Timbuktu weather in October

In October, Timbuktu sees average daytime highs of 38°C and overnight lows near 25°C, with 3 mm of rain across 0.9 wet days and about 11.6 hours of daylight. It is the 6th-warmest and 5th-wettest month of the year here.

Highs ease over the month, from about 38°C in the first days to 37°C by the end. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 69% 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 Timbuktu's 3rd-clearest and 11th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Timbuktu's year-round climate.

Daytime high
38°
6th warmest
Overnight low
25°
7th coldest
Rainfall
3 mm
0.9 wet days
Daylight
11 h 36 min
6:09 AM – 5:45 PM
Cloud cover
29%
3rd clearest
Wind
14 km/h
11th windiest
Solar energy
6.31 kWh/m²
Travel score
1.5
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 October

Average highAverage lowShaded bands: 10–90% of days

Highs ease over the month, from about 38°C in the first days to 37°C by the end.

A typical October day in Timbuktu reaches about 38°C in the afternoon and slips back to 25°C overnight — a 12°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 35°C and 40°C. Set against its neighbours, October runs on par with September and about 4°C warmer than November.

20°25°30°35°40°45°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
13927
23927
33827
43827
53827
63827
73827
83826
93826
103826
113826
123826
133826
143826
153826
163826
173826
183825
193825
203825
213825
223725
233725
243724
253724
263724
273724
283724
293723
303623
313623

How October really feels in Timbuktu

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
heat index over the day's high
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.

Timbuktu weather by month

How October compares with the rest of the year at a glance. October is the 6th-warmest and 5th-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 October

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 69% of the time in October.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 13% of October, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 18%. Skies tend to cloud over as the month goes on.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
18614
28614
38614
48614
58515
68515
78416
88416
98416
108317
118317
128317
138317
148218
158218
168218
178218
188119
198119
208020
218020
228020
238020
248020
257921
267921
277921
287921
297921
307822
317822

Chance of precipitation in October

Any precipitation

Timbuktu gets around 3 mm of rain over 0.9 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 3% and peaks near 6% on the wettest days.

0%10%20%30%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
16
26
36
46
55
65
75
85
94
104
114
124
133
143
153
163
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 75% of days. Sticky, muggy-or-worse air turns up on roughly 7% of them.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)Muggy (%)Oppressive (%)
1471817144
2501816133
3531715123
4551714113
5571613113
6601612102
7621511102
864151092
96714982
106714982
117013872
127013872
137412761
147412761
157612651
167711651
177811641
187911541
198210530
208310430
21859420
22859420
23878320
24887320
25897310
26906310
27916210
28925210
29925210
30934210
31934210

Wind in October

Winds average 14 km/h in October.

Across October, daily wind ranges from about 13 km/h on the calmest days to 15 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

05101520151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
113light breeze
213light breeze
313light breeze
413light breeze
513light breeze
613light breeze
713light breeze
813light breeze
913light breeze
1013light breeze
1113light breeze
1213light breeze
1313light breeze
1413light breeze
1513light breeze
1614light breeze
1714light breeze
1814light breeze
1914light breeze
2014light breeze
2114light breeze
2214light breeze
2314light breeze
2414light breeze
2514light breeze
2614light breeze
2715light breeze
2815light breeze
2915light breeze
3015light breeze
3115light 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 6:06 AM to 6:14 AM, and sunset from 5:57 PM to 5:37 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
111.96:065:57
211.86:065:56
311.86:065:55
411.86:065:54
511.86:065:53
611.86:065:53
711.86:075:52
811.76:075:51
911.76:075:50
1011.76:075:50
1111.76:075:49
1211.76:085:48
1311.76:085:47
1411.66:085:47
1511.66:085:46
1611.66:095:45
1711.66:095:45
1811.66:095:44
1911.66:095:44
2011.66:105:43
2111.56:105:42
2211.56:105:42
2311.56:115:41
2411.56:115:41
2511.56:115:40
2611.56:125:40
2711.56:125:39
2811.46:125:39
2911.46:135:38
3011.46:135:38
3111.46:145:37

Solar energy in October

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in October, about 6.31 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 — October's 6.31 kWh/m² falls in the middle.

0246151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
16.5Intense
26.5Intense
36.5Intense
46.5Intense
56.5Intense
66.4Intense
76.4Intense
86.4Intense
96.4Intense
106.4Intense
116.4Intense
126.4Intense
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
286.1Intense
296.1Intense
306.1Intense
316.1Intense
Planning a trip in October

Hazard calendar for Timbuktu

In seasonPeak

In October, 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 October a good time to visit Timbuktu?

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

1.5
Sightseeing
7th-best month of the year
4.9
Beach & pool
6th-best month of the year

October is a weaker month for outdoor sightseeing in Timbuktu.

What to pack for Timbuktu in October

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

In October, Timbuktu sees daytime highs around 38°C and nights near 25°C. Pack light clothes and sun protection.

light clothessun protection

UV index in Timbuktu 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 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 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 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
October 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).