Abomey-Calavi in Winter

In winter (December, January and February), Abomey-Calavi sees average daytime highs around 31°C and overnight lows near 25°C, with 95 mm of rain over about 26 wet days across the season. It is the 2nd-warmest season and the driest season of the year.

Across winter, daytime highs hold fairly steady around 31°C. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 45% of the time across winter, and the air most often feels miserable.

Winter is Abomey-Calavi's best season of the year to visit on our travel score. Abomey-Calavi has little temperature swing across the year, so its calendar seasons blur — the season framing matters less here than for a place with four distinct seasons. For the whole year in context, see Abomey-Calavi's year-round climate.

Avg daytime high
31°C
2nd-warmest season
Avg overnight low
25°C
Rainfall
95 mm
26 wet days
Avg wind
10 km/h
Travel score
4.9
best season of the year
Months
Dec · Jan · Feb

Temperature in Abomey-Calavi in Winter

Average highAverage lowShaded bands: 10–90% of days

Across winter, daytime highs hold fairly steady around 31°C.

A typical winter day in Abomey-Calavi reaches about 31°C and drops to 25°C overnight. The warmest of the three months is February, the coolest January.

20°25°30°35°DecJanFeb

How winter really feels in Abomey-Calavi

Once humidity and wind are folded in, winter brings about 90 days that feel above 32°C and 0 that feel at or below 0°C.

Days feeling ≥ 32°C
90
heat index over the day's high
Days feeling ≤ C
0
wind chill below the day's low

The story in winter is heat — humidity pushes the afternoon "feels like" well above the raw temperature.

Abomey-Calavi weather by month

How the three winter months (December, January and February) compare with the rest of the year — the season's months are highlighted.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan30° / 25°257.811.75.2
Feb31° / 26°379.411.84.5
Mar31° / 26°6615.7123.8
Apr31° / 26°9117.612.13.6
May30° / 25°16624.612.33.2
Jun28° / 24°21525.712.43.5
Jul27° / 24°1262112.34.6
Aug27° / 23°961712.25.1
Sep28° / 24°14122.7124.1
Oct29° / 24°15025.211.93.6
Nov30° / 25°741911.73.9
Dec30° / 25°339.211.65.1

Cloud cover in Winter

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 45% of the time across winter.

0%25%50%75%100%DecJanFeb

Chance of precipitation in Winter

Any precipitation

Abomey-Calavi gets around 95 mm of rain over 26 wet days across winter. The line is the day-by-day chance of measurable precipitation.

0%20%40%60%DecJanFeb

Humidity in Winter

DryComfortableHumidMuggyOppressiveMiserable

Most of winter feels miserable — the stacked bands show each day's mix of comfort levels, read off the dew point.

0%25%50%75%100%DecJanFeb

Wind in Winter

Winds average 10 km/h across winter.

051015DecJanFeb

Sunrise & sunset in Winter

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 11 h 42 min in early December to 11 h 54 min by late February. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AMDecJanFeb

Solar energy in Winter

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day across winter, about 5.3 kWh/m².

0246DecJanFeb
Planning a trip in winter

Hazard calendar for Abomey-Calavi

In seasonPeak

In winter, Abomey-Calavi overlaps its dust season. The full year is below, with each hazard's peak months called out.

Abomey-Calavi sees seasonal dust haze (January–April), heaviest in February.

Dust
Jan
Feb
Mar
Apr
May
Jun
Jul
Aug
Sep
Oct
Nov
Dec

Is winter a good time to visit Abomey-Calavi?

Our two travel scores rate winter for general sightseeing and for beach or pool weather — 0 (poor) to 10 (ideal), averaged across the three months.

4.9
Sightseeing
1st-best month of the year
7.0
Beach & pool
1st-best month of the year

winter is a reasonable time to visit Abomey-Calavi for sightseeing. The water and warmth also suit a beach or pool day.

What to pack for Abomey-Calavi in Winter

From winter's temperature range, rain chance, sun and wind — what's worth putting in the bag.

In winter, Abomey-Calavi sees daytime highs around 31°C and nights near 25°C. Pack light clothes. Worth having: rain gear and sun protection. About 26 days see rain.

light clothesrain gearsun protection

Sea temperature near Abomey-Calavi in Winter

The nearest coast averages about 28°C across winter — the other half of the beach question. The full-year curve and swim-comfort zones are below.

