar radiation
22.1 MJ/m²
Has the climate changed?
One stripe per year, 1940 to 2025
+0.5 °C
since 1940
+0.1 °C per decade · r² = 0.09 · p = 0.004
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
32.2 °C
19 October 2011
Coldest day
15.6 °C
7 February 1954
Wettest day
161 mm
30 August 2019
Windiest day
56.6 km/h
4 September 1947
Strongest gust
82.8 km/h
6 September 1961
Hottest feels-like
38.6 °C
21 September 2005
Coldest feels-like
10.4 °C
16 February 2014
Sunniest day
12.5 h
8 July 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 | 22.2 °C | 0.0 °C | 0 mm | -1 mm |
| Feb | 20.6 °C | -0.6 °C | 0 mm | -1 mm |
| Mar | 20.0 °C | -1.2 °C | 0 mm | -0 mm |
| Apr | 21.3 °C | -0.1 °C | 0 mm | -0 mm |
| May | 22.8 °C | +0.2 °C | 1 mm | +1 mm |
| Jun | 25.5 °C | +0.4 °C | 0 mm | -2 mm |
| Jul | 26.9 °C | +0.1 °C | 18 mm | -19 mm |
| Aug | 27.7 °C | +0.2 °C | 161 mm | +17 mm |
| Sep | 28.5 °C | +0.6 °C | 43 mm | -64 mm |
| Oct | 29.0 °C | +1.0 °C | 11 mm | -21 mm |
| Nov | 28.2 °C | +1.3 °C | 3 mm | +1 mm |
| Dec | 22.8 °C | -1.6 °C | 6 mm | +4 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 Dakar?
Dakar has a hot desert climate (Köppen BWh). Over 1940-2025, the average annual temperature is 23.9 °C and it receives 328 mm of precipitation per year.
What is the hottest day ever recorded in Dakar?
The hottest day measured in Dakar between 1940 and 2025 was 19 October 2011, reaching 32.2 °C.
What is the coldest day in Dakar?
The coldest day measured in Dakar between 1940 and 2025 was 7 February 1954, at 15.6 °C.
Does it snow in Dakar?
Almost never: Dakar sees virtually no snow, with about 0 frost days per year.
Has the climate of Dakar warmed?
Yes: Dakar warmed by +0.5 °C between 1940 and 2025, a statistically significant trend.
What is the wettest day in Dakar?
The wettest day measured in Dakar between 1940 and 2025 was 30 August 2019, with 161 mm of rain in 24 hours.
What was the windiest day in Dakar?
The windiest day measured in Dakar between 1940 and 2025 was 4 September 1947, with winds reaching 56.6 km/h.
What is the warmest month in Dakar?
The warmest month in Dakar is October (27.4 °C on average); the coldest is February (20.5 °C).
How much does it rain in Dakar?
Dakar receives on average 328 mm of precipitation per year, spread over about 36 rainy days.
Is it sunny in Dakar?
Dakar gets on average 11.0 hours of sunshine per day, roughly 4,015 hours per year over 1940-2025.
Are there tropical nights in Dakar?
Yes: Dakar has on average 311 tropical nights per year (temperature staying above 20 °C), over 1940-2025.
What was the most extreme apparent temperature in Dakar?
In Dakar, between 1940 and 2025, the highest apparent temperature reached 38.6 °C on 21 September 2005, and the lowest was 10.4 °C on 16 February 2014.
Compare Dakar with another city
Pick a second city: its normals will be set against these, indicator by indicator.
Nearby cities
The climate around Dakar