Climate averages 1991–2020
Gao weather
in December.
A hot, very dry month: the 11th warmest and one of the driest of the year.
Long-term climate patterns, not a forecast for a particular trip.
December is a hot month in Gao: daytime highs average 31.7°C and nights cool to about 15.9°C. By daytime temperature it is the 11th warmest of the 12 months.
Rain is very rare: less than 1 mm falls in a typical December (one of the driest months of the year). Daylight, from sunrise to sunset, lasts about 11 h 11 min on an average December day.
The nearest other city in this atlas is Timbuktu (321 km away). In December its highs average 29.3°C, 2.4°C cooler than Gao, with almost no rain (under 1 mm).
Among the 13 cities listed in Mali, Gao ranks 12th of 13 for the warmest December highs and joint 5th of 13 for the driest December (rainfall, lowest first). The mean December high of those 13 cities is 32.6°C; Gao is 0.9°C cooler than that mean.
From December to January, average highs fall by 1.7°C to 30.0°C, and monthly rainfall stays under 1 mm.
The annual picture
December in context
Monthly rainfall
Average total · mmAverages from hourly ERA5 reanalysis data. Actual weather varies from year to year. How these numbers are calculated
Every month, side by side
Gao climate table
| Month | Average highHigh / low | Average low | Rainfall mm/month | Rain days ≥1 mm/day | Daylight hours/dayDaylight h/day |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 30.0°C14.4°C | 14.4°C | 0.3 | 0.1 | 11.311 h |
| February | 33.3°C16.7°C | 16.7°C | 0.1 | 0.0 | 11.612 h |
| March | 37.2°C20.0°C | 20.0°C | 0.1 | 0.0 | 12.012 h |
| April | 40.8°C24.1°C | 24.1°C | 0.6 | 0.2 | 12.512 h |
| May | 42.2°C27.4°C | 27.4°C | 2.3 | 0.8 | 12.913 h |
| June | 41.7°C28.7°C | 28.7°C | 7.6 | 2.8 | 13.113 h |
| July | 39.0°C27.2°C | 27.2°C | 31 | 7.9 | 13.013 h |
| August | 37.0°C26.0°C | 26.0°C | 56 | 11.2 | 12.713 h |
| September | 39.2°C26.7°C | 26.7°C | 16 | 4.3 | 12.212 h |
| October | 39.2°C24.9°C | 24.9°C | 2.6 | 0.8 | 11.812 h |
| November | 35.7°C19.8°C | 19.8°C | 0.1 | 0.0 | 11.411 h |
| December, selected | 31.7°C15.9°C | 15.9°C | 0.1 | 0.0 | 11.211 h |
Rainfall is the average of the 30 separate monthly totals. A rain day is a local calendar day with at least 1 mm of precipitation. Daylight is the calculated sunrise-to-sunset length, not measured sunshine.
Compare places
December in nearby cities
- Timbuktu in DecemberMali · 321 kmHigh 29.3°C · Low 15.1°C · 0.1 mm rain
- Kaya in DecemberBurkina Faso · 371 kmHigh 32.5°C · Low 17.4°C · 0 mm rain
- Niamey in DecemberNiger · 384 kmHigh 32.7°C · Low 16.5°C · 0 mm rain
- Ouahigouya in DecemberBurkina Faso · 393 kmHigh 32.5°C · Low 17.3°C · 0 mm rain
- Pouytenga in DecemberBurkina Faso · 449 kmHigh 33.4°C · Low 18.0°C · 0 mm rain
- Saaba in DecemberBurkina Faso · 458 kmHigh 33.3°C · Low 18.4°C · 0 mm rain
- Ouagadougou in DecemberBurkina Faso · 463 kmHigh 33.4°C · Low 18.2°C · 0 mm rain
- Fada N'gourma in DecemberBurkina Faso · 470 kmHigh 34.2°C · Low 19.2°C · 0 mm rain
Read the numbers correctly
Climate, not a promise.
These patterns help compare months. They cannot tell you the weather on a specific day of your trip.
Sources, method and limitsHow these numbers are made (what the highs, lows and rain days mean, the sources and the model cell used for Gao) is explained once on the Gao year overview and on the Sources, method and limits page.