Climate averages 1991–2020
Nouakchott weather
in May.
A hot, very dry month: the 4th warmest and one of the driest of the year.
Long-term climate patterns, not a forecast for a particular trip.
May is a hot month in Nouakchott: daytime highs average 33.1°C and nights cool to about 21.5°C. By daytime temperature it is the 4th warmest of the 12 months.
Rain is very rare: less than 1 mm falls in a typical May (one of the driest months of the year). Daylight, from sunrise to sunset, lasts about 12 h 58 min on an average May day.
The nearest other city in this atlas is Richard-Toll (183 km away). In May its highs average 39.2°C, 6.0°C warmer than Nouakchott, with almost no rain (under 1 mm).
Among the 2 cities listed in Mauritania, Nouakchott ranks 1st of 2 for the warmest May highs and 1st of 2 for the driest May (rainfall, lowest first). The mean May high of those 2 cities is 28.5°C; Nouakchott is 4.6°C warmer than that mean.
From May to June, average highs rise by 0.7°C to 33.8°C, and monthly rainfall stays under 1 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
Nouakchott climate table
| Month | Average highHigh / low | Average low | Rainfall mm/month | Rain days ≥1 mm/day | Daylight hours/dayDaylight h/day |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 26.6°C15.8°C | 15.8°C | 2.2 | 0.3 | 11.211 h |
| February | 28.4°C17.1°C | 17.1°C | 0.9 | 0.3 | 11.512 h |
| March | 30.5°C18.4°C | 18.4°C | 0.3 | 0.1 | 12.012 h |
| April | 31.7°C19.7°C | 19.7°C | 0.1 | 0.0 | 12.513 h |
| May, selected | 33.1°C21.5°C | 21.5°C | 0.1 | 0.0 | 13.013 h |
| June | 33.8°C23.0°C | 23.0°C | 0.3 | 0.0 | 13.213 h |
| July | 30.9°C23.5°C | 23.5°C | 1.6 | 0.4 | 13.113 h |
| August | 31.7°C24.9°C | 24.9°C | 13 | 2.4 | 12.713 h |
| September | 33.7°C25.6°C | 25.6°C | 18 | 2.8 | 12.312 h |
| October | 34.7°C24.3°C | 24.3°C | 6.4 | 1.1 | 11.712 h |
| November | 31.7°C20.8°C | 20.8°C | 1.1 | 0.2 | 11.311 h |
| December | 28.0°C17.6°C | 17.6°C | 4.0 | 0.3 | 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
- Richard-Toll in MaySenegal · 183 kmHigh 39.2°C · Low 22.6°C · 0.4 mm rain
- Saint-Louis in MaySenegal · 236 kmHigh 28.1°C · Low 20.5°C · 0 mm rain
- Louga in MaySenegal · 276 kmHigh 35.8°C · Low 20.6°C · 0 mm rain
- Nouadhibou in MayMauritania · 336 kmHigh 23.8°C · Low 17.8°C · 0.4 mm rain
- Touba in MaySenegal · 359 kmHigh 37.7°C · Low 20.6°C · 0.2 mm rain
- Tivaouane in MaySenegal · 360 kmHigh 30.6°C · Low 19.7°C · 0.1 mm rain
- Mbaké in MaySenegal · 367 kmHigh 37.6°C · Low 20.6°C · 0.2 mm rain
- Thiès in MaySenegal · 380 kmHigh 33.1°C · Low 19.8°C · 0.1 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 Nouakchott) is explained once on the Nouakchott year overview and on the Sources, method and limits page.