Ouagadougou climate
Ouagadougou (Burkina Faso) has a hot semi-arid climate (Köppen BSh). The average temperature over the year is 28 °C82 °F, and about 818 mm32 in of precipitation falls in an average year.
Temperature by month
Precipitation by month
Ouagadougou climate table
| Month | High °C°F | Low °C°F | Mean °C°F | Precip. mmin |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 3289 | 1457 | 2373 | 10.0 |
| Feb | 3696 | 1864 | 2780 | 10.1 |
| Mar | 39102 | 2271 | 3086 | 30.1 |
| Apr | 40103 | 2577 | 3290 | 261.0 |
| May | 38101 | 2679 | 3290 | 632.5 |
| Jun | 3595 | 2476 | 3086 | 1074.2 |
| Jul | 3290 | 2373 | 2781 | 1787.0 |
| Aug | 3187 | 2272 | 2679 | 2459.6 |
| Sep | 3189 | 2271 | 2780 | 1475.8 |
| Oct | 3493 | 2170 | 2882 | 441.8 |
| Nov | 3494 | 1763 | 2679 | 10.0 |
| Dec | 3290 | 1458 | 2374 | 00.0 |
| Year | 40103 | 1457 | 2882 | 81832 |
“Year” row: highest monthly high, lowest monthly low, annual mean and annual total.
| Month | Humid. | Cloud | Solar | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 24% | 27% | 5.6 | 11:28 |
| Feb | 20% | 29% | 5.9 | 11:43 |
| Mar | 21% | 62% | 6.2 | 12:02 |
| Apr | 36% | 68% | 6.3 | 12:24 |
| May | 50% | 72% | 6.2 | 12:41 |
| Jun | 61% | 66% | 5.9 | 12:51 |
| Jul | 73% | 72% | 5.7 | 12:47 |
| Aug | 80% | 77% | 5.4 | 12:32 |
| Sep | 79% | 55% | 5.8 | 12:11 |
| Oct | 68% | 39% | 6.0 | 11:50 |
| Nov | 45% | 27% | 5.8 | 11:32 |
| Dec | 33% | 23% | 5.5 | 11:24 |
Humid. = average relative humidity at 2 m; cloud = average cloud amount; solar = average daily solar energy reaching the ground in kWh/m² (all-sky); daylight in hours:minutes, calculated for the 15th of each month.
What the climate of Ouagadougou is like
The warmest month is April, with an average high of 40 °C103 °F and a low of 25 °C77 °F. The coldest is January, when highs average 32 °C89 °F and lows 14 °C57 °F. There is a clear seasonal cycle, with 9.4 °C17 °F between the average temperature of the warmest and the coolest month.
Annual precipitation is moderate at about 818 mm32 in. The wettest three-month stretch is July–September, which brings 70% of the annual total. Months with less than 20 mm0.8 in on average: November–March. The wettest month is August (245 mm9.6 in), the driest is December (0 mm0.0 in).
Relative humidity ranges from 20% in February to 80% in August. The clearest skies (lowest average cloud amount, 23%) are typical of December. Average wind speed near the ground ranges from 3 km/h (2 mph) in September to 8 km/h (5 mph) in May. Daylight lasts from about 11.4 hours in December to 12.8 hours in June.
Best time to visit Ouagadougou
Based on these averages, the most comfortable months for sightseeing and outdoor activities are December and January: average highs of 32 °C89 °F to 32 °C90 °F with 0 mm0.0 in to 1 mm0.0 in of precipitation per month.
The most challenging month is August, which is hot, with average highs of 31 °C87 °F, very wet (245 mm9.6 in) and humid (80% relative humidity).
Comfort score: months are ranked by how close they come to an average high of 21–28 °C (70–82 °F), lows above 5 °C (41 °F), little precipitation and moderate humidity. The best-ranked months of each place are recommended, even where none meets all of these. These are general rules of thumb applied to long-term averages.
Ouagadougou weather by month
- January32 °C89 °F / 14 °C57 °F
- February36 °C96 °F / 18 °C64 °F
- March39 °C102 °F / 22 °C71 °F
- April40 °C103 °F / 25 °C77 °F
- May38 °C101 °F / 26 °C79 °F
- June35 °C95 °F / 24 °C76 °F
- July32 °C90 °F / 23 °C73 °F
- August31 °C87 °F / 22 °C72 °F
- September31 °C89 °F / 22 °C71 °F
- October34 °C93 °F / 21 °C70 °F
- November34 °C94 °F / 17 °C63 °F
- December32 °C90 °F / 14 °C58 °F
What to pack for Ouagadougou
- Wetter months (June–September) — highs 3187 to 35 °C95 °F, lows 2271 to 24 °C76 °F, about 169 mm6.7 in of precipitation a month. Pack very light, breathable clothing, a sun hat and plenty of water and an umbrella or light rain jacket.
- Drier months (October–May) — highs 3289 to 40 °C103 °F, lows 1457 to 26 °C79 °F, about 18 mm0.7 in of precipitation a month. Pack very light, breathable clothing, a sun hat and plenty of water.
How Ouagadougou compares
Of the 6 places in Burkina Faso covered by World Climates, Ouagadougou is the 3rd warmest by annual mean temperature and the 4th wettest by annual precipitation. See all of them on the Burkina Faso climate page.
Places in other countries with the most similar temperature and rainfall pattern: Koutiala (Mali, Aw), Birnin Kebbi (Nigeria, BSh) and Bamako (Mali, Aw).
The same NASA POWER grid cell also contains Saaba (pop. 136,011). Their long-term averages in this dataset are essentially the same as for Ouagadougou, so they do not have separate pages.
Nearby places
- Koudougou 91 km · 28 °C82 °F · 900 mm35 in
- Kaya 94 km · 27 °C81 °F · 783 mm31 in
- Ouahigouya 165 km · 28 °C83 °F · 738 mm29 in
- Bobo-Dioulasso 328 km · 26 °C80 °F · 1,115 mm44 in
- Tamale 338 km · 27 °C81 °F · 1,075 mm42 in
- Mopti 371 km · 29 °C84 °F · 595 mm23 in
- San 379 km · 28 °C82 °F · 759 mm30 in
- Banfora 400 km · 27 °C81 °F · 1,213 mm48 in
Frequently asked questions
What is the warmest month in Ouagadougou?
April is the warmest month in Ouagadougou, with an average high of 40 °C (103 °F) and an average low of 25 °C (77 °F).
What is the coldest month in Ouagadougou?
January is the coldest month, with an average high of 32 °C (89 °F) and an average low of 14 °C (57 °F).
When does it rain the most in Ouagadougou?
August is the wettest month with about 245 mm (9.6 in) of precipitation; December is the driest with about 0 mm (0.0 in).
What is the best time to visit Ouagadougou?
Judging by long-term averages, the most comfortable months are December and January.
About this data
All figures are 25-year averages (January 2001 – December 2025) from the NASA POWER project. Temperature, humidity, wind and precipitation come from the MERRA-2 reanalysis (precipitation is the bias-corrected MERRA-2 product), cloud and solar values from CERES satellite data. They describe a grid cell of roughly 50–70 km, not a single weather station, so they can differ from airport records — most of all on coasts, in mountains and for rainfall. Average highs and lows are the monthly mean temperature plus/minus half of the average daily temperature range. Counts of rainy days are not part of this dataset.