Climate averages 1991–2020
Dakar weather
in December.
A hot, very dry month: the 6th warmest and the 5th driest of the year. Meets the pleasant-weather rule
Long-term climate patterns, not a forecast for a particular trip.
December is a hot month in Dakar: daytime highs average 28.1°C and nights cool to about 21.7°C. By daytime temperature it is the 6th warmest of the 12 months.
Rain is very rare: less than 1 mm falls in a typical December (the 5th driest of the 12 months). Daylight, from sunrise to sunset, lasts about 11 h 16 min on an average December day.
The nearest other city in this atlas is Rufisque (19 km away). In December its highs average 30.4°C, 2.3°C warmer than Dakar, with 1.0 mm of rain.
Among the 16 cities listed in Senegal, Dakar ranks 16th of 16 for the warmest December highs and 1st of 16 for the driest December (rainfall, lowest first). The mean December high of those 16 cities is 31.9°C; Dakar is 3.8°C cooler than that mean.
From December to January, average highs fall by 1.8°C to 26.3°C, and monthly rainfall rises from under 1 mm to 2.2 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
Dakar climate table
| Month | Average highHigh / low | Average low | Rainfall mm/month | Rain days ≥1 mm/day | Daylight hours/dayDaylight h/day |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 26.3°C19.7°C | 19.7°C | 2.2 | 0.2 | 11.411 h |
| February | 25.9°C19.5°C | 19.5°C | 0.7 | 0.1 | 11.712 h |
| March | 25.9°C19.6°C | 19.6°C | 0.3 | 0.0 | 12.012 h |
| April | 25.3°C19.8°C | 19.8°C | 0 | 0.0 | 12.512 h |
| May | 26.2°C21.0°C | 21.0°C | 0.1 | 0.0 | 12.813 h |
| June | 27.7°C23.1°C | 23.1°C | 0.7 | 0.2 | 13.013 h |
| July | 28.8°C24.9°C | 24.9°C | 27 | 4.4 | 12.913 h |
| August | 28.8°C25.6°C | 25.6°C | 124 | 11.6 | 12.613 h |
| September | 29.2°C25.8°C | 25.8°C | 82 | 9.8 | 12.212 h |
| October | 30.2°C25.9°C | 25.9°C | 22 | 2.6 | 11.812 h |
| November | 30.1°C24.3°C | 24.3°C | 0.3 | 0.0 | 11.511 h |
| December, selected | 28.1°C21.7°C | 21.7°C | 0.6 | 0.2 | 11.311 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
- Rufisque in DecemberSenegal · 19 kmHigh 30.4°C · Low 21.0°C · 1.0 mm rain
- Thiès Nones in DecemberSenegal · 52 kmHigh 31.3°C · Low 19.4°C · 1.4 mm rain
- Thiès in DecemberSenegal · 57 kmHigh 32.3°C · Low 18.7°C · 1.4 mm rain
- Mbour in DecemberSenegal · 60 kmHigh 31.3°C · Low 20.0°C · 1.2 mm rain
- Tivaouane in DecemberSenegal · 73 kmHigh 31.1°C · Low 18.8°C · 1.7 mm rain
- Diourbel in DecemberSenegal · 129 kmHigh 32.8°C · Low 18.9°C · 1.8 mm rain
- Kaolack in DecemberSenegal · 160 kmHigh 32.8°C · Low 19.2°C · 2.1 mm rain
- Serekunda in DecemberGambia · 162 kmHigh 29.4°C · Low 21.9°C · 0.9 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 Dakar) is explained once on the Dakar year overview and on the Sources, method and limits page.