Ouahigouya weather in May

In May, Ouahigouya sees average daytime highs of 39°C and overnight lows near 27°C, with 14 mm of rain across 4.8 wet days and about 12.6 hours of daylight. It is the 2nd-warmest and 6th-wettest month of the year here.

Highs ease over the month, from about 40°C in the first days to 38°C by the end. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 39% of the time in May, and the air most often feels muggy.

Daylight stretches from about 12 h 30 min at the start of May to 12 h 42 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, May is Ouahigouya's 10th-clearest and 6th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Ouahigouya's year-round climate.

Daytime high
39°
2nd warmest
Overnight low
27°
12th coldest
Rainfall
14 mm
4.8 wet days
Daylight
12 h 36 min
5:47 AM – 6:25 PM
Cloud cover
54%
10th clearest
Wind
10 km/h
6th windiest
Solar energy
6.69 kWh/m²
Travel score
0.6
out of 10

Ouahigouya is town in northern Burkina Faso.

Founded
1757

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

Temperature in May

Average highAverage lowShaded bands: 10–90% of days

Highs ease over the month, from about 40°C in the first days to 38°C by the end.

A typical May day in Ouahigouya reaches about 39°C in the afternoon and slips back to 27°C overnight — a 12°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 36°C and 41°C. Set against its neighbours, May runs on par with April and about 3°C warmer than June.

20°25°30°35°40°45°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
14027
24027
34027
44027
54027
63927
73927
83928
93928
103928
113928
123928
133928
143928
153928
163928
173928
183928
193928
203928
213928
223927
233927
243927
253827
263827
273827
283827
293827
303827
313827

How May really feels in Ouahigouya

Once humidity and wind are folded in, May averages 31 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
31
31 feel dangerously hot (≥ 39°C)
Days feeling ≤ C
0
wind chill below the day's low

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

Ouahigouya weather by month

How May compares with the rest of the year at a glance. May is the 2nd-warmest and 6th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan31° / 17°00.111.36.0
Feb34° / 19°0011.54.1
Mar37° / 23°10.311.91.7
Apr39° / 26°5212.30.4
May39° / 27°144.812.60.6
Jun36° / 26°389.112.82.0
Jul33° / 24°10815.812.73.1
Aug31° / 23°16819.512.53.5
Sep33° / 24°8513.312.13.4
Oct36° / 23°184.711.72.6
Nov35° / 20°0011.43.1
Dec32° / 17°0011.25.2

Cloud cover in May

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 39% of the time in May.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 18% of May, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 43%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
15743
25644
35644
45644
55644
65644
75644
85545
95545
105545
115545
125446
135446
145545
155545
165644
175545
185644
195644
205743
215842
225842
235941
246040
256040
266139
276238
286238
296337
306337
316337

Chance of precipitation in May

Any precipitation

Ouahigouya gets around 14 mm of rain over 4.8 wet days in May. The line is the day-by-day chance of measurable precipitation.

Day to day, the chance of measurable rain averages around 16% and peaks near 24% on the wettest days. The odds climb toward the end of the month.

0%10%20%30%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
19
29
39
49
510
610
711
811
912
1013
1113
1214
1315
1415
1516
1616
1717
1818
1918
2019
2119
2220
2320
2420
2521
2621
2722
2822
2923
3023
3124

Humidity in May

DryComfortableHumidMuggyOppressiveMiserable

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

By dew point, May lands in the muggy band about 43% of days. Sticky, muggy-or-worse air turns up on roughly 49% of them.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)Muggy (%)Oppressive (%)
1311827241
2301727251
3281728261
4271728281
5251629291
6241629311
7221529321
8201530342
9181430352
10161431362
11141332383
12131332393
13111233404
14101233414
1591134425
1671134435
1761134446
1851033456
1951033467
204932477
213932488
223831509
232830519
2427285310
2527275410
2626265511
2726245711
2815235912
2915216013
3014196214
3113186315

Wind in May

Winds average 10 km/h in May.

Across May, daily wind ranges from about 10 km/h on the calmest days to 10 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

051015151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
110calm
210calm
310calm
410calm
510calm
610calm
710calm
810calm
910calm
1010calm
1110calm
1210calm
1310calm
1410calm
1510calm
1610calm
1710calm
1810calm
1910calm
2010calm
2110calm
2210calm
2310calm
2410calm
2510calm
2610calm
2710calm
2810calm
2910calm
3010calm
3110calm

