Senegal - Climate - Unmask Africa

Climate

Source: https://www.climatestotravel.com/

The climate of Senegal is tropical, with a long dry season (which runs roughly from mid-October to mid-June in the north, and from early November to mid-May in the south) and a rainy season (approximately, from late June to early October in the north, and from late May to late October in the south) due to the African monsoon, which in summer arrives from the south; hence, in the south (zone 2 in the map) the annual rainfall is more abundant and is between 600 and 1,500 millimeters (23.5 and 60 inches) per year, while in the north and the center (zone 1), which is part of the Sahel, the rainfall is below 600 mm (23.5 in).

Consequently, the landscape varies considerably, in fact, it is semi-desert in the north, while the south is occupied by the savanna, and also by gallery forests along the rivers.
In the dry season, a dry north-eastern wind, called Harmattan, capable of filling the air with dust from the desert, often blows throughout the country. In the coolest months, December and January, the daytime temperature ranges between 32 °C and 34 °C (90 °F and 93 °F) in inland areas, while it is a bit less hot on the coast, and much cooler in Dakar, around 25 °C (77 °F). Sometimes, it can get a bit cool at night across the country, with temperatures below 15 °C (59 °F), while at other times, it can get very hot during the day, with highs around 35 °C (95 °F) in Dakar and 40 °C (104 °F) in the interior.
By February, the temperature begins to rise, and reaches its highest levels from April to early June, before the arrival of the monsoon. In the interior, highs are normally around 38 °C (100 °F) in the south and 40 °C (104 °F) in the north, while the coast is definitely more temperate, especially in Dakar, where the average maximum is still around 26 °C (79 °F) in May. Heat spikes are noticeable: around 45 °C (113 °F) in inland areas, and up to 47/48 °C (117/118 °F) in the north-east (see Matam).
The rainy season is known as hivernage (“wintering”), but despite the name it’s a hot and humid period, especially in the south, while in the north, moist and rainy days alternate with hot and dry days. Roughly from June to October, in the monsoon season, the temperature drops by a few degrees, but at the same time, moisture increases. The rains occur in the form of showers in the north and the center, while they are more persistent in the south, where the sky is often cloudy: in August, the wettest month, there are only 3 hours of sunshine per day in Ziguinchor and as high as 9 hours in Matam.
In the northernmost region of Saint-Louis, where the Djoudj National Bird Sanctuary is located, and in the cities that rise along the Senegal river, such as Richard-Toll and Podor, precipitation amounts to only 240/350 mm (9.5/13.5 in) per year; in Dakar, in the center, it amounts to 515 mm (20 in) per year, while in the south, it reaches 1,600 mm (63 in). The temperatures are different as well: the monsoon lowers the daytime temperatures to 29/30 °C (84/86 °F) in the south, while in the north, they remain higher, around 35 °C (95 °F).
At the end of the rainy season, between October and November, the temperature increases again, reaching 37/38 °C (99/100 °F) in the center-north; this phenomenon is much less evident in the south. In Dakar, which is a world apart compared with the rest of the country, the trend is very different: the temperature rises gradually until it reaches about 30 °C (86 °F) during the warmest months, which are September and October.