Climate and average weather in Kayes
In Kayes, the summers are sweltering, dry, and mostly clear and the winters are hot and mostly cloudy.
Over the course of the year, the temperature in Kayes typically varies from 20°C to 42°C, and is rarely below 17°C or above 44°C. May is the hottest month of the year, while August is the coldest.
Based on the travel score, the best times of year to visit Kayes for warm-weather activities are from early January to late January and mid December to late December.
- Hottest
- May
- 42°
- Coldest
- Aug
- 25°
- Wettest
- Aug
- 160 mm
- Driest
- Feb
- 0 mm
- Rain / yr
- 422 mm
- 48 wet days
- Daylight
- 11.1–12.9 h
- shortest–longest
- Elevation
- 47 m
- 14.4°N
- Clearest
- Mar
- 28% cloud
Kayes is city in Mali.
- Founded
- 1880
Air quality: WHO Ambient Air Quality Database. Density & description: Wikidata (CC0), GeoNames.
Kayes weather by month, at a glance
The whole year in one picture — sky, rain, humidity, temperature and travel score. Click any band to jump to its full chart.
Each stripe is one measure across the whole year, stacked so a single day reads top to bottom. The sky band runs overcast grey on top down to clear blue at the base — more blue means sunnier — followed by the rainfall curve, the humidity band, a temperature strip that tints each stretch of the year by how warm its average high is, and the travel-score line at the foot. Scan straight down any date to read that day across every measure at once; the score climbs highest around early January to late January.
Temperature through the year
Daily average highs and lows in Kayes, from 1991–2020 of climate data. The shaded bands show the range most days fall in — 10th to 90th percentile.
The hot season lasts 2.7 months, from March 21 to June 11, with daily high temperatures above 40°C. The hottest month of the year in Kayes is May, with an average high of 42°C and low of 30°C.
The cool season lasts 2.2 months, from July 21 to September 24, with daily high temperatures below 34°C. The coldest month of the year in Kayes is August, with an average low of 25°C and high of 32°C.
Days typically run about 12°C warmer than nights, with the widest day–night swing (around 14°C) in November.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Avg high (°C) | 33 | 36 | 39 | 42 | 42 | 39 | 35 | 32 | 33 | 36 | 36 | 34 |
| Avg low (°C) | 20 | 22 | 25 | 28 | 30 | 29 | 26 | 25 | 25 | 25 | 22 | 20 |
| Avg high (°C) | Avg low (°C) | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 33 | 20 |
| Feb | 36 | 22 |
| Mar | 39 | 25 |
| Apr | 42 | 28 |
| May | 42 | 30 |
| Jun | 39 | 29 |
| Jul | 35 | 26 |
| Aug | 32 | 25 |
| Sep | 33 | 25 |
| Oct | 36 | 25 |
| Nov | 36 | 22 |
| Dec | 34 | 20 |
How hot and cold Kayes really feels
The felt-temperature range through the year — heat index on the day's high (summer humidity), wind chill on the night's low (winter wind). The dashed lines are the plain thermometer; the gap is how much hotter or colder it really feels.
On the hottest afternoons, once humidity is folded in, Kayes feels like about 43°C (around June 18). Nearly every day a year carries some heat stress, and 178 of them tip into dangerous heat (feels-like above 39°C), peaking in June.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Feels-like high (°C) | 33 | 36 | 39 | 41 | 42 | 42 | 40 | 38 | 40 | 40 | 36 | 34 |
| Air high (°C) | 33 | 36 | 39 | 42 | 42 | 39 | 35 | 32 | 33 | 36 | 36 | 34 |
| Feels-like low (°C) | 20 | 22 | 25 | 28 | 30 | 29 | 26 | 25 | 25 | 25 | 22 | 20 |
| Air low (°C) | 20 | 22 | 25 | 28 | 30 | 29 | 26 | 25 | 25 | 25 | 22 | 20 |
| Feels-like high (°C) | Air high (°C) | Feels-like low (°C) | Air low (°C) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 33 | 33 | 20 | 20 |
| Feb | 36 | 36 | 22 | 22 |
| Mar | 39 | 39 | 25 | 25 |
| Apr | 41 | 42 | 28 | 28 |
| May | 42 | 42 | 30 | 30 |
| Jun | 42 | 39 | 29 | 29 |
| Jul | 40 | 35 | 26 | 26 |
| Aug | 38 | 32 | 25 | 25 |
| Sep | 40 | 33 | 25 | 25 |
| Oct | 40 | 36 | 25 | 25 |
| Nov | 36 | 36 | 22 | 22 |
| Dec | 34 | 34 | 20 | 20 |
Average hourly temperature in Kayes
A compact picture of the whole year, hour by hour: each column is a day, each row an hour, and the color is the modeled average temperature. Darker overlays mark night, lighter ones the civil-twilight hours around sunrise and sunset.
