Climate Senegal
Senegal has a tropical climate. During most of the year, the northern region of Senegal is under the influence of the mostly dry, hot north-eastern trade wind, during which a dust-bearing, dry wind from the Sahara, the Harmattan, often blows during the main season from November to March. The climate of the southern region is determined during several months of the year by the rainy, warm and humid southwest to west monsoon. The highest temperatures in this region of Senegal are measured in April. Temperatures of 40°C are not uncommon. The lowest temperatures are measured in December or January and are about 17°C.
During the dry season, temperatures vary between day and night around 13°C in the northern region, around 10°C in the southern region and around 15°C in the interior. In the rainy season the daily temperature fluctuations decrease to 6°C to 10°C depending on the part of the country.
Dakar has a tropical climate with a maritime stimulating effect. In the dry season determined by the Harmattan, temperatures of about 25 to 30°C are usually reached in the shade. The average humidity is then 75 percent with moderate nightly cooling. In the rainy season from June to mid-November, which is harder to endure from a climatic point of view, the humidity is 95 percent. Temperatures in the shade range between 30 and 33°C and occasionally rise to 38°C. At night it hardly cools down during this time.
The best time to visit Senegal is between December and May.
