Climate - Senegal

The local climate is tropical with well-defined dry and humid seasons that result from northeast winter winds and southwest summer winds. Dakar's annual rainfall of about 600 mm occurs between June and October when maximum temperatures average 27 °C; December to February minimum temperatures are about 17 °C. The dry season runs from December through to April with cool trade winds in coastal areas. Throughout the rest of the year, a hot monsoon wind blows from the south bringing the rainy season and hot, humid weather. Interior temperatures can be substantially higher than along the coast, and rainfall increases substantially farther south, exceeding 1,500 mm annually in some areas. The far interior of the country, particularly on the border of Mali, temperatures can reach as high as 45 °C in summer. The best period to travel to Senegal is northern hemisphere winter, when the climate is mild to warm and the touristic activities are more enjoyable.