Gao weather in October

In October, Gao sees average daytime highs of 39°C and overnight lows near 26°C, with 3 mm of rain across 0.8 wet days and about 11.6 hours of daylight. It is the 4th-warmest and 5th-wettest month of the year here.

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 39°C through the month. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 70% of the time in October, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 11 h 54 min at the start of October to 11 h 24 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, October is Gao's 4th-clearest and 12th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Gao's year-round climate.

Daytime high
39°
4th warmest
Overnight low
26°
7th coldest
Rainfall
3 mm
0.8 wet days
Daylight
11 h 36 min
5:56 AM – 5:34 PM
Cloud cover
30%
4th clearest
Wind
13 km/h
12th windiest
Solar energy
6.28 kWh/m²
Travel score
0.7
out of 10

Temperature in October

Average highAverage lowShaded bands: 10–90% of days

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 39°C through the month.

A typical October day in Gao reaches about 39°C in the afternoon and slips back to 26°C overnight — a 13°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 37°C and 41°C. Set against its neighbours, October runs on par with September and about 3°C warmer than November.

20°25°30°35°40°45°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
13928
23927
33927
43927
53927
63927
73927
83927
93927
103927
113927
123927
133927
143926
153926
163926
173926
183926
193926
203926
213925
223925
233925
243925
253925
263825
273824
283824
293824
303824
313824

How October really feels in Gao

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

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

Gao weather by month

How October compares with the rest of the year at a glance. October is the 4th-warmest and 5th-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 October

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 70% of the time in October.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 14% of October, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 16%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
18713
28713
38614
48614
58614
68515
78515
88515
98515
108614
118515
128515
138515
148515
158515
168416
178515
188515
198416
208416
218416
228416
238317
248317
258218
268218
278218
288218
298218
308218
318218

Chance of precipitation in October

Any precipitation

Gao gets around 3 mm of rain over 0.8 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 2% and peaks near 5% on the wettest days.

0%10%20%30%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
15
24
34
44
54
64
74
84
93
103
113
123
133
143
153
162
172
182
192
202
211
221
231
241
251
261
271
281
291
301
311

Humidity in October

DryComfortableHumidMuggyOppressiveMiserable

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

By dew point, October lands in the dry band about 73% of days. It rarely turns muggy — the humid and sticky bands barely register.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)Muggy (%)Oppressive (%)
142242293
245232183
347232082
450221972
552211872
654211762
757201562
859191462
961181362
1063181252
1165171152
1266161152
1369161041
147115941
157314841
167414831
177613731
187912630
198111530
208211520
218410420
22859420
23888310
24897310
25906310
26916210
27925210
28934210
29944200
30963100
31963100

Wind in October

Winds average 13 km/h in October, the calmest month.

Across October, daily wind ranges from about 12 km/h on the calmest days to 14 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

05101520151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
112light breeze
212light breeze
312light breeze
412light breeze
512light breeze
612light breeze
712light breeze
812light breeze
912light breeze
1012light breeze
1112light breeze
1212light breeze
1312light breeze
1412light breeze
1512light breeze
1612light breeze
1712light breeze
1812light breeze
1913light breeze
2013light breeze
2113light breeze
2213light breeze
2313light breeze
2413light breeze
2513light breeze
2613light breeze
2713light breeze
2813light 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 24 min by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days shrink by about 30 minutes over October. Sunrise moves from 5:54 AM to 6:01 AM, and sunset from 5:45 PM to 5:26 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
111.95:545:45
211.85:545:44
311.85:545:43
411.85:545:42
511.85:545:42
611.85:545:41
711.85:545:40
811.75:555:39
911.75:555:39
1011.75:555:38
1111.75:555:37
1211.75:555:37
1311.75:565:36
1411.75:565:35
1511.65:565:35
1611.65:565:34
1711.65:575:33
1811.65:575:33
1911.65:575:32
2011.65:575:32
2111.65:585:31
2211.55:585:30
2311.55:585:30
2411.55:595:29
2511.55:595:29
2611.55:595:28
2711.56:005:28
2811.56:005:27
2911.46:005:27
3011.46:015:27
3111.46:015:26

Solar energy in October

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in October, about 6.28 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 — October's 6.28 kWh/m² falls in the middle.

0246151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
16.4Intense
26.4Intense
36.4Intense
46.4Intense
56.4Intense
66.4Intense
76.3Intense
86.3Intense
96.3Intense
106.3Intense
116.3Intense
126.3Intense
136.3Intense
146.3Intense
156.3Intense
166.3Intense
176.3Intense
186.3Intense
196.3Intense
206.3Intense
216.2Intense
226.2Intense
236.2Intense
246.2Intense
256.2Intense
266.2Intense
276.2Intense
286.2Intense
296.2Intense
306.2Intense
316.1Intense
Planning a trip in October

Hazard calendar for Gao

In seasonPeak

In October, 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 October a good time to visit Gao?

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

0.7
Sightseeing
9th-best month of the year
3.9
Beach & pool
7th-best month of the year

October is a weaker month for outdoor sightseeing in Gao.

What to pack for Gao in October

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

In October, Gao sees daytime highs around 39°C and nights near 26°C. Pack light clothes and sun protection.

light clothessun protection

UV index in Gao in October

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in October 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 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 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 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
October 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).