Sunrise & sunset in May

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 12 h 30 min at the start of May to 12 h 42 min by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days grow by about 12 minutes over May. Sunrise moves from 5:53 AM to 5:45 AM, and sunset from 6:21 PM to 6:29 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
112.55:536:21
212.55:526:21
312.55:526:22
412.55:516:22
512.55:516:22
612.55:506:22
712.55:506:22
812.65:506:23
912.65:496:23
1012.65:496:23
1112.65:496:23
1212.65:486:24
1312.65:486:24
1412.65:486:24
1512.65:476:24
1612.65:476:25
1712.65:476:25
1812.65:476:25
1912.75:466:26
2012.75:466:26
2112.75:466:26
2212.75:466:26
2312.75:466:27
2412.75:466:27
2512.75:456:27
2612.75:456:28
2712.75:456:28
2812.75:456:28
2912.75:456:29
3012.75:456:29
3112.75:456:29

Solar energy in May

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in May, about 6.69 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 5.56 kWh/m² to a high of 6.87 kWh/m² in April across the year — May's 6.69 kWh/m² sits near the top of that range.

0246151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
16.8Intense
26.8Intense
36.8Intense
46.8Intense
56.8Intense
66.7Intense
76.7Intense
86.7Intense
96.7Intense
106.7Intense
116.7Intense
126.7Intense
136.7Intense
146.7Intense
156.7Intense
166.7Intense
176.7Intense
186.7Intense
196.7Intense
206.7Intense
216.7Intense
226.7Intense
236.7Intense
246.7Intense
256.7Intense
266.7Intense
276.7Intense
286.7Intense
296.7Intense
306.7Intense
316.7Intense
Planning a trip in May

Hazard calendar for Ouahigouya

In seasonPeak

In May, Ouahigouya sits inside its dust season. The full year is below, with each hazard's peak months called out.

Ouahigouya sees seasonal dust haze (February–July), heaviest in April.

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

Is May a good time to visit Ouahigouya?

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

0.6
Sightseeing
11th-best month of the year
3.4
Beach & pool
11th-best month of the year

May is a weaker month for outdoor sightseeing in Ouahigouya.

What to pack for Ouahigouya in May

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

In May, Ouahigouya sees daytime highs around 39°C and nights near 27°C. Pack light clothes and sun protection. About 5 days see rain.

light clothessun protection

UV index in Ouahigouya in May

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in May peaks around 11 (very high — sun protection essential). The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.

Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Ouahigouya peaks around March 16 at about 13 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near December 17 at about 7 (very high).

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

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecVery highExtremeVery highMar 16UV 13Dec 17UV 7
UV index (midday)Level
Jan9Very high
Feb11Extreme
Mar14Extreme
Apr11Extreme
May11Extreme
Jun11Extreme
Jul10Extreme
Aug13Extreme
Sep12Extreme
Oct11Extreme
Nov9Very high
Dec7Very high

Air quality in Ouahigouya in May

GoodModeratePoorUnhealthyVery unhealthy

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

Air quality in Ouahigouya is worst in March — around 75 µg/m³ PM2.5 (unhealthy), about 5.1× the cleanest month (August, 15 µg/m³).

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

020406080JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecUnhealthyPoorModeratePoorMar 1075 µg/m³Aug 1715 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan64Unhealthy
Feb74Unhealthy
Mar75Unhealthy
Apr59Unhealthy
May40Poor
Jun32Moderate
Jul19Moderate
Aug15Moderate
Sep19Moderate
Oct31Moderate
Nov39Poor
Dec54Poor
Location & terrain

Where is Ouahigouya?

Ouahigouya sits at 13.6°N, 2.4°W, 317 m above sea level, in Burkina Faso. The nearest listed city is Gourcy, 42 km away.

YakoKoukaKoroTouganBourzangaKongoussi

Topography around Ouahigouya

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Ouahigouya has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 28 m around an average of 324 m above sea level; within 16 km, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 80 m; within 80 km, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 259 m.

The land around Ouahigouya is covered by artificial surfaces (37%) within 3 km, grassland (44%) and cropland (22%) within 16 km, and grassland (52%) and shrubs (23%) within 80 km.

3 km
28 m
16 km
80 m
80 km
259 m
treesshrubsgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwaterwetland
May weather nearby: Gourcy 42 km · Titao 43 km · Yako 71 km · Kouka 88 km · Koro 89 km · Tougan 90 km · Bourzanga 95 km · Kongoussi 100 km

Burkina Faso travel facts

Travel advisory
Level 4
Do Not Travel
Power plugs
Type C / E
220 V · 50 Hz
Prices
≈ 37% of US
price level, 2025
GDP per capita
$1,148
2025
Happiness
4.5 / 10
World Happiness, 2025
Homicide rate
1.3
per 100k, 2017
Road deaths
31
per 100k/yr, 2019
Income group
Low
World Bank
Religion
Muslim 64%Roman Catholic 20%Animiste 9%Protestant 6%

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 Ouahigouya (13.5769°, -2.4179°, elevation 317 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. 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).