Read left to right for the day of the year and top to bottom for the hour of the day; the color is the modeled temperature, cool blues through to hot reds on the same scale as the other charts. A vertical slice is a single day's swing — coolest just before dawn, warmest in the mid-afternoon — while a horizontal slice follows one hour across the seasons. The darker overlay marks night and the lighter one the twilight around sunrise and sunset. Colors run warmest on May afternoons, near 42°C, and coldest before dawn in August, near 25°C.
Kayes weather by month
Every month at a glance. Click a month for its detailed page.
| Month | High / Low (°C) | Rainfall (mm) | Wet days | Daylight (hours) | Travel score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 33° / 20° | 0 | 0.1 | 11.2 | 4.3 |
| Feb | 36° / 22° | 0 | 0 | 11.5 | 2.6 |
| Mar | 39° / 25° | 0 | 0 | 11.9 | 0.6 |
| Apr | 42° / 28° | 0 | 0.1 | 12.3 | 0.0 |
| May | 42° / 30° | 5 | 1.3 | 12.7 | 0.0 |
| Jun | 39° / 29° | 24 | 4.5 | 12.8 | 0.6 |
| Jul | 35° / 26° | 98 | 11.2 | 12.8 | 2.6 |
| Aug | 32° / 25° | 160 | 15.1 | 12.5 | 3.3 |
| Sep | 33° / 25° | 108 | 11.2 | 12.1 | 3.3 |
| Oct | 36° / 25° | 24 | 4.5 | 11.7 | 2.2 |
| Nov | 36° / 22° | 1 | 0.2 | 11.3 | 2.2 |
| Dec | 34° / 20° | 1 | 0.1 | 11.2 | 3.8 |
Chance of rain
How likely it is to rain on a typical day, and how that shifts across the wetter and drier seasons.
Kayes gets about 422 mm of precipitation a year. On a typical day the chance of rain is mostly dry, but that rises and falls sharply with the seasons.
The wetter season lasts 4.2 months, from around Jun 13 to Oct 18, peaking in August at about 52% chance on a given day. The drier stretch runs the rest of the year, bottoming out around Jan 1.
August is the wettest month by volume, with 160 mm over about 15 wet days; February is the driest, with 0 mm.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rain on a day (%) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 16 | 35 | 49 | 37 | 15 | 1 | 0 |
| Rain days | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 5 | 11 | 15 | 11 | 5 | 0 | 0 |
| Rain on a day (%) | Rain days | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 0 | 0 |
| Feb | 0 | 0 |
| Mar | 0 | 0 |
| Apr | 0 | 0 |
| May | 4 | 1 |
| Jun | 16 | 5 |
| Jul | 35 | 11 |
| Aug | 49 | 15 |
| Sep | 37 | 11 |
| Oct | 15 | 5 |
| Nov | 1 | 0 |
| Dec | 0 | 0 |
Monthly rainfall
Over a full year, Kayes collects about 422 mm of rain across 48 wet days — roughly 35 mm in an average month.
It doesn’t fall evenly. August is the wettest month with 160 mm, while February is the driest at just 0 mm. The three wettest months alone bring about 87% of the year’s total.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rainfall (mm) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 24 | 98 | 160 | 108 | 24 | 1 | 1 |
| Rain days | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 5 | 11 | 15 | 11 | 5 | 0 | 0 |
| Rainfall (mm) | Rain days | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 0 | 0 |
| Feb | 0 | 0 |
| Mar | 0 | 0 |
| Apr | 0 | 0 |
| May | 5 | 1 |
| Jun | 24 | 5 |
| Jul | 98 | 11 |
| Aug | 160 | 15 |
| Sep | 108 | 11 |
| Oct | 24 | 5 |
| Nov | 1 | 0 |
| Dec | 1 | 0 |
Clouds and sunshine
How often the daytime sky is clear, partly cloudy or overcast.
