Dakar weather in March
In March, Dakar sees average daytime highs of 21°C and overnight lows near 20°C, with 0 mm of rain across 0 wet days and about 11.9 hours of daylight. It is the 12th-warmest and 9th-wettest month of the year here.
Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 21°C through the month. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 73% of the time in March, and the air most often feels humid.
Daylight stretches from about 11 h 42 min at the start of March to 12 h 06 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, March is Dakar's 2nd-clearest and 2nd-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Dakar's year-round climate.
- Daytime high
- 21°
- 12th warmest
- Overnight low
- 20°
- 1st coldest
- Rainfall
- 0 mm
- 0 wet days
- Daylight
- 11 h 54 min
- 7:22 AM – 7:16 PM
- Cloud cover
- 26%
- 2nd clearest
- Wind
- 25 km/h
- 2nd windiest
- Solar energy
- 6.82 kWh/m²
- Travel score
- 8.7
- out of 10
Dakar is capital and the largest city of Senegal.
- Air quality
- Very high
- PM2.5 42 µg/m³ · 2018
- Density
- 33,152/km²
- people per km²
- Founded
- 1857
Air quality: WHO Ambient Air Quality Database. Density & description: Wikidata (CC0), GeoNames.
Temperature in March
Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 21°C through the month.
A typical March day in Dakar reaches about 21°C in the afternoon and slips back to 20°C overnight — a 1°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 19°C and 23°C. Set against its neighbours, March runs on par with February and on par with April.
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 | 26 | 27 | 28 | 29 | 30 | 31 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Avg high (°C) | 21 | 21 | 21 | 21 | 21 | 21 | 21 | 21 | 21 | 21 | 21 | 21 | 21 | 21 | 21 | 21 | 21 | 21 | 21 | 21 | 21 | 21 | 21 | 21 | 21 | 21 | 21 | 21 | 21 | 21 | 21 |
| Avg low (°C) | 20 | 20 | 20 | 20 | 20 | 20 | 20 | 20 | 20 | 20 | 20 | 20 | 20 | 20 | 20 | 20 | 20 | 20 | 20 | 20 | 20 | 20 | 20 | 20 | 20 | 20 | 20 | 20 | 20 | 20 | 20 |
| Avg high (°C) | Avg low (°C) | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 21 | 20 |
| 2 | 21 | 20 |
| 3 | 21 | 20 |
| 4 | 21 | 20 |
| 5 | 21 | 20 |
| 6 | 21 | 20 |
| 7 | 21 | 20 |
| 8 | 21 | 20 |
| 9 | 21 | 20 |
| 10 | 21 | 20 |
| 11 | 21 | 20 |
| 12 | 21 | 20 |
| 13 | 21 | 20 |
| 14 | 21 | 20 |
| 15 | 21 | 20 |
| 16 | 21 | 20 |
| 17 | 21 | 20 |
| 18 | 21 | 20 |
| 19 | 21 | 20 |
| 20 | 21 | 20 |
| 21 | 21 | 20 |
| 22 | 21 | 20 |
| 23 | 21 | 20 |
| 24 | 21 | 20 |
| 25 | 21 | 20 |
| 26 | 21 | 20 |
| 27 | 21 | 20 |
| 28 | 21 | 20 |
| 29 | 21 | 20 |
| 30 | 21 | 20 |
| 31 | 21 | 20 |
How March really feels in Dakar
Once humidity and wind are folded in, March averages 0 days that feel above 32°C and 0 that feel at or below 0°C — the comfort signal a plain temperature reading hides.
March sits comfortably in between — no days that feel dangerously hot or drop to a hard freeze once humidity and wind are folded in.