The sea offshore is warmest in May at about 29°C and coldest in August near 25°C.

The water stays above 20°C all year — warm enough for a swim any month.

24°26°28°30°JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecrefreshingwarmtropicalcomfortable to swim
Sea temperature (°C)Comfort
Jan28Warm
Feb28Tropical
Mar29Tropical
Apr29Tropical
May29Tropical
Jun28Warm
Jul26Warm
Aug25Warm
Sep26Warm
Oct27Warm
Nov29Tropical
Dec28Tropical

UV index in Abomey-Calavi in Winter

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV across winter averages around 9 (very high — sun protection essential). The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.

Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Abomey-Calavi peaks around April 10 at about 13 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near December 17 at about 8 (very high).

The index reaches 3 or more — the level where the WHO recommends sun protection — every month of the year.

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecVery highExtremeExtremeVery highApr 10UV 13Dec 17UV 8
UV index (midday)Level
Jan9Very high
Feb10Very high
Mar13Extreme
Apr13Extreme
May11Extreme
Jun11Extreme
Jul10Extreme
Aug10Very high
Sep12Extreme
Oct12Extreme
Nov9Very high
Dec8Very high

Air quality in Abomey-Calavi in Winter

GoodModeratePoorUnhealthyVery unhealthy

Average fine-particle pollution (PM2.5) through the year — so you can see where winter falls, not just the annual average.

Air quality in Abomey-Calavi is worst in January — around 102 µg/m³ PM2.5 (unhealthy), about 4.2× the cleanest month (August, 25 µg/m³).

Modeled monthly averages (CAMS reanalysis, 2015–2024).

0306090120JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecUnhealthyPoorModeratePoorUnhealthyJan 16100 µg/m³Aug 1425 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan102Unhealthy
Feb86Unhealthy
Mar47Poor
Apr44Poor
May33Moderate
Jun30Moderate
Jul27Moderate
Aug25Moderate
Sep29Moderate
Oct39Poor
Nov46Poor
Dec89Unhealthy
Location & terrain

Where is Abomey-Calavi?

Abomey-Calavi sits at 6.4°N, 2.4°E, 11 m above sea level, in Benin. The nearest listed city is Ganvié, 4.0 km away.

Topography around Abomey-Calavi

How much the land rises and falls, and what covers it, within 3, 16 and 80 km of Abomey-Calavi.

Within 3 km, the terrain around Abomey-Calavi has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 32 m around an average of 11 m above sea level; within 16 km, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 60 m; within 80 km, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 184 m.

The land around Abomey-Calavi is covered by artificial surfaces (49%) and water (32%) within 3 km, artificial surfaces (28%) and water (28%) within 16 km, and trees (38%) and water (32%) within 80 km.

3 km
32 m
16 km
60 m
80 km
184 m
treesshrubsgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwaterwetland
Winter weather nearby: Ganvié 4.0 km · Godomè 7.0 km · Cotonou 12 km · Zinvié 19 km · Ekpé 21 km · Porto-Novo 28 km · Missérété 29 km · Semi 30 km

Benin travel facts

Travel advisory
Level 2
Exercise Increased Caution
Power plugs
Type C / E
220 V · 50 Hz
Prices
≈ 34% of US
price level, 2025
GDP per capita
$1,658
2025
Happiness
4.4 / 10
World Happiness, 2025
Safe drinking water
18%
of population, 2024
Homicide rate
1.1
per 100k, 2017
Road deaths
26.8
per 100k/yr, 2019
Income group
Lower middle
World Bank
English
Very low
EF EPI 406
Religion
Muslim 28%Roman Catholic 26%Protestant 14%Vodoun 12%

Sources: World Bank, US State Department, World Happiness Report, WHO/UNICEF, EF EPI, CIA World Factbook.

Data sources

Temperature, precipitation, cloud, humidity, wind and solar figures are a 1991–2020 climatology for Abomey-Calavi (6.4485°, 2.3557°, elevation 11 m), computed from hourly ERA5 reanalysis — contains modified Copernicus Climate Change Service information. Sun figures are astronomical calculations, not observations. City data © GeoNames, CC BY 4.0. Map outlines from Natural Earth (public domain); interactive map © Google.