Mauritania weather by month

In Nouakchott, 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 February 25 and lasts for 5.5 months, ending around August 11. The clearest month is June, when the sky is clear, mostly clear, or partly cloudy 93% of the time on average.

The cloudier part of the year begins around October 11 and lasts for 4.5 months, ending around February 24. The cloudiest month is December, when it is overcast or mostly cloudy 38% of the time.

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 Nouakchott is typically breezy, near 20 km/h, and varies moderately with the seasons.

The windier part of the year lasts 6.9 months, from around Dec 29 to Jul 27. The windiest month is May, averaging about 23 km/h (breezy).

The calmer part of the year runs from around Jul 28 to Dec 28, with September the calmest month at about 17 km/h.

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.

Nouakchott receives about 6.4 kWh/m² a day of solar energy on average — intense — with a clear seasonal swing between 4.9 and 7.5 kWh/m².

The brighter stretch of the year lasts 7.1 months, from around Feb 28 to Oct 1. The brightest month is May, averaging about 7.5 kWh/m² (intense).

The dimmest month is December, down near 4.9 kWh/m² — roughly 35% less than the May peak.