Dakar weather by month
How March compares with the rest of the year at a glance. March is the 12th-warmest and 9th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.
| Month | High / Low (°C) | Rainfall (mm) | Wet days | Daylight (hours) | Travel score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 22° / 21° | 2 | 0.2 | 11.2 | 8.6 |
| Feb | 22° / 20° | 1 | 0.1 | 11.5 | 8.5 |
| Mar | 21° / 20° | 0 | 0 | 11.9 | 8.7 |
| Apr | 21° / 20° | 0 | 0 | 12.3 | 8.7 |
| May | 23° / 22° | 0 | 0 | 12.7 | 9.1 |
| Jun | 25° / 24° | 1 | 0.2 | 12.9 | 9.0 |
| Jul | 27° / 26° | 27 | 4.4 | 12.8 | 7.5 |
| Aug | 28° / 26° | 124 | 11.6 | 12.5 | 6.1 |
| Sep | 28° / 27° | 82 | 9.8 | 12.1 | 6.1 |
| Oct | 28° / 27° | 22 | 2.6 | 11.7 | 7.3 |
| Nov | 27° / 26° | 0 | 0 | 11.3 | 8.1 |
| Dec | 25° / 23° | 1 | 0.2 | 11.1 | 8.6 |
Cloud cover in March
The sky is clear or mostly clear about 73% of the time in March.
Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 9% of March, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 19%. Skies tend to open up as the month goes on.
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 | 26 | 27 | 28 | 29 | 30 | 31 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Clearer (%) | 78 | 78 | 78 | 79 | 79 | 80 | 80 | 80 | 80 | 80 | 80 | 80 | 80 | 80 | 80 | 80 | 80 | 81 | 81 | 81 | 81 | 81 | 83 | 83 | 83 | 85 | 85 | 85 | 87 | 87 | 87 |
| Cloudier (%) | 22 | 22 | 22 | 21 | 21 | 20 | 20 | 20 | 20 | 20 | 20 | 20 | 20 | 20 | 20 | 20 | 20 | 19 | 19 | 19 | 19 | 19 | 17 | 17 | 17 | 15 | 15 | 15 | 13 | 13 | 13 |
| Clearer (%) | Cloudier (%) | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 78 | 22 |
| 2 | 78 | 22 |
| 3 | 78 | 22 |
| 4 | 79 | 21 |
| 5 | 79 | 21 |
| 6 | 80 | 20 |
| 7 | 80 | 20 |
| 8 | 80 | 20 |
| 9 | 80 | 20 |
| 10 | 80 | 20 |
| 11 | 80 | 20 |
| 12 | 80 | 20 |
| 13 | 80 | 20 |
| 14 | 80 | 20 |
| 15 | 80 | 20 |
| 16 | 80 | 20 |
| 17 | 80 | 20 |
| 18 | 81 | 19 |
| 19 | 81 | 19 |
| 20 | 81 | 19 |
| 21 | 81 | 19 |
| 22 | 81 | 19 |
| 23 | 83 | 17 |
| 24 | 83 | 17 |
| 25 | 83 | 17 |
| 26 | 85 | 15 |
| 27 | 85 | 15 |
| 28 | 85 | 15 |
| 29 | 87 | 13 |
| 30 | 87 | 13 |
| 31 | 87 | 13 |
Chance of precipitation in March
Dakar gets around 0 mm of rain over 0 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.
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 | 26 | 27 | 28 | 29 | 30 | 31 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rain chance (%) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Rain chance (%) | |
|---|---|
| 1 | 0 |
| 2 | 0 |
| 3 | 0 |
| 4 | 0 |
| 5 | 0 |
| 6 | 0 |
| 7 | 0 |
| 8 | 0 |
| 9 | 0 |
| 10 | 0 |
| 11 | 0 |
| 12 | 0 |
| 13 | 0 |
| 14 | 0 |
| 15 | 0 |
| 16 | 0 |
| 17 | 0 |
| 18 | 0 |
| 19 | 0 |
| 20 | 0 |
| 21 | 0 |
| 22 | 0 |
| 23 | 0 |
| 24 | 0 |
| 25 | 0 |
| 26 | 0 |
| 27 | 0 |
| 28 | 0 |
| 29 | 0 |
| 30 | 0 |
| 31 | 0 |
Humidity in March
Most of March feels humid — the stacked bands show each day's mix of comfort levels, read off the dew point.
By dew point, March lands in the humid band about 61% of days. Sticky, muggy-or-worse air turns up on roughly 11% of them.
