Cotonou weather in October

In October, Cotonou sees average daytime highs of 27°C and overnight lows near 26°C, with 110 mm of rain across 20.2 wet days and about 11.9 hours of daylight. It is the 9th-warmest and 4th-wettest month of the year here.

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 27°C through the month. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 22% of the time in October, and the air most often feels oppressive.

Daylight stretches from about 11 h 54 min at the start of October to 11 h 48 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, October is Cotonou's 6th-clearest and 10th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Cotonou's year-round climate.

Daytime high
27°
9th warmest
Overnight low
26°
5th coldest
Rainfall
110 mm
20.2 wet days
Daylight
11 h 54 min
6:40 AM – 6:31 PM
Cloud cover
65%
6th clearest
Wind
16 km/h
10th windiest
Solar energy
4.9 kWh/m²
Travel score
5.0
out of 10

Cotonou is city in Benin, seat of the government.

Density
8,595/km²
people per km²

Air quality: WHO Ambient Air Quality Database. Density & description: Wikidata (CC0), GeoNames.

Temperature in October

Average highAverage lowShaded bands: 10–90% of days

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 27°C through the month.

A typical October day in Cotonou reaches about 27°C in the afternoon and slips back to 26°C overnight — a 1°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 26°C and 28°C. Set against its neighbours, October runs about 1°C warmer than September and about 1°C cooler than November.

20°23°25°28°30°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
12625
22625
32625
42625
52725
62725
72725
82725
92725
102725
112725
122725
132726
142726
152726
162726
172726
182726
192726
202726
212726
222726
232726
242726
252726
262726
272726
282726
292726
302826
312826

How October really feels in Cotonou

Once humidity and wind are folded in, October averages 0 days that feel above 32°C and 0 that feel at or below 0°C — the comfort signal a plain temperature reading hides.

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

October sits comfortably in between — no days that feel dangerously hot or drop to a hard freeze once humidity and wind are folded in.

Cotonou weather by month

How October compares with the rest of the year at a glance. October is the 9th-warmest and 4th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan28° / 26°216.611.77.1
Feb28° / 27°277.811.86.4
Mar29° / 27°4812.5125.3
Apr29° / 27°7315.712.14.8
May28° / 27°16423.412.34.0
Jun27° / 26°25926.112.43.9
Jul26° / 25°13218.912.35.2
Aug25° / 24°7313.312.26.1
Sep26° / 25°10518125.2
Oct27° / 26°11020.211.95.0
Nov28° / 27°4913.811.75.7
Dec28° / 27°277.611.66.9

Cloud cover in October

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 22% of the time in October.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 19% of October, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 59%. Skies tend to open up as the month goes on.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
13466
23466
33466
43466
53466
63466
73565
83664
93664
103763
113862
123862
133862
144060
154060
164159
174258
184258
194357
204456
214456
224456
234456
244654
254654
264753
274852
284951
295050
305149
315248

Chance of precipitation in October

Any precipitation

Cotonou gets around 110 mm of rain over 20.2 wet days in October. The line is the day-by-day chance of measurable precipitation.

Day to day, the chance of measurable rain averages around 65% and peaks near 67% on the wettest days.

0%20%40%60%80%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
166
266
367
467
567
667
767
867
966
1066
1166
1266
1366
1465
1565
1664
1764
1864
1964
2063
2163
2264
2364
2464
2564
2663
2763
2862
2962
3061
3160

Humidity in October

DryComfortableHumidMuggyOppressiveMiserable

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

By dew point, October lands in the oppressive band about 83% of days. Sticky, muggy-or-worse air turns up on roughly 100% of them.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Oppressive (%)Miserable (%)
1973
2964
3964
4964
5955
6955
7946
8937
9928
10928
11919
128911
138812
148713
158614
168416
178317
188218
198119
207921
217822
227723
237624
247426
257327
267228
277129
287030
296832
306733
316535

Wind in October

Winds average 16 km/h in October.

Across October, daily wind ranges from about 14 km/h on the calmest days to 18 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

05101520151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
118light breeze
217light breeze
317light breeze
417light breeze
517light breeze
617light breeze
717light breeze
817light breeze
917light breeze
1016light breeze
1116light breeze
1216light breeze
1316light breeze
1416light breeze
1516light breeze
1616light breeze
1715light breeze
1815light breeze
1915light breeze
2015light breeze
2115light breeze
2215light breeze
2315light breeze
2415light breeze
2515light breeze
2614light breeze
2714light breeze
2814light breeze
2914light breeze
3014light breeze
3114light breeze

