Climate averages 1991–2020
Dakar weather
in May.
A warm, very dry month: the 9th warmest and the 2nd driest of the year. Meets the pleasant-weather rule
Long-term climate patterns, not a forecast for a particular trip.
May is a warm month in Dakar: daytime highs average 26.2°C and nights cool to about 21.0°C. By daytime temperature it is the 9th warmest of the 12 months.
Rain is very rare: less than 1 mm falls in a typical May (the 2nd driest of the 12 months). Daylight, from sunrise to sunset, lasts about 12 h 48 min on an average May day.
The nearest other city in this atlas is Rufisque (19 km away). In May its highs average 28.5°C, 2.3°C warmer than Dakar, with almost no rain (under 1 mm).
Among the 16 cities listed in Senegal, Dakar ranks 16th of 16 for the warmest May highs and joint 3rd of 16 for the driest May (rainfall, lowest first). The mean May high of those 16 cities is 34.3°C; Dakar is 8.1°C cooler than that mean.
From May to June, average highs rise by 1.6°C to 27.7°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
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, selected | 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 | 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
May in nearby cities
- Rufisque in MaySenegal · 19 kmHigh 28.5°C · Low 20.9°C · 0.1 mm rain
- Thiès Nones in MaySenegal · 52 kmHigh 31.1°C · Low 20.1°C · 0.1 mm rain
- Thiès in MaySenegal · 57 kmHigh 33.1°C · Low 19.8°C · 0.1 mm rain
- Mbour in MaySenegal · 60 kmHigh 31.3°C · Low 20.6°C · 0.1 mm rain
- Tivaouane in MaySenegal · 73 kmHigh 30.6°C · Low 19.7°C · 0.1 mm rain
- Diourbel in MaySenegal · 129 kmHigh 37.0°C · Low 20.7°C · 0.2 mm rain
- Kaolack in MaySenegal · 160 kmHigh 37.0°C · Low 21.6°C · 0.4 mm rain
- Serekunda in MayGambia · 162 kmHigh 28.1°C · Low 22.2°C · 0.8 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.