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 | 26 | 27 | 28 | 29 | 30 | 31 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dry (%) | 10 | 9 | 9 | 8 | 8 | 7 | 7 | 6 | 5 | 5 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Comfortable (%) | 38 | 38 | 37 | 36 | 35 | 34 | 33 | 33 | 32 | 31 | 30 | 29 | 27 | 26 | 25 | 24 | 23 | 22 | 21 | 20 | 19 | 18 | 17 | 15 | 14 | 13 | 12 | 11 | 10 | 9 | 9 |
| Humid (%) | 46 | 47 | 48 | 50 | 51 | 53 | 53 | 54 | 56 | 56 | 58 | 59 | 61 | 62 | 63 | 64 | 64 | 65 | 65 | 66 | 67 | 67 | 68 | 69 | 69 | 70 | 71 | 71 | 72 | 72 | 72 |
| Muggy (%) | 6 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 9 | 9 | 10 | 10 | 11 | 11 | 12 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 18 | 19 | 19 |
| Dry (%) | Comfortable (%) | Humid (%) | Muggy (%) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 10 | 38 | 46 | 6 |
| 2 | 9 | 38 | 47 | 6 |
| 3 | 9 | 37 | 48 | 6 |
| 4 | 8 | 36 | 50 | 6 |
| 5 | 8 | 35 | 51 | 6 |
| 6 | 7 | 34 | 53 | 6 |
| 7 | 7 | 33 | 53 | 7 |
| 8 | 6 | 33 | 54 | 7 |
| 9 | 5 | 32 | 56 | 7 |
| 10 | 5 | 31 | 56 | 8 |
| 11 | 4 | 30 | 58 | 8 |
| 12 | 4 | 29 | 59 | 8 |
| 13 | 3 | 27 | 61 | 9 |
| 14 | 3 | 26 | 62 | 9 |
| 15 | 2 | 25 | 63 | 10 |
| 16 | 2 | 24 | 64 | 10 |
| 17 | 2 | 23 | 64 | 11 |
| 18 | 2 | 22 | 65 | 11 |
| 19 | 2 | 21 | 65 | 12 |
| 20 | 2 | 20 | 66 | 12 |
| 21 | 1 | 19 | 67 | 13 |
| 22 | 1 | 18 | 67 | 14 |
| 23 | 1 | 17 | 68 | 14 |
| 24 | 1 | 15 | 69 | 15 |
| 25 | 1 | 14 | 69 | 16 |
| 26 | 1 | 13 | 70 | 16 |
| 27 | 0 | 12 | 71 | 17 |
| 28 | 0 | 11 | 71 | 18 |
| 29 | 0 | 10 | 72 | 18 |
| 30 | 0 | 9 | 72 | 19 |
| 31 | 0 | 9 | 72 | 19 |
Wind in March
Winds average 25 km/h in March.
Across March, daily wind ranges from about 25 km/h on the calmest days to 25 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 | 26 | 27 | 28 | 29 | 30 | 31 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wind speed (km/h) | 25 | 25 | 25 | 25 | 25 | 25 | 25 | 25 | 25 | 25 | 25 | 25 | 25 | 25 | 25 | 25 | 25 | 25 | 25 | 25 | 25 | 25 | 25 | 25 | 25 | 25 | 25 | 25 | 25 | 25 | 25 |
| Feels | breezy | breezy | breezy | breezy | breezy | breezy | breezy | breezy | breezy | breezy | breezy | breezy | breezy | breezy | breezy | breezy | breezy | breezy | breezy | breezy | breezy | breezy | breezy | breezy | breezy | breezy | breezy | breezy | breezy | breezy | breezy |
| Wind speed (km/h) | Feels | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 25 | breezy |
| 2 | 25 | breezy |
| 3 | 25 | breezy |
| 4 | 25 | breezy |
| 5 | 25 | breezy |
| 6 | 25 | breezy |
| 7 | 25 | breezy |
| 8 | 25 | breezy |
| 9 | 25 | breezy |
| 10 | 25 | breezy |
| 11 | 25 | breezy |
| 12 | 25 | breezy |
| 13 | 25 | breezy |
| 14 | 25 | breezy |
| 15 | 25 | breezy |
| 16 | 25 | breezy |
| 17 | 25 | breezy |
| 18 | 25 | breezy |
| 19 | 25 | breezy |
| 20 | 25 | breezy |
| 21 | 25 | breezy |
| 22 | 25 | breezy |
| 23 | 25 | breezy |
| 24 | 25 | breezy |
| 25 | 25 | breezy |
| 26 | 25 | breezy |
| 27 | 25 | breezy |
| 28 | 25 | breezy |
| 29 | 25 | breezy |
| 30 | 25 | breezy |
| 31 | 25 | breezy |
Sunrise & sunset in March
Daylight runs from about 11 h 42 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 24 minutes over March. Sunrise moves from 7:32 AM to 7:11 AM, and sunset from 7:14 PM to 7:18 PM.