In Kayes, the average share of the sky covered by clouds shows significant seasonal variation over the course of the year.
The clearer part of the year begins around November 30 and lasts for 6.9 months, ending around June 27. The clearest month is March, when the sky is clear, mostly clear, or partly cloudy 81% of the time on average.
The cloudier part of the year begins around June 28 and lasts for 3.5 months, ending around October 11. The cloudiest month is August, when it is overcast or mostly cloudy 79% of the time.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Clearer (%) | 67 | 73 | 81 | 78 | 72 | 65 | 41 | 21 | 42 | 62 | 62 | 63 |
| Cloudier (%) | 33 | 27 | 19 | 22 | 28 | 35 | 59 | 79 | 58 | 38 | 38 | 37 |
| Clearer (%) | Cloudier (%) | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 67 | 33 |
| Feb | 73 | 27 |
| Mar | 81 | 19 |
| Apr | 78 | 22 |
| May | 72 | 28 |
| Jun | 65 | 35 |
| Jul | 41 | 59 |
| Aug | 21 | 79 |
| Sep | 42 | 58 |
| Oct | 62 | 38 |
| Nov | 62 | 38 |
| Dec | 63 | 37 |
Daylight, sunrise and sunset
Hours of daylight through the year, with sunrise and sunset times.
The gold band is daylight — sunrise runs along its lower edge, sunset along the upper — so it widens toward summer and pinches toward winter, with night the dark area above and below. The longest day, around June 17, brings about 12 h 54 min of light; the shortest, around December 16, only 11 h 06 min — a swing of roughly 1 h 48 min.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Daylight (h) | 11.2 | 11.5 | 11.9 | 12.3 | 12.7 | 12.8 | 12.8 | 12.5 | 12.1 | 11.7 | 11.3 | 11.2 |
| Sunrise (AM) | 7:18 | 7:15 | 6:58 | 6:36 | 6:22 | 6:21 | 6:28 | 6:35 | 6:38 | 6:41 | 6:51 | 7:07 |
| Sunset (PM) | 6:32 | 6:46 | 6:52 | 6:56 | 7:02 | 7:11 | 7:15 | 7:04 | 6:42 | 6:21 | 6:11 | 6:16 |
| Daylight (h) | Sunrise (AM) | Sunset (PM) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 11.2 | 7:18 | 6:32 |
| Feb | 11.5 | 7:15 | 6:46 |
| Mar | 11.9 | 6:58 | 6:52 |
| Apr | 12.3 | 6:36 | 6:56 |
| May | 12.7 | 6:22 | 7:02 |
| Jun | 12.8 | 6:21 | 7:11 |
| Jul | 12.8 | 6:28 | 7:15 |
| Aug | 12.5 | 6:35 | 7:04 |
| Sep | 12.1 | 6:38 | 6:42 |
| Oct | 11.7 | 6:41 | 6:21 |
| Nov | 11.3 | 6:51 | 6:11 |
| Dec | 11.2 | 7:07 | 6:16 |
Sunny days
How many genuinely sunny days each month brings — days the sky stays clear or mostly clear — banded into plain-language zones.
Kayes averages about 14 sunny days a month — counting the days the sky stays clear or mostly clear — with a clear seasonal swing between 2 and 21 days.
The sunnier stretch runs 6.1 months, from around Dec 22 to Jun 26. The sunniest month is March, with roughly 21 sunny days (bright).
The greyest month is August, down near 2 sunny days — about 90% fewer than the March peak.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sunny days | 16 | 17 | 21 | 20 | 18 | 15 | 8 | 2 | 7 | 14 | 14 | 14 |
| Sky | Bright | Bright | Bright | Bright | Bright | Bright | Gloomy | Gloomy | Gloomy | Mixed | Mixed | Mixed |
| Sunny days | Sky | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 16 | Bright |
| Feb | 17 | Bright |
| Mar | 21 | Bright |
| Apr | 20 | Bright |
| May | 18 | Bright |
| Jun | 15 | Bright |
| Jul | 8 | Gloomy |
| Aug | 2 | Gloomy |
| Sep | 7 | Gloomy |
| Oct | 14 | Mixed |
| Nov | 14 | Mixed |
| Dec | 14 | Mixed |
Humidity comfort
Share of days at each humidity comfort level, based on the dew point — the measure that tracks how muggy it actually feels.
