Gao weather in March

In March, Gao sees average daytime highs of 37°C and overnight lows near 22°C, with 0 mm of rain across 0 wet days and about 11.9 hours of daylight. It is the 7th-warmest and 9th-wettest month of the year here.

Highs climb over the month, from about 36°C in the first days to 39°C by the end. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 66% of the time in March, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 11 h 42 min at the start of March to 12 h 06 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, March is Gao's 3rd-clearest and 3rd-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Gao's year-round climate.

Daytime high
37°
7th warmest
Overnight low
22°
5th coldest
Rainfall
0 mm
0 wet days
Daylight
11 h 54 min
6:13 AM – 6:06 PM
Cloud cover
30%
3rd clearest
Wind
16 km/h
3rd windiest
Solar energy
6.87 kWh/m²
Travel score
1.8
out of 10

Temperature in March

Average highAverage lowShaded bands: 10–90% of days

Highs climb over the month, from about 36°C in the first days to 39°C by the end.

A typical March day in Gao reaches about 37°C in the afternoon and slips back to 22°C overnight — a 16°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 33°C and 41°C. Set against its neighbours, March runs about 4°C warmer than February and about 4°C cooler than April.

20°30°40°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
13520
23620
33620
43620
53620
63620
73620
83621
93721
103721
113721
123721
133721
143721
153721
163722
173722
183822
193822
203822
213822
223822
233823
243823
253923
263923
273923
283923
293923
303924
313924

How March really feels in Gao

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

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

Gao weather by month

How March compares with the rest of the year at a glance. March is the 7th-warmest and 9th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

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 March

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 66% of the time in March.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 13% of March, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 21%. Skies tend to cloud over as the month goes on.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
18515
28515
38515
48416
58416
68416
78317
88317
98218
108119
118119
128020
138020
147921
157822
167723
177723
187624
197624
207624
217624
227624
237723
247624
257723
267723
277723
287723
297822
307822
317822

Chance of precipitation in March

Any precipitation

Gao gets around 0 mm of rain over 0 wet days in March. The line is the day-by-day chance of measurable precipitation.

Day to day, the chance of measurable rain averages around 0% and peaks near 0% on the wettest days.

0%10%20%30%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
80
90
100
110
120
130
140
150
160
170
180
190
200
210
220
230
240
250
260
270
280
290
300
310

Humidity in March

DryComfortableHumidMuggyOppressiveMiserable

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

By dew point, March lands in the dry band about 99% of days. It rarely turns muggy — the humid and sticky bands barely register.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)
1991
2991
3991
4991
5991
6991
7991
8991
9991
10991
11991
12991
13991
14991
15991
16991
17991
181000
191000
201000
21991
22991
23991
24991
25991
26991
27991
28991
29991
30991
31991

Wind in March

Winds average 16 km/h in March.

Across March, daily wind ranges from about 16 km/h on the calmest days to 17 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

05101520151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
117light breeze
217light breeze
317light breeze
417light breeze
516light breeze
616light breeze
716light breeze
816light breeze
916light breeze
1016light breeze
1116light breeze
1216light breeze
1316light breeze
1416light breeze
1516light breeze
1616light breeze
1716light breeze
1816light breeze
1916light breeze
2016light breeze
2116light breeze
2216light breeze
2316light breeze
2416light breeze
2516light breeze
2616light breeze
2716light breeze
2816light breeze
2916light breeze
3016light breeze
3116light breeze

Sunrise & sunset in March

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 11 h 42 min at the start of March to 12 h 06 min by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days grow by about 24 minutes over March. Sunrise moves from 6:24 AM to 6:02 AM, and sunset from 6:03 PM to 6:09 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
111.76:246:03
211.76:236:03
311.76:226:04
411.76:226:04
511.76:216:04
611.76:206:04
711.76:206:05
811.86:196:05
911.86:186:05
1011.86:186:05
1111.86:176:05
1211.86:166:06
1311.86:156:06
1411.96:156:06
1511.96:146:06
1611.96:136:06
1711.96:126:07
1811.96:126:07
1911.96:116:07
2011.96:106:07
2112.06:096:07
2212.06:096:07
2312.06:086:08
2412.06:076:08
2512.06:066:08
2612.06:056:08
2712.16:056:08
2812.16:046:08
2912.16:036:08
3012.16:026:09
3112.16:026:09

Solar energy in March

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in March, about 6.87 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 5.33 kWh/m² to a high of 7.3 kWh/m² in April across the year — March's 6.87 kWh/m² falls in the middle.

02468151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
16.6Intense
26.6Intense
36.6Intense
46.7Intense
56.7Intense
66.7Intense
76.7Intense
86.7Intense
96.7Intense
106.8Intense
116.8Intense
126.8Intense
136.8Intense
146.8Intense
156.8Intense
166.9Intense
176.9Intense
186.9Intense
196.9Intense
206.9Intense
217.0Intense
227.0Intense
237.0Intense
247.0Intense
257.0Intense
267.0Intense
277.1Intense
287.1Intense
297.1Intense
307.1Intense
317.1Intense
Planning a trip in March

Hazard calendar for Gao

In seasonPeak

In March, Gao sits inside 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 March a good time to visit Gao?

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

1.8
Sightseeing
5th-best month of the year
5.2
Beach & pool
5th-best month of the year

March is a weaker month for outdoor sightseeing in Gao.

What to pack for Gao in March

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

In March, Gao sees daytime highs around 37°C and nights near 22°C. Pack light clothes and sun protection.

light clothessun protection

UV index in Gao in March

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in March peaks around 13 (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 March

GoodModeratePoorUnhealthyVery unhealthy

Average fine-particle pollution (PM2.5) through the year — so you can see where March 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
March 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. 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).