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 | 26 | 27 | 28 | 29 | 30 | 31 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Daylight (h) | 11.7 | 11.7 | 11.7 | 11.7 | 11.7 | 11.8 | 11.8 | 11.8 | 11.8 | 11.8 | 11.8 | 11.8 | 11.9 | 11.9 | 11.9 | 11.9 | 11.9 | 11.9 | 11.9 | 12.0 | 12.0 | 12.0 | 12.0 | 12.0 | 12.0 | 12.0 | 12.1 | 12.1 | 12.1 | 12.1 | 12.1 |
| Sunrise (AM) | 7:32 | 7:32 | 7:31 | 7:30 | 7:30 | 7:29 | 7:29 | 7:28 | 7:27 | 7:27 | 7:26 | 7:25 | 7:25 | 7:24 | 7:23 | 7:22 | 7:22 | 7:21 | 7:20 | 7:20 | 7:19 | 7:18 | 7:17 | 7:17 | 7:16 | 7:15 | 7:14 | 7:14 | 7:13 | 7:12 | 7:11 |
| Sunset (PM) | 7:14 | 7:14 | 7:14 | 7:14 | 7:15 | 7:15 | 7:15 | 7:15 | 7:15 | 7:15 | 7:16 | 7:16 | 7:16 | 7:16 | 7:16 | 7:16 | 7:16 | 7:17 | 7:17 | 7:17 | 7:17 | 7:17 | 7:17 | 7:17 | 7:17 | 7:18 | 7:18 | 7:18 | 7:18 | 7:18 | 7:18 |
| Daylight (h) | Sunrise (AM) | Sunset (PM) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 11.7 | 7:32 | 7:14 |
| 2 | 11.7 | 7:32 | 7:14 |
| 3 | 11.7 | 7:31 | 7:14 |
| 4 | 11.7 | 7:30 | 7:14 |
| 5 | 11.7 | 7:30 | 7:15 |
| 6 | 11.8 | 7:29 | 7:15 |
| 7 | 11.8 | 7:29 | 7:15 |
| 8 | 11.8 | 7:28 | 7:15 |
| 9 | 11.8 | 7:27 | 7:15 |
| 10 | 11.8 | 7:27 | 7:15 |
| 11 | 11.8 | 7:26 | 7:16 |
| 12 | 11.8 | 7:25 | 7:16 |
| 13 | 11.9 | 7:25 | 7:16 |
| 14 | 11.9 | 7:24 | 7:16 |
| 15 | 11.9 | 7:23 | 7:16 |
| 16 | 11.9 | 7:22 | 7:16 |
| 17 | 11.9 | 7:22 | 7:16 |
| 18 | 11.9 | 7:21 | 7:17 |
| 19 | 11.9 | 7:20 | 7:17 |
| 20 | 12.0 | 7:20 | 7:17 |
| 21 | 12.0 | 7:19 | 7:17 |
| 22 | 12.0 | 7:18 | 7:17 |
| 23 | 12.0 | 7:17 | 7:17 |
| 24 | 12.0 | 7:17 | 7:17 |
| 25 | 12.0 | 7:16 | 7:17 |
| 26 | 12.0 | 7:15 | 7:18 |
| 27 | 12.1 | 7:14 | 7:18 |
| 28 | 12.1 | 7:14 | 7:18 |
| 29 | 12.1 | 7:13 | 7:18 |
| 30 | 12.1 | 7:12 | 7:18 |
| 31 | 12.1 | 7:11 | 7:18 |
Solar energy in March
Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in March, about 6.82 kWh/m².
