Timbuktu weather in March

In March, Timbuktu sees average daytime highs of 35°C and overnight lows near 21°C, with 0 mm of rain across 0.1 wet days and about 11.9 hours of daylight. It is the 8th-warmest and 9th-wettest month of the year here.

Highs climb over the month, from about 33°C in the first days to 37°C by the end. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 70% of the time in March, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 11 h 36 min at the start of March to 12 h 06 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, March is Timbuktu's 2nd-clearest and 3rd-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Timbuktu's year-round climate.

Daytime high
35°
8th warmest
Overnight low
21°
5th coldest
Rainfall
0 mm
0.1 wet days
Daylight
11 h 54 min
6:25 AM – 6:18 PM
Cloud cover
27%
2nd clearest
Wind
16 km/h
3rd windiest
Solar energy
6.89 kWh/m²
Travel score
3.1
out of 10

Timbuktu is city in Mali.

Founded
~450 BCE

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

Temperature in March

Average highAverage lowShaded bands: 10–90% of days

Highs climb over the month, from about 33°C in the first days to 37°C by the end.

A typical March day in Timbuktu reaches about 35°C in the afternoon and slips back to 21°C overnight — a 14°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 31°C and 39°C. Set against its neighbours, March runs about 4°C warmer than February and about 4°C cooler than April.

10°20°30°40°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
13319
23319
33319
43419
53419
63419
73420
83420
93420
103420
113520
123520
133520
143521
153521
163521
173521
183621
193621
203621
213622
223622
233622
243722
253722
263722
273723
283723
293723
303723
313823

How March really feels in Timbuktu

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
heat index over the day's high
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.

Timbuktu weather by month

How March compares with the rest of the year at a glance. March is the 8th-warmest and 9th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan28° / 15°10.111.17.8
Feb31° / 17°0011.45.7
Mar35° / 21°00.111.93.1
Apr39° / 25°00.112.40.6
May41° / 28°20.612.80.0
Jun41° / 30°52.2130.0
Jul38° / 28°255.512.91.0
Aug37° / 27°478.812.61.9
Sep38° / 27°163.712.11.3
Oct38° / 25°30.911.61.5
Nov34° / 20°0011.23.9
Dec30° / 16°00116.7

Cloud cover in March

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

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

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 11% of March, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 18%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
18317
28515
38515
48515
58416
68416
78416
88416
98416
108317
118317
128317
138317
148218
158119
168119
178119
188020
198020
207921
218020
228020
238020
248020
258020
268020
278119
288119
298119
308218
318119

Chance of precipitation in March

Any precipitation

Timbuktu gets around 0 mm of rain over 0.1 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 (%)Humid (%)
19721
29721
39811
49811
59811
69811
79811
89811
99811
109811
119901
129901
1310000
1410000
1510000
1610000
1710000
1810000
1910000
2010000
2110000
2210000
2310000
2410000
2510000
2610000
2710000
289910
299910
309910
319910

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
517light 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 36 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 30 minutes over March. Sunrise moves from 6:36 AM to 6:13 AM, and sunset from 6:15 PM to 6:21 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
111.66:366:15
211.76:356:15
311.76:356:15
411.76:346:15
511.76:336:16
611.76:336:16
711.76:326:16
811.86:316:16
911.86:306:17
1011.86:306:17
1111.86:296:17
1211.86:286:17
1311.86:276:18
1411.96:276:18
1511.96:266:18
1611.96:256:18
1711.96:246:18
1811.96:246:19
1911.96:236:19
2011.96:226:19
2112.06:216:19
2212.06:206:19
2312.06:206:19
2412.06:196:20
2512.06:186:20
2612.06:176:20
2712.16:166:20
2812.16:166:20
2912.16:156:20
3012.16:146:21
3112.16:136:21

Solar energy in March

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in March, about 6.89 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 5.23 kWh/m² to a high of 7.35 kWh/m² in April across the year — March's 6.89 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
96.8Intense
106.8Intense
116.8Intense
126.8Intense
136.8Intense
146.9Intense
156.9Intense
166.9Intense
176.9Intense
186.9Intense
197.0Intense
207.0Intense
217.0Intense
227.0Intense
237.0Intense
247.1Intense
257.1Intense
267.1Intense
277.1Intense
287.1Intense
297.1Intense
307.2Intense
317.2Intense
Planning a trip in March

Hazard calendar for Timbuktu

In seasonPeak

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

Timbuktu 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 Timbuktu?

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

3.1
Sightseeing
5th-best month of the year
6.8
Beach & pool
5th-best month of the year

March is a weaker month for outdoor sightseeing in Timbuktu. The water and warmth also suit a beach or pool day.

What to pack for Timbuktu in March

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

In March, Timbuktu sees daytime highs around 35°C and nights near 21°C. Pack light clothes and sun protection.

light clothessun protection

UV index in Timbuktu 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 Timbuktu peaks around March 20 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 highMar 20UV 13Dec 18UV 7
UV index (midday)Level
Jan8Very high
Feb10Very high
Mar13Extreme
Apr12Extreme
May11Extreme
Jun10Extreme
Jul11Extreme
Aug13Extreme
Sep12Extreme
Oct11Extreme
Nov8Very high
Dec7High

Air quality in Timbuktu 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 Timbuktu is worst in February — around 92 µg/m³ PM2.5 (unhealthy), about 3.6× the cleanest month (August, 25 µg/m³).

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

0306090120JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecUnhealthyPoorModeratePoorUnhealthyFeb 1191 µg/m³Aug 2126 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan89Unhealthy
Feb92Unhealthy
Mar84Unhealthy
Apr65Unhealthy
May67Unhealthy
Jun57Unhealthy
Jul36Poor
Aug25Moderate
Sep27Moderate
Oct50Poor
Nov52Poor
Dec78Unhealthy
Location & terrain

Where is Timbuktu?

Timbuktu sits at 16.8°N, 3.0°W, 274 m above sea level, in Mali. The nearest listed city is Diré, 71 km away.

DouentzaBandiagaraBouremMoptiKoroI-n-Tillit

Topography around Timbuktu

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Timbuktu has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 19 m around an average of 263 m above sea level; within 16 km, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 21 m; within 80 km, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 294 m.

The land around Timbuktu is covered by bare terrain (78%) within 3 km, bare terrain (45%) and grassland (42%) within 16 km, and grassland (52%) and bare terrain (42%) within 80 km.

3 km
19 m
16 km
21 m
80 km
294 m
treesshrubsgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwaterwetland
March weather nearby: Diré 71 km · Goundam 81 km · Douentza 197 km · Bandiagara 277 km · Bourem 284 km · Mopti 284 km · Koro 301 km · I-n-Tillit 304 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 Timbuktu (16.7735°, -3.0074°, elevation 274 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).