Savalou in Winter

In winter (December, January and February), Savalou sees average daytime highs around 34°C and overnight lows near 22°C, with 22 mm of rain over about 4 wet days across the season. It is the warmest season of the year and the driest season of the year.

Across winter, daytime highs hold fairly steady around 34°C. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 55% of the time across winter, and the air most often feels oppressive.

Winter is Savalou's 2nd-best season to visit on our travel score. For the whole year in context, see Savalou's year-round climate.

Avg daytime high
34°C
warmest season of the year
Avg overnight low
22°C
Rainfall
22 mm
4 wet days
Avg wind
6 km/h
Travel score
3.4
2nd-best season
Months
Dec · Jan · Feb

Temperature in Savalou in Winter

Average highAverage lowShaded bands: 10–90% of days

Across winter, daytime highs hold fairly steady around 34°C.

A typical winter day in Savalou reaches about 34°C and drops to 22°C overnight. The warmest of the three months is February, the coolest January.

15°20°25°30°35°40°DecJanFeb

How winter really feels in Savalou

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
4 feel dangerously hot (≥ 39°C)
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.

Savalou 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
Jan34° / 22°4111.63.8
Feb36° / 24°142.511.72.6
Mar36° / 25°53911.92.2
Apr34° / 25°971412.22.5
May33° / 24°1411912.42.7
Jun31° / 23°16322.412.53.0
Jul30° / 23°19424.412.43.3
Aug29° / 23°21423.712.33.5
Sep30° / 23°20523.5123.2
Oct32° / 23°1031611.83.5
Nov34° / 23°153.511.63.7
Dec34° / 22°40.911.53.9

Cloud cover in Winter

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 55% of the time across winter.

0%25%50%75%100%DecJanFeb

Chance of precipitation in Winter

Any precipitation

Savalou gets around 22 mm of rain over 4 wet days across winter. The line is the day-by-day chance of measurable precipitation.

0%10%20%30%DecJanFeb

Humidity in Winter

DryComfortableHumidMuggyOppressiveMiserable

Most of winter feels oppressive — 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 6 km/h across winter.

0246810DecJanFeb

Sunrise & sunset in Winter

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 11 h 36 min in early December to 11 h 48 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 5.8 kWh/m².

0246DecJanFeb
Planning a trip in winter

Hazard calendar for Savalou

In seasonPeak

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

Savalou's monsoon runs April–October, when most of the year's rain falls.

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

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

Is winter a good time to visit Savalou?

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.

3.4
Sightseeing
2nd-best month of the year
7.0
Beach & pool
1st-best month of the year

winter is a weaker month for outdoor sightseeing in Savalou. The water and warmth also suit a beach or pool day.

What to pack for Savalou in Winter

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

In winter, Savalou sees daytime highs around 34°C and nights near 22°C. Pack light clothes and sun protection.

light clothessun protection

UV index in Savalou in Winter

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV across winter averages around 8 — enough to warrant sun protection. The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.

Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Savalou peaks around March 24 at about 13 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near December 20 at about 7 (high).

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

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecVery highExtremeVery highMar 24UV 13Dec 20UV 7
UV index (midday)Level
Jan8Very high
Feb9Very high
Mar13Extreme
Apr13Extreme
May11Extreme
Jun11Extreme
Jul11Extreme
Aug11Extreme
Sep12Extreme
Oct12Extreme
Nov9Very high
Dec7High

Air quality in Savalou 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 Savalou is worst in February — around 85 µg/m³ PM2.5 (unhealthy), about 4.6× the cleanest month (August, 19 µg/m³).

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

0306090JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecUnhealthyPoorModeratePoorUnhealthyFeb 984 µg/m³Aug 1219 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan82Unhealthy
Feb85Unhealthy
Mar45Poor
Apr39Poor
May24Moderate
Jun20Moderate
Jul19Moderate
Aug19Moderate
Sep20Moderate
Oct30Moderate
Nov38Poor
Dec67Unhealthy
Location & terrain

Where is Savalou?

Savalou sits at 7.9°N, 2.0°E, 181 m above sea level, in Benin. The nearest listed city is Glazoué, 28 km away.

BantéSavéDjidjaOuesséKpozounAbomey

Topography around Savalou

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Savalou has significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 428 m around an average of 188 m above sea level; within 16 km, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 453 m; within 80 km, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 521 m.

The land around Savalou is covered by trees (46%) and shrubs (27%) within 3 km, trees (40%) and shrubs (39%) within 16 km, and shrubs (47%) and trees (31%) within 80 km.

3 km
428 m
16 km
453 m
80 km
521 m
treesshrubsgrasslandcroplandartificial surfaces
Winter weather nearby: Glazoué 28 km · Dassa-Zoumè 30 km · Banté 55 km · Savé 57 km · Djidja 65 km · Ouessé 80 km · Kpozoun 82 km · Abomey 83 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 Savalou (7.9281°, 1.9756°, elevation 181 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.