Sunrise & sunset in October

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 11 h 54 min at the start of October to 11 h 48 min by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days shrink by about 6 minutes over October. Sunrise moves from 6:41 AM to 6:41 AM, and sunset from 6:38 PM to 6:27 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
111.96:416:38
211.96:416:37
311.96:416:37
411.96:416:36
511.96:406:36
611.96:406:35
711.96:406:35
811.96:406:34
911.96:406:34
1011.96:406:33
1111.96:406:33
1211.96:406:33
1311.96:406:32
1411.96:406:32
1511.96:406:31
1611.96:406:31
1711.96:406:31
1811.86:406:30
1911.86:406:30
2011.86:406:30
2111.86:406:29
2211.86:406:29
2311.86:406:29
2411.86:406:29
2511.86:406:28
2611.86:406:28
2711.86:406:28
2811.86:406:28
2911.86:406:28
3011.86:406:27
3111.86:416:27

Solar energy in October

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in October, about 4.9 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 4.22 kWh/m² to a high of 5.6 kWh/m² in March across the year — October's 4.9 kWh/m² falls in the middle.

024151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
14.8Bright
24.8Bright
34.8Bright
44.8Bright
54.8Bright
64.8Bright
74.9Bright
84.9Bright
94.9Bright
104.9Bright
114.9Bright
124.9Bright
134.9Bright
144.9Bright
154.9Bright
164.9Bright
174.9Bright
184.9Bright
194.9Bright
204.9Bright
214.9Bright
224.9Bright
234.9Bright
244.9Bright
255.0Bright
265.0Bright
275.0Bright
285.0Bright
295.0Bright
305.0Bright
315.0Bright
Planning a trip in October

Hazard calendar for Cotonou

In seasonPeak

None of Cotonou's seasonal hazards are active in October. The full-year calendar below shows when the rainy season, cyclone risk and dust haze do peak.

Cotonou's rainy season runs May–July, when most of the year's rain falls.

Cotonou sees seasonal dust haze (January–April), heaviest in February.

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

Is October a good time to visit Cotonou?

Our two travel scores rate October for general sightseeing and for beach or pool weather — 0 (poor) to 10 (ideal).

5.0
Sightseeing
9th-best month of the year
5.1
Beach & pool
8th-best month of the year

October is a reasonable time to visit Cotonou for sightseeing.

What to pack for Cotonou in October

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

In October, Cotonou sees daytime highs around 27°C and nights near 26°C. Pack rain gear. Worth having: light clothes and sun protection. About 20 days see rain.

rain gearlight clothessun protection

Sea temperature near Cotonou in October

The nearest coast averages about 27°C in October — 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 Cotonou in October

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in October peaks around 12 (very high — sun protection essential). The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.

Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Cotonou 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 Cotonou in October

GoodModeratePoorUnhealthyVery unhealthy

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

Air quality in Cotonou is worst in January — around 78 µg/m³ PM2.5 (unhealthy), about 7.7× the cleanest month (September, 10 µg/m³).

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

020406080JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecUnhealthyModerateGoodModerateJan 1676 µg/m³Sep 1810 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan78Unhealthy
Feb61Unhealthy
Mar28Moderate
Apr24Moderate
May15Moderate
Jun15Moderate
Jul16Moderate
Aug13Moderate
Sep10Good
Oct12Good
Nov19Moderate
Dec61Unhealthy
Location & terrain

Where is Cotonou?

Cotonou sits at 6.4°N, 2.4°E, 7 m above sea level, in Benin. The nearest listed city is Godomè, 8.0 km away.

Topography around Cotonou

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Cotonou has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 13 m around an average of 5 m above sea level; within 16 km, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 33 m; within 80 km, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 171 m.

The land around Cotonou is covered by artificial surfaces (76%) within 3 km, water (66%) and artificial surfaces (20%) within 16 km, and trees (37%) and water (36%) within 80 km.

3 km
13 m
16 km
33 m
80 km
171 m
treesshrubsgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwaterwetland
October weather nearby: Godomè 8.0 km · Ganvié 11 km · Abomey-Calavi 12 km · Ekpé 13 km · Semi 22 km · Porto-Novo 25 km · Missérété 29 km · Zinvié 29 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 Cotonou (6.3654°, 2.4183°, elevation 7 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. Sea temperatures are the NOAA OISST v2.1 1991–2020 monthly climatology (public domain), sampled at the nearest ocean point. UV index is derived from CAMS (Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service) clear-sky UV data — contains modified Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service information. Monthly air-quality (PM2.5) seasonality is from the CAMS EAC4 reanalysis (Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service), scaled to the WHO annual mean where available. Topography is sampled from the Copernicus DEM GLO-90 elevation model (© ESA/Airbus) and ESA WorldCover 2021 land cover (CC BY 4.0).