Dakar in Spring
In spring (March, April and May), Dakar sees average daytime highs around 22°C and overnight lows near 21°C, with 0 mm of rain over about 0 wet days across the season. It is the coldest season of the year and the driest season of the year.
Over the season highs climb from about 21°C in early March to 24°C by late May. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 73% of the time across spring, and the air most often feels humid.
Spring is Dakar's best season of the year to visit on our travel score. Dakar has little temperature swing across the year, so its calendar seasons blur — the season framing matters less here than for a place with four distinct seasons. For the whole year in context, see Dakar's year-round climate.
- Avg daytime high
- 22°C
- coldest season of the year
- Avg overnight low
- 21°C
- Rainfall
- 0 mm
- 0 wet days
- Avg wind
- 23 km/h
- Travel score
- 8.8
- best season of the year
- Months
- Mar · Apr · May
Temperature in Dakar in Spring
Over the season highs climb from about 21°C in early March to 24°C by late May.
A typical spring day in Dakar reaches about 22°C and drops to 21°C overnight. The warmest of the three months is May, the coolest March.
How spring really feels in Dakar
Once humidity and wind are folded in, spring brings about 0 days that feel above 32°C and 0 that feel at or below 0°C.
spring 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 the three spring months (March, April and May) compare with the rest of the year — the season's months are highlighted.
| 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 Spring
The sky is clear or mostly clear about 73% of the time across spring.
Chance of precipitation in Spring
Dakar gets around 0 mm of rain over 0 wet days across spring. The line is the day-by-day chance of measurable precipitation.
Humidity in Spring
Most of spring feels humid — the stacked bands show each day's mix of comfort levels, read off the dew point.
Wind in Spring
Winds average 23 km/h across spring.
Sunrise & sunset in Spring
Daylight runs from about 11 h 42 min in early March to 12 h 48 min by late May. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.
Solar energy in Spring
Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day across spring, about 7.1 kWh/m².
Hazard calendar for Dakar
In spring, Dakar overlaps 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 spring a good time to visit Dakar?
Our two travel scores rate spring for general sightseeing and for beach or pool weather — 0 (poor) to 10 (ideal), averaged across the three months.
spring is one of the better times to visit Dakar for general sightseeing.
What to pack for Dakar in Spring
From spring's temperature range, rain chance, sun and wind — what's worth putting in the bag.
In spring, Dakar sees daytime highs around 22°C and nights near 21°C. Pack sun protection. Worth having: light clothes and a windbreaker.
Sea temperature near Dakar in Spring
The nearest coast averages about 21°C across spring — 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 Spring
Clear-sky midday UV across spring averages around 12 (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 Spring
Average fine-particle pollution (PM2.5) through the year — so you can see where spring 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.