Climate averages 1991–2020
Gao weather
in March.
A very hot, very dry month: the 7th warmest and one of the driest of the year.
Long-term climate patterns, not a forecast for a particular trip.
March is a very hot month in Gao: daytime highs average 37.2°C and nights cool to about 20.0°C. By daytime temperature it is the 7th warmest of the 12 months.
Rain is very rare: less than 1 mm falls in a typical March (one of the driest months of the year). Daylight, from sunrise to sunset, lasts about 12 h 02 min on an average March day.
The nearest other city in this atlas is Timbuktu (321 km away). In March its highs average 35.1°C, 2.1°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 March highs and 1st of 13 for the driest March (rainfall, lowest first). The mean March high of those 13 cities is 37.9°C; Gao is 0.7°C cooler than that mean.
From March to April, average highs rise by 3.6°C to 40.8°C, and monthly rainfall stays under 1 mm.
The annual picture
March 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, selected | 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 | 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
March in nearby cities
- Timbuktu in MarchMali · 321 kmHigh 35.1°C · Low 19.3°C · 0.2 mm rain
- Kaya in MarchBurkina Faso · 371 kmHigh 38.0°C · Low 22.2°C · 1.2 mm rain
- Niamey in MarchNiger · 384 kmHigh 38.4°C · Low 21.3°C · 1.0 mm rain
- Ouahigouya in MarchBurkina Faso · 393 kmHigh 38.1°C · Low 22.0°C · 0.8 mm rain
- Pouytenga in MarchBurkina Faso · 449 kmHigh 38.6°C · Low 22.8°C · 2.7 mm rain
- Saaba in MarchBurkina Faso · 458 kmHigh 38.5°C · Low 23.2°C · 1.9 mm rain
- Ouagadougou in MarchBurkina Faso · 463 kmHigh 38.6°C · Low 23.2°C · 1.9 mm rain
- Fada N'gourma in MarchBurkina Faso · 470 kmHigh 39.0°C · Low 23.8°C · 3.1 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.