Ziguinchor climate
Ziguinchor (Senegal) has a tropical savanna (dry winter) climate (Köppen Aw). The average temperature over the year is 27 °C80 °F, and about 1,340 mm53 in of precipitation falls in an average year.
Temperature by month
Precipitation by month
Ziguinchor climate table
| Month | High °C°F | Low °C°F | Mean °C°F | Precip. mmin |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 3189 | 1660 | 2474 | 10.0 |
| Feb | 3494 | 1763 | 2679 | 00.0 |
| Mar | 3799 | 1966 | 2882 | 150.6 |
| Apr | 38100 | 2068 | 2984 | 20.1 |
| May | 3799 | 2271 | 2985 | 90.4 |
| Jun | 3493 | 2474 | 2983 | 1084.2 |
| Jul | 3085 | 2475 | 2780 | 31212 |
| Aug | 2983 | 2475 | 2679 | 43817 |
| Sep | 2984 | 2475 | 2679 | 31512 |
| Oct | 3085 | 2475 | 2780 | 1335.3 |
| Nov | 3086 | 2170 | 2678 | 70.3 |
| Dec | 3086 | 1763 | 2374 | 00.0 |
| Year | 38100 | 1660 | 2780 | 1,34053 |
“Year” row: highest monthly high, lowest monthly low, annual mean and annual total.
| Month | Humid. | Cloud | Solar | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 48% | 36% | 5.4 | 11:28 |
| Feb | 41% | 32% | 5.9 | 11:43 |
| Mar | 44% | 23% | 6.6 | 12:02 |
| Apr | 48% | 28% | 6.8 | 12:24 |
| May | 54% | 37% | 6.5 | 12:42 |
| Jun | 70% | 55% | 5.7 | 12:52 |
| Jul | 85% | 74% | 4.9 | 12:48 |
| Aug | 90% | 78% | 4.7 | 12:32 |
| Sep | 90% | 72% | 5.0 | 12:11 |
| Oct | 87% | 48% | 5.4 | 11:50 |
| Nov | 76% | 39% | 5.3 | 11:32 |
| Dec | 63% | 39% | 5.1 | 11:23 |
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 Ziguinchor is like
The warmest month is May, with an average high of 37 °C99 °F and a low of 22 °C71 °F. The coldest is December, when highs average 30 °C86 °F and lows 17 °C63 °F. Seasonal differences are small — just 6 °C10.8 °F between the warmest and the coolest month.
It is wet, with about 1,340 mm53 in of precipitation per year. The wettest three-month stretch is July–September, which brings 79% of the annual total. Months with less than 20 mm0.8 in on average: November–May. The wettest month is August (438 mm17 in), the driest is December (0 mm0.0 in).
Relative humidity ranges from 41% in February to 90% in September. The clearest skies (lowest average cloud amount, 23%) are typical of March. Average wind speed near the ground ranges from 3 km/h (2 mph) in October to 5 km/h (3 mph) in May. Daylight lasts from about 11.4 hours in December to 12.9 hours in June.
Best time to visit Ziguinchor
Based on these averages, the most comfortable months for sightseeing and outdoor activities are November and December: average highs of 30 °C86 °F to 30 °C86 °F with 0 mm0.0 in to 7 mm0.3 in of precipitation per month.
The most challenging month is August, which is very wet (438 mm17 in) and humid (90% 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 Ziguinchor
- Wetter months (July–October) — highs 2983 to 30 °C85 °F, lows around 24 °C75 °F, about 300 mm12 in of precipitation a month. Pack light summer clothes such as T-shirts, shorts or light dresses and a good rain jacket or umbrella and quick-drying shoes.
- Drier months (November–June) — highs 3086 to 38 °C100 °F, lows 1660 to 24 °C74 °F, about 18 mm0.7 in of precipitation a month. Pack very light, breathable clothing, a sun hat and plenty of water.
How Ziguinchor compares
Compared with Serekunda, about 106 km to the northwest, Ziguinchor is on average 1.4 °C2.4 °F warmer and receives 62% more precipitation (1,340 mm53 in vs 829 mm33 in). The difference is largest in April (6.2 °C11.1 °F warmer).
Of the 12 places in Senegal covered by World Climates, Ziguinchor is the 7th warmest by annual mean temperature and the wettest by annual precipitation. See all of them on the Senegal climate page.
Places in other countries with the most similar temperature and rainfall pattern: Bissau (Guinea-Bissau, Aw), Malegaon (India, Aw) and Virar (India, Aw).
Nearby places
- Serekunda 106 km · 25 °C77 °F · 829 mm33 in
- Bissau 107 km · 27 °C80 °F · 1,556 mm61 in
- Kolda 149 km · 28 °C82 °F · 1,093 mm43 in
- Kaolack 177 km · 27 °C81 °F · 725 mm29 in
- Mbour 219 km · 26 °C79 °F · 558 mm22 in
- Diourbel 231 km · 28 °C82 °F · 636 mm25 in
- Thiès 257 km · 25 °C78 °F · 535 mm21 in
- Touba 259 km · 28 °C83 °F · 553 mm22 in
Frequently asked questions
What is the warmest month in Ziguinchor?
May is the warmest month in Ziguinchor, with an average high of 37 °C (99 °F) and an average low of 22 °C (71 °F).
What is the coldest month in Ziguinchor?
December is the coldest month, with an average high of 30 °C (86 °F) and an average low of 17 °C (63 °F).
When does it rain the most in Ziguinchor?
August is the wettest month with about 438 mm (17.2 in) of precipitation; December is the driest with about 0 mm (0.0 in).
What is the best time to visit Ziguinchor?
Judging by long-term averages, the most comfortable months are November and December.
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.