Gao in Fall

In fall (September, October and November), Gao sees average daytime highs around 38°C and overnight lows near 25°C, with 19 mm of rain over about 5 wet days across the season. It is the 3rd-warmest season and the 2nd-wettest season.

Over the season highs ease from about 37°C in early September to 34°C by late November. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 65% of the time across fall, and the air most often feels dry.

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

Avg daytime high
38°C
3rd-warmest season
Avg overnight low
25°C
Rainfall
19 mm
5 wet days
Avg wind
13 km/h
Travel score
1.4
2nd-best season
Months
Sep · Oct · Nov

Temperature in Gao in Fall

Average highAverage lowShaded bands: 10–90% of days

Over the season highs ease from about 37°C in early September to 34°C by late November.

A typical fall day in Gao reaches about 38°C and drops to 25°C overnight. The warmest of the three months is October, the coolest November.

20°30°40°SepOctNov

How fall really feels in Gao

Once humidity and wind are folded in, fall brings about 91 days that feel above 32°C and 0 that feel at or below 0°C.

Days feeling ≥ 32°C
91
49 feel dangerously hot (≥ 39°C)
Days feeling ≤ C
0
wind chill below the day's low

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

Gao weather by month

How the three fall months (September, October and November) compare with the rest of the year — the season's months are highlighted.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan30° / 16°00.111.16.3
Feb33° / 18°0011.54.3
Mar37° / 22°0011.91.8
Apr41° / 26°10.212.40.0
May42° / 29°20.812.70.0
Jun41° / 30°82.812.90.0
Jul39° / 28°31812.90.8
Aug37° / 27°5611.312.51.7
Sep39° / 27°164.312.10.9
Oct39° / 26°30.811.60.7
Nov36° / 21°0011.22.7
Dec32° / 17°00115.3

Cloud cover in Fall

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 65% of the time across fall.

0%25%50%75%100%SepOctNov

Chance of precipitation in Fall

Any precipitation

Gao gets around 19 mm of rain over 5 wet days across fall. The line is the day-by-day chance of measurable precipitation.

0%10%20%30%40%SepOctNov

Humidity in Fall

DryComfortableHumidMuggyOppressiveMiserable

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

0%25%50%75%100%SepOctNov

Wind in Fall

Winds average 13 km/h across fall.

05101520SepOctNov

Sunrise & sunset in Fall

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 12 h 18 min in early September to 11 h 06 min by late November. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AMSepOctNov

Solar energy in Fall

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day across fall, about 6.2 kWh/m².

0246SepOctNov
Planning a trip in fall

Hazard calendar for Gao

In seasonPeak

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

Gao sees dust haze year-round, heaviest in June.

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

Is fall a good time to visit Gao?

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

1.4
Sightseeing
2nd-best month of the year
4.7
Beach & pool
2nd-best month of the year

fall is a weaker month for outdoor sightseeing in Gao.

What to pack for Gao in Fall

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

In fall, Gao sees daytime highs around 38°C and nights near 25°C. Pack light clothes and sun protection. About 5 days see rain.

light clothessun protection

UV index in Gao in Fall

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV across fall averages around 10 (very high — sun protection essential). The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.

Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Gao peaks around August 19 at about 13 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near December 18 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 highExtremeVery highAug 19UV 13Dec 18UV 7
UV index (midday)Level
Jan8Very high
Feb10Extreme
Mar13Extreme
Apr11Extreme
May11Extreme
Jun10Very high
Jul9Very high
Aug13Extreme
Sep11Extreme
Oct11Extreme
Nov8Very high
Dec7Very high

Air quality in Gao in Fall

GoodModeratePoorUnhealthyVery unhealthy

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

Air quality in Gao is worst in February — around 101 µg/m³ PM2.5 (unhealthy), about 2.7× the cleanest month (September, 37 µg/m³).

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

0306090120JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecUnhealthyPoorUnhealthyFeb 12101 µg/m³Sep 1238 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan98Unhealthy
Feb101Unhealthy
Mar94Unhealthy
Apr74Unhealthy
May77Unhealthy
Jun77Unhealthy
Jul60Unhealthy
Aug41Poor
Sep37Poor
Oct48Poor
Nov58Unhealthy
Dec88Unhealthy
Location & terrain

Where is Gao?

Gao sits at 16.3°N, 0.0°W, 257 m above sea level, in Mali. The nearest listed city is Bourem, 83 km away.

AyorouAribindaMéhanaDoriTéraTillabéri

Topography around Gao

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Gao has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 13 m around an average of 251 m above sea level; within 16 km, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 65 m; within 80 km, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 149 m.

The land around Gao is covered by artificial surfaces (38%) within 3 km, grassland (65%) within 16 km, and grassland (60%) and bare terrain (36%) within 80 km.

3 km
13 m
16 km
65 m
80 km
149 m
treesshrubsgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwaterwetland
Fall weather nearby: Bourem 83 km · I-n-Tillit 92 km · Ayorou 200 km · Aribinda 244 km · Méhana 244 km · Dori 249 km · Téra 266 km · Tillabéri 280 km

Mali travel facts

Travel advisory
Level 4
Do Not Travel
Power plugs
Type C / E
220 V · 50 Hz
Prices
≈ 34% of US
price level, 2025
GDP per capita
$1,193
2025
Happiness
4.6 / 10
World Happiness, 2025
Road deaths
22.7
per 100k/yr, 2019
Income group
Low
World Bank
English
Very low
EF EPI 408
Religion
Muslim 94%Christian 3%none 3%animist 1%

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 Gao (16.2717°, -0.0447°, elevation 257 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.