Senegal weather by month

In Dakar, 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 January 22 and lasts for 5.6 months, ending around July 11. The clearest month is May, when the sky is clear, mostly clear, or partly cloudy 85% of the time on average.

The cloudier part of the year begins around July 12 and lasts for 2.8 months, ending around October 4. The cloudiest month is August, when it is overcast or mostly cloudy 59% 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 Dakar is typically breezy, near 20 km/h, and varies a lot with the seasons.

The windier part of the year lasts 6.2 months, from around Nov 12 to May 19. The windiest month is February, averaging about 25 km/h (breezy).

The calmer part of the year runs from around May 20 to Nov 11, with September the calmest month at about 15 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.

Dakar receives about 6.1 kWh/m² a day of solar energy on average — intense — with a clear seasonal swing between 5.0 and 7.3 kWh/m².

The brighter stretch of the year lasts 4.8 months, from around Feb 21 to Jul 17. The brightest month is May, averaging about 7.2 kWh/m² (intense).

The dimmest month is December, down near 5.1 kWh/m² — roughly 29% less than the May peak.