Humidity comfort is graded by the dew point — the temperature at which the air would be fully saturated — because it tracks how muggy it actually feels far better than relative humidity does. A low dew point feels dry and crisp; a high one feels sticky and oppressive no matter the reading on a humidity gauge.
In Kayes, how humid it feels changes dramatically over the year.
The more humid part of the year lasts 5.5 months, from around May 22 to November 4. The muggiest month is July, when the air feels humid, muggy or worse about 100% of the time.
The most comfortable stretch runs from around November 5 to May 21, and January is the most comfortable month — the air is dry or comfortable 100% of the time.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dry (%) | 99 | 98 | 96 | 85 | 44 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 67 | 96 |
| Comfortable (%) | 1 | 1 | 2 | 9 | 21 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 13 | 3 |
| Humid (%) | 0 | 0 | 1 | 4 | 18 | 14 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 9 | 11 | 1 |
| Muggy (%) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 13 | 34 | 6 | 0 | 1 | 17 | 6 | 0 |
| Oppressive (%) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 39 | 79 | 59 | 41 | 41 | 4 | 0 |
| Miserable (%) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 14 | 41 | 58 | 20 | 0 | 0 |
| Dry (%) | Comfortable (%) | Humid (%) | Muggy (%) | Oppressive (%) | Miserable (%) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 99 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Feb | 98 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Mar | 96 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Apr | 85 | 9 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| May | 44 | 21 | 18 | 13 | 4 | 0 |
| Jun | 6 | 6 | 14 | 34 | 39 | 1 |
| Jul | 0 | 0 | 1 | 6 | 79 | 14 |
| Aug | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 59 | 41 |
| Sep | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 41 | 58 |
| Oct | 7 | 5 | 9 | 17 | 41 | 20 |
| Nov | 67 | 13 | 11 | 6 | 4 | 0 |
| Dec | 96 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Wind
Average wind speed through the year, banded into plain-language speed zones so a number reads as 'breezy' or 'calm' without knowing the scale.
This is the average sustained wind speed at the standard 10 metres above open ground — the steady flow a weather station reports, not the sharper gusts that come and go, which can run half again as fast. It's the number that says whether a place is generally breezy or calm.
Across the year, average wind speed in Kayes is typically calm, near 10 km/h, and varies little with the seasons.
The windier part of the year lasts 3.4 months, from around May 1 to Aug 10. The windiest month is June, averaging about 11 km/h (calm).
The calmer part of the year runs from around Aug 11 to Dec 4, with October the calmest month at about 8 km/h.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wind speed (km/h) | 11 | 11 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 11 | 11 | 10 | 8 | 8 | 9 | 11 |
| Feels | calm | calm | calm | calm | calm | calm | calm | calm | calm | calm | calm | calm |
| Wind speed (km/h) | Feels | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 11 | calm |
| Feb | 11 | calm |
| Mar | 10 | calm |
| Apr | 10 | calm |
| May | 10 | calm |
| Jun | 11 | calm |
| Jul | 11 | calm |
| Aug | 10 | calm |
| Sep | 8 | calm |
| Oct | 8 | calm |
| Nov | 9 | calm |
| Dec | 11 | calm |
Hazard calendar for Kayes
When the seasonal hazards worth planning around — the rainy season, tropical-cyclone risk and dust haze — are active through the year.
Kayes sees seasonal dust haze (February–October), heaviest in June.
Best time to visit Kayes
To characterize how pleasant the weather is in Kayes throughout the year, we compute two travel scores — one for general sightseeing, one for beach and pool weather.
Around late January, Kayes is still near the tail of its best-weather window — great conditions with the peak-season crowds already thinning.
Inferred from the travel-score curve; month-by-month visitor numbers are a planned addition.
The travel score favors clear, rainless days with daytime highs between 18°C and 28°C. Based on this score, the best time of year to visit Kayes for general outdoor tourist activities is from mid December to late January, with a peak score in the second week of January.
The travel score (filled area), and its constituents: the temperature score (red line), the cloud cover score (blue line), and the precipitation score (green line).