For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 5.06 kWh/m² to a high of 7.21 kWh/m² in May across the year — March's 6.82 kWh/m² falls in the middle.
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 | 26 | 27 | 28 | 29 | 30 | 31 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Solar energy (kWh/m²) | 6.5 | 6.5 | 6.5 | 6.5 | 6.6 | 6.6 | 6.6 | 6.7 | 6.7 | 6.7 | 6.7 | 6.8 | 6.8 | 6.8 | 6.8 | 6.8 | 6.9 | 6.9 | 6.9 | 6.9 | 6.9 | 6.9 | 7.0 | 7.0 | 7.0 | 7.0 | 7.0 | 7.0 | 7.0 | 7.0 | 7.1 |
| Level | Intense | Intense | Intense | Intense | Intense | Intense | Intense | Intense | Intense | Intense | Intense | Intense | Intense | Intense | Intense | Intense | Intense | Intense | Intense | Intense | Intense | Intense | Intense | Intense | Intense | Intense | Intense | Intense | Intense | Intense | Intense |
| Solar energy (kWh/m²) | Level | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 6.5 | Intense |
| 2 | 6.5 | Intense |
| 3 | 6.5 | Intense |
| 4 | 6.5 | Intense |
| 5 | 6.6 | Intense |
| 6 | 6.6 | Intense |
| 7 | 6.6 | Intense |
| 8 | 6.7 | Intense |
| 9 | 6.7 | Intense |
| 10 | 6.7 | Intense |
| 11 | 6.7 | Intense |
| 12 | 6.8 | Intense |
| 13 | 6.8 | Intense |
| 14 | 6.8 | Intense |
| 15 | 6.8 | Intense |
| 16 | 6.8 | Intense |
| 17 | 6.9 | Intense |
| 18 | 6.9 | Intense |
| 19 | 6.9 | Intense |
| 20 | 6.9 | Intense |
| 21 | 6.9 | Intense |
| 22 | 6.9 | Intense |
| 23 | 7.0 | Intense |
| 24 | 7.0 | Intense |
| 25 | 7.0 | Intense |
| 26 | 7.0 | Intense |
| 27 | 7.0 | Intense |
| 28 | 7.0 | Intense |
| 29 | 7.0 | Intense |
| 30 | 7.0 | Intense |
| 31 | 7.1 | Intense |
Hazard calendar for Dakar
In March, Dakar sits inside its dust season. The full year is below, with each hazard's peak months called out.
Dakar sits in the Atlantic hurricane belt; the season peaks August–October.
Dakar sees dust haze year-round, heaviest in June.
Is March a good time to visit Dakar?
Our two travel scores rate March for general sightseeing and for beach or pool weather — 0 (poor) to 10 (ideal).
March is one of the better times to visit Dakar for general sightseeing.
What to pack for Dakar in March
From March's temperature range, rain chance, sun and wind — what's worth putting in the bag.
In March, Dakar sees daytime highs around 21°C and nights near 20°C. Pack sun protection. Worth having: a windbreaker.
Sea temperature near Dakar in March
The nearest coast averages about 19°C in March — the other half of the beach question. The full-year curve and swim-comfort zones are below.
The sea offshore is warmest in September at about 28°C and coldest in March near 19°C.
