Climate averages 1991–2020
Timbuktu weather
in May.
A very hot, very dry month: the 2nd warmest and the 7th driest of the year.
Long-term climate patterns, not a forecast for a particular trip.
May is a very hot month in Timbuktu: daytime highs average 40.9°C and nights cool to about 26.7°C. By daytime temperature it is the 2nd warmest of the 12 months.
Expect about 1.8 mm of rain on fewer than one day, which makes May a very dry month (the 7th driest of the 12 months). Daylight, from sunrise to sunset, lasts about 12 h 54 min on an average May day.
The nearest other city in this atlas is Mopti (284 km away). In May its highs average 40.9°C, about as warm as Timbuktu, with 7.4 mm of rain.
Among the 13 cities listed in Mali, Timbuktu ranks joint 3rd of 13 for the warmest May highs and 1st of 13 for the driest May (rainfall, lowest first). The mean May high of those 13 cities is 39.0°C; Timbuktu is 1.9°C warmer than that mean.
From May to June, average highs rise by 0.2°C to 41.2°C, and monthly rainfall rises from 1.8 mm to 5.2 mm.
The annual picture
May 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
Timbuktu climate table
| Month | Average highHigh / low | Average low | Rainfall mm/month | Rain days ≥1 mm/day | Daylight hours/dayDaylight h/day |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 27.7°C13.7°C | 13.7°C | 0.9 | 0.1 | 11.211 h |
| February | 31.1°C15.9°C | 15.9°C | 0.1 | 0.0 | 11.612 h |
| March | 35.1°C19.3°C | 19.3°C | 0.2 | 0.1 | 12.012 h |
| April | 39.0°C23.3°C | 23.3°C | 0.2 | 0.1 | 12.513 h |
| May, selected | 40.9°C26.7°C | 26.7°C | 1.8 | 0.6 | 12.913 h |
| June | 41.2°C28.4°C | 28.4°C | 5.2 | 2.2 | 13.113 h |
| July | 38.5°C27.6°C | 27.6°C | 25 | 5.5 | 13.013 h |
| August | 36.5°C26.3°C | 26.3°C | 47 | 8.7 | 12.713 h |
| September | 38.4°C26.5°C | 26.5°C | 16 | 3.7 | 12.212 h |
| October | 38.0°C24.3°C | 24.3°C | 3.3 | 0.9 | 11.812 h |
| November | 33.7°C19.1°C | 19.1°C | 0.3 | 0.0 | 11.411 h |
| December | 29.3°C15.1°C | 15.1°C | 0.1 | 0.0 | 11.111 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
May in nearby cities
- Mopti in MayMali · 284 kmHigh 40.9°C · Low 28.4°C · 7.4 mm rain
- Gao in MayMali · 321 kmHigh 42.2°C · Low 27.4°C · 2.3 mm rain
- Ouahigouya in MayBurkina Faso · 361 kmHigh 40.0°C · Low 27.0°C · 14 mm rain
- San in MayMali · 437 kmHigh 39.6°C · Low 27.6°C · 20 mm rain
- Kaya in MayBurkina Faso · 459 kmHigh 39.1°C · Low 27.2°C · 14 mm rain
- Koudougou in MayBurkina Faso · 507 kmHigh 37.8°C · Low 26.9°C · 31 mm rain
- Ségou in MayMali · 509 kmHigh 39.4°C · Low 27.4°C · 16 mm rain
- Ouagadougou in MayBurkina Faso · 515 kmHigh 38.4°C · Low 27.2°C · 26 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 Timbuktu) is explained once on the Timbuktu year overview and on the Sources, method and limits page.