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Travel score (0–10) | 4.2 | 2.6 | 0.6 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.7 | 2.6 | 3.3 | 3.3 | 2.2 | 2.3 | 3.8 |
| Rating | fair | poor | poor | poor | poor | poor | poor | poor | poor | poor | poor | fair |
| Travel score (0–10) | Rating | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 4.2 | fair |
| Feb | 2.6 | poor |
| Mar | 0.6 | poor |
| Apr | 0.0 | poor |
| May | 0.0 | poor |
| Jun | 0.7 | poor |
| Jul | 2.6 | poor |
| Aug | 3.3 | poor |
| Sep | 3.3 | poor |
| Oct | 2.2 | poor |
| Nov | 2.3 | poor |
| Dec | 3.8 | fair |
The beach/pool score favors clear, rainless days with daytime highs between 24°C and 34°C. Based on this score, the best time of year to visit Kayes for hot-weather activities is from late November to mid February, with a peak score in the second week of January.
The beach/pool score (filled area), and its constituents: the temperature score (red line), the cloud cover score (blue line), and the precipitation score (green line).
What to pack for Kayes, by month
Month by month, what's worth putting in the bag — from the temperature range, rain chance, sun and wind. Tap a month for a quick packing note.
For a warm-season trip around May (highs near 42°C), the essentials are light clothes and sun protection. In the cold season around August (highs near 32°C), pack light clothes, rain gear and sun protection.
In May, Kayes sees daytime highs around 42°C and nights near 30°C. Pack light clothes and sun protection.
UV index (midday) in Kayes by month
Clear-sky midday UV index through the year, shaded by the WHO exposure levels — how much sun protection each month calls for.
Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Kayes peaks around August 18 at about 13 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near December 19 at about 7 (high).
The index reaches 3 or more — the level where the WHO recommends sun protection — every month of the year.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| UV index (midday) | 8 | 11 | 12 | 10 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 13 | 12 | 10 | 8 | 7 |
| Level | Very high | Extreme | Extreme | Very high | Very high | Very high | Extreme | Extreme | Extreme | Very high | Very high | High |
| UV index (midday) | Level | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 8 | Very high |
| Feb | 11 | Extreme |
| Mar | 12 | Extreme |
| Apr | 10 | Very high |
| May | 9 | Very high |
| Jun | 10 | Very high |
| Jul | 11 | Extreme |
| Aug | 13 | Extreme |
| Sep | 12 | Extreme |
| Oct | 10 | Very high |
| Nov | 8 | Very high |
| Dec | 7 | High |
Average hourly UV index in Kayes
Modeled clear-sky UV for every hour of every day — when in the day sun protection actually matters.
The whole year hour by hour: each column is a day, each row an hour, and the color is the modeled clear-sky UV index — the midday peak scaled down as the sun sits lower in the sky. Darker overlays mark night, lighter ones the civil-twilight hours around sunrise and sunset.
UV falls off far faster than brightness as the sun drops, so even in August the burn window is concentrated in the middle of the day: about 8 hours a day reach index 3 (protection recommended), and 6.5 hours reach 6 or more. Mornings and late afternoons stay comparatively gentle year round.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| UV ≥ 3 (h/day) | 6.5 | 7.5 | 7.5 | 7.5 | 7.5 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 7.5 | 6.5 | 6 |
| UV ≥ 6 (h/day) | 3.5 | 5.5 | 5.5 | 5.5 | 5 | 5.5 | 6 | 6.5 | 6 | 5 | 4 | 3 |
| UV ≥ 3 (h/day) | UV ≥ 6 (h/day) | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 6.5 | 3.5 |
| Feb | 7.5 | 5.5 |
| Mar | 7.5 | 5.5 |
| Apr | 7.5 | 5.5 |
| May | 7.5 | 5 |
| Jun | 8 | 5.5 |
| Jul | 8 | 6 |
| Aug | 8 | 6.5 |
| Sep | 8 | 6 |
| Oct | 7.5 | 5 |
| Nov | 6.5 | 4 |
| Dec | 6 | 3 |
Air quality in Kayes by month
Average fine-particle pollution (PM2.5) through the year — so you can see which months the air is worst, not just the yearly average.
Air quality in Kayes is worst in November — around 68 µg/m³ PM2.5 (unhealthy), about 4.4× the cleanest month (August, 16 µg/m³).
Modeled monthly averages (CAMS reanalysis, 2015–2024).