It's comfortable for a long swim from Apr 12 to Feb 4 — about 9.8 months when the water holds above 20°C.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sea temperature (°C) | 21 | 20 | 19 | 20 | 22 | 25 | 27 | 28 | 28 | 28 | 27 | 24 |
| Comfort | Refreshing | Cool | Cool | Refreshing | Refreshing | Warm | Warm | Tropical | Tropical | Tropical | Warm | Refreshing |
| Sea temperature (°C) | Comfort | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 21 | Refreshing |
| Feb | 20 | Cool |
| Mar | 19 | Cool |
| Apr | 20 | Refreshing |
| May | 22 | Refreshing |
| Jun | 25 | Warm |
| Jul | 27 | Warm |
| Aug | 28 | Tropical |
| Sep | 28 | Tropical |
| Oct | 28 | Tropical |
| Nov | 27 | Warm |
| Dec | 24 | Refreshing |
UV index in Dakar in March
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 Dakar peaks around March 17 at about 12 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near December 17 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 | 13 | 11 | 12 | 10 | 11 | 11 | 11 | 9 | 8 | 6 |
| Level | Very high | Extreme | Extreme | Extreme | Extreme | Very high | Extreme | Extreme | Extreme | Very high | Very high | High |
| UV index (midday) | Level | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 8 | Very high |
| Feb | 11 | Extreme |
| Mar | 13 | Extreme |
| Apr | 11 | Extreme |
| May | 12 | Extreme |
| Jun | 10 | Very high |
| Jul | 11 | Extreme |
| Aug | 11 | Extreme |
| Sep | 11 | Extreme |
| Oct | 9 | Very high |
| Nov | 8 | Very high |
| Dec | 6 | High |
Air quality in Dakar in March
Average fine-particle pollution (PM2.5) through the year — so you can see where March falls, not just the annual average.
Air quality in Dakar is worst in January — around 68 µg/m³ PM2.5 (unhealthy), about 3.1× the cleanest month (August, 22 µg/m³).
Seasonal pattern from CAMS reanalysis, scaled to Dakar's WHO annual average of 42 µg/m³.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PM2.5 (µg/m³) | 68 | 64 | 48 | 33 | 30 | 41 | 30 | 22 | 26 | 38 | 42 | 62 |
| Level | Unhealthy | Unhealthy | Poor | Moderate | Moderate | Poor | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Poor | Poor | Unhealthy |
| PM2.5 (µg/m³) | Level | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 68 | Unhealthy |
| Feb | 64 | Unhealthy |
| Mar | 48 | Poor |
| Apr | 33 | Moderate |
| May | 30 | Moderate |
| Jun | 41 | Poor |
| Jul | 30 | Moderate |
| Aug | 22 | Moderate |
| Sep | 26 | Moderate |
| Oct | 38 | Poor |
| Nov | 42 | Poor |
| Dec | 62 | Unhealthy |
Where is Dakar?
Dakar sits at 14.7°N, 17.4°W, 12 m above sea level, in Senegal. The nearest listed city is Le Plateau, 4.0 km away.
Topography around Dakar
How much the land rises and falls, and what covers it, within 3, 16 and 80 km of Dakar.
Within 3 km, the terrain around Dakar has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 42 m around an average of 9 m above sea level; within 16 km, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 89 m; within 80 km, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 143 m.
The land around Dakar is covered by artificial surfaces (76%) and water (20%) within 3 km, water (81%) within 16 km, and water (65%) within 80 km.
Senegal travel facts
- Travel advisory
- Level 1
- Exercise Normal Precautions
- Power plugs
- Type C / D / E / K
- 230 V · 50 Hz
- Prices
- ≈ 36% of US
- price level, 2025
- GDP per capita
- $1,955
- 2025
- Happiness
- 4.8 / 10
- World Happiness, 2025
- Safe drinking water
- 27%
- of population, 2024
- Homicide rate
- 0.3
- per 100k, 2015
- Road deaths
- 23.5
- per 100k/yr, 2019
- Income group
- Lower middle
- World Bank
- English
- Very low
- EF EPI 442
- 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 Dakar (14.6937°, -17.4441°, elevation 12 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. Tropical-cyclone seasons are the published climatological basin seasons (NOAA National Hurricane Center / regional warning centres). Sea temperatures are the NOAA OISST v2.1 1991–2020 monthly climatology (public domain), sampled at the nearest ocean point. 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).