Parakou climate
Parakou (Benin) has a tropical savanna (dry winter) climate (Köppen Aw). The average temperature over the year is 26 °C79 °F, and about 1,097 mm43 in of precipitation falls in an average year.
Temperature by month
Precipitation by month
Parakou climate table
| Month | High °C°F | Low °C°F | Mean °C°F | Precip. mmin |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 3392 | 1762 | 2577 | 50.2 |
| Feb | 3696 | 2068 | 2882 | 90.4 |
| Mar | 3697 | 2272 | 2985 | 331.3 |
| Apr | 3493 | 2373 | 2983 | 763.0 |
| May | 3290 | 2373 | 2781 | 1164.6 |
| Jun | 3086 | 2271 | 2679 | 1405.5 |
| Jul | 2983 | 2170 | 2577 | 1766.9 |
| Aug | 2882 | 2170 | 2476 | 2118.3 |
| Sep | 2883 | 2170 | 2577 | 2068.1 |
| Oct | 3086 | 2170 | 2578 | 1124.4 |
| Nov | 3290 | 1966 | 2678 | 110.4 |
| Dec | 3391 | 1762 | 2576 | 20.1 |
| Year | 3697 | 1762 | 2679 | 1,09743 |
“Year” row: highest monthly high, lowest monthly low, annual mean and annual total.
| Month | Humid. | Cloud | Solar | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 41% | 26% | 5.2 | 11:38 |
| Feb | 42% | 37% | 5.4 | 11:49 |
| Mar | 54% | 56% | 5.8 | 12:03 |
| Apr | 68% | 66% | 5.8 | 12:19 |
| May | 76% | 68% | 5.6 | 12:33 |
| Jun | 80% | 67% | 5.1 | 12:40 |
| Jul | 84% | 77% | 4.5 | 12:37 |
| Aug | 86% | 81% | 4.3 | 12:25 |
| Sep | 86% | 76% | 4.7 | 12:10 |
| Oct | 81% | 60% | 5.2 | 11:54 |
| Nov | 65% | 33% | 5.5 | 11:41 |
| Dec | 49% | 22% | 5.3 | 11:35 |
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 Parakou is like
The warmest month is March, with an average high of 36 °C97 °F and a low of 22 °C72 °F. The coldest is August, when highs average 28 °C82 °F and lows 21 °C70 °F. Seasonal differences are small — just 4.9 °C8.7 °F between the warmest and the coolest month.
It is wet, with about 1,097 mm43 in of precipitation per year. The wettest three-month stretch is July–September, which brings 54% of the annual total. Months with less than 20 mm0.8 in on average: November–February. The wettest month is August (211 mm8.3 in), the driest is December (2 mm0.1 in).
Relative humidity ranges from 41% in January to 86% in August. The clearest skies (lowest average cloud amount, 22%) are typical of December. Average wind speed near the ground ranges from 5 km/h (3 mph) in October to 8 km/h (5 mph) in January. Daylight lasts from about 11.6 hours in December to 12.7 hours in June.
Best time to visit Parakou
Based on these averages, the most comfortable months for sightseeing and outdoor activities are November–January: average highs of 32 °C90 °F to 33 °C92 °F with 2 mm0.1 in to 11 mm0.4 in of precipitation per month.
The most challenging month is September, which is very wet (206 mm8.1 in) and humid (86% 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.
What to pack for Parakou
- Wetter months (May–October) — highs 2882 to 32 °C90 °F, lows 2170 to 23 °C73 °F, about 160 mm6.3 in of precipitation a month. Pack light summer clothes such as T-shirts, shorts or light dresses and an umbrella or light rain jacket.
- Drier months (November–April) — highs 3290 to 36 °C97 °F, lows 1762 to 23 °C73 °F, about 23 mm0.9 in of precipitation a month. Pack very light, breathable clothing, a sun hat and plenty of water.
How Parakou compares
Compared with Oyo, about 218 km to the southeast, Parakou is on average 1.1 °C1.9 °F warmer and receives 28% less precipitation (1,097 mm43 in vs 1,517 mm60 in). The difference is largest in March (2.8 °C5 °F warmer).
Of the 3 places in Benin covered by World Climates, Parakou is the 2nd warmest by annual mean temperature and the 3rd wettest by annual precipitation. See all of them on the Benin climate page.
Places in other countries with the most similar temperature and rainfall pattern: Kara (Togo, Aw), Kisi (Nigeria, Aw) and Sokodé (Togo, Aw).
Nearby places
- Saki 112 km · 24 °C76 °F · 1,312 mm52 in
- Igboho 136 km · 26 °C78 °F · 1,058 mm42 in
- Kisi 137 km · 26 °C79 °F · 1,058 mm42 in
- Kara 160 km · 27 °C80 °F · 1,157 mm46 in
- Sokodé 169 km · 26 °C78 °F · 1,265 mm50 in
- Oyo 218 km · 25 °C77 °F · 1,517 mm60 in
- Ogbomoso 222 km · 25 °C77 °F · 1,497 mm59 in
- Ilorin 230 km · 26 °C78 °F · 1,226 mm48 in
Frequently asked questions
What is the warmest month in Parakou?
March is the warmest month in Parakou, with an average high of 36 °C (97 °F) and an average low of 22 °C (72 °F).
What is the coldest month in Parakou?
August is the coldest month, with an average high of 28 °C (82 °F) and an average low of 21 °C (70 °F).
When does it rain the most in Parakou?
August is the wettest month with about 211 mm (8.3 in) of precipitation; December is the driest with about 2 mm (0.1 in).
What is the best time to visit Parakou?
Judging by long-term averages, the most comfortable months are November–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.