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PM2.5 (µg/m³) | 57 | 67 | 61 | 50 | 48 | 41 | 22 | 16 | 20 | 60 | 68 | 57 |
| Level | Unhealthy | Unhealthy | Unhealthy | Poor | Poor | Poor | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Unhealthy | Unhealthy | Unhealthy |
| PM2.5 (µg/m³) | Level | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 57 | Unhealthy |
| Feb | 67 | Unhealthy |
| Mar | 61 | Unhealthy |
| Apr | 50 | Poor |
| May | 48 | Poor |
| Jun | 41 | Poor |
| Jul | 22 | Moderate |
| Aug | 16 | Moderate |
| Sep | 20 | Moderate |
| Oct | 60 | Unhealthy |
| Nov | 68 | Unhealthy |
| Dec | 57 | Unhealthy |
Growing season
Kayes is frost-free year round — even the coldest nights rarely reach freezing, so there is no start or end to the growing season.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Frost-free chance (%) | 100 | 100 | 100 | 100 | 100 | 100 | 100 | 100 | 100 | 100 | 100 | 100 |
| Frost nights | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Frost-free chance (%) | Frost nights | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 100 | 0 |
| Feb | 100 | 0 |
| Mar | 100 | 0 |
| Apr | 100 | 0 |
| May | 100 | 0 |
| Jun | 100 | 0 |
| Jul | 100 | 0 |
| Aug | 100 | 0 |
| Sep | 100 | 0 |
| Oct | 100 | 0 |
| Nov | 100 | 0 |
| Dec | 100 | 0 |
Growing degree days
Growing degree days tally heat above 10°C: each day adds however many degrees its average temperature runs over that threshold, and cold days add nothing. Kayes banks about 7,510 degree days a year, and the running total — which growers use to time plantings and predict maturity — climbs fastest around May.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Growing degree days (°C·days) | 510 | 532 | 682 | 740 | 803 | 722 | 634 | 578 | 571 | 640 | 576 | 524 |
| Growing degree days (°C·days) | |
|---|---|
| Jan | 510 |
| Feb | 532 |
| Mar | 682 |
| Apr | 740 |
| May | 803 |
| Jun | 722 |
| Jul | 634 |
| Aug | 578 |
| Sep | 571 |
| Oct | 640 |
| Nov | 576 |
| Dec | 524 |
Solar energy
Average daily shortwave solar energy reaching the ground, banded into brightness zones so the number means something at a glance.
Solar energy is how much sunlight actually reaches the ground each day, measured in kilowatt-hours per square metre (kWh/m²) — the combined effect of how long the sun is up, how high it climbs, and how much cloud gets in the way. It's the raw fuel a solar panel has to work with: for scale, 1 kWh/m² a day is dim and wintry, while 7+ is desert-bright.
Kayes receives about 6.0 kWh/m² a day of solar energy on average — intense — with a clear seasonal swing between 4.7 and 7.3 kWh/m².
The brighter stretch of the year lasts 4.7 months, from around Feb 14 to Jul 5. The brightest month is April, averaging about 7.3 kWh/m² (intense).
The dimmest month is August, down near 4.8 kWh/m² — roughly 34% less than the April peak.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Solar energy (kWh/m²) | 5.4 | 6.1 | 6.9 | 7.3 | 7.2 | 6.8 | 5.6 | 4.7 | 5.5 | 6.0 | 5.7 | 5.2 |
| Level | Bright | Intense | Intense | Intense | Intense | Intense | Bright | Bright | Bright | Bright | Bright | Bright |
| Solar energy (kWh/m²) | Level | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 5.4 | Bright |
| Feb | 6.1 | Intense |
| Mar | 6.9 | Intense |
| Apr | 7.3 | Intense |
| May | 7.2 | Intense |
| Jun | 6.8 | Intense |
| Jul | 5.6 | Bright |
| Aug | 4.7 | Bright |
| Sep | 5.5 | Bright |
| Oct | 6.0 | Bright |
| Nov | 5.7 | Bright |
| Dec | 5.2 | Bright |
Where is Kayes?
Kayes sits at 14.4°N, 11.4°W, 47 m above sea level, in Mali. The nearest listed city is Bafoulabé, 97 km away.
Topography around Kayes
How much the land rises and falls, and what covers it, within 3, 16 and 80 km of Kayes.
Within 3 km, the terrain around Kayes has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 27 m around an average of 38 m above sea level; within 16 km, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 328 m; within 80 km, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 561 m.
The land around Kayes is covered by artificial surfaces (57%) within 3 km, grassland (60%) within 16 km, and grassland (68%) and shrubs (24%) within 80 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
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 Kayes (14.4478°, -11.4439°, elevation 47 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).