Joal in Winter
In winter (December, January and February), Joal sees average daytime highs around 29°C and overnight lows near 20°C, with 4 mm of rain over about 1 wet days across the season. It is the coldest season of the year and the 3rd-wettest season.
Across winter, daytime highs hold fairly steady around 29°C. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 52% of the time across winter, and the air most often feels dry.
Winter is Joal's best season of the year to visit on our travel score. For the whole year in context, see Joal's year-round climate.
- Avg daytime high
- 29°C
- coldest season of the year
- Avg overnight low
- 20°C
- Rainfall
- 4 mm
- 1 wet days
- Avg wind
- 15 km/h
- Travel score
- 6.8
- best season of the year
- Months
- Dec · Jan · Feb
Temperature in Joal in Winter
Across winter, daytime highs hold fairly steady around 29°C.
A typical winter day in Joal reaches about 29°C and drops to 20°C overnight. The warmest of the three months is December, the coolest January.
How winter really feels in Joal
Once humidity and wind are folded in, winter brings about 0 days that feel above 32°C and 0 that feel at or below 0°C.
winter sits comfortably in between — no days that feel dangerously hot or drop to a hard freeze once humidity and wind are folded in.
Joal weather by month
How the three winter months (December, January and February) 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 | 29° / 19° | 2 | 0.2 | 11.3 | 7.2 |
| Feb | 29° / 20° | 1 | 0.1 | 11.5 | 6.8 |
| Mar | 30° / 20° | 0 | 0.1 | 11.9 | 6.6 |
| Apr | 30° / 20° | 0 | 0 | 12.3 | 6.8 |
| May | 29° / 22° | 0 | 0.1 | 12.6 | 7.0 |
| Jun | 29° / 24° | 4 | 0.7 | 12.8 | 6.8 |
| Jul | 29° / 26° | 61 | 9 | 12.8 | 5.4 |
| Aug | 29° / 26° | 184 | 18.1 | 12.5 | 4.2 |
| Sep | 30° / 26° | 128 | 15.7 | 12.1 | 4.3 |
| Oct | 31° / 26° | 35 | 5.1 | 11.7 | 5.0 |
| Nov | 32° / 23° | 1 | 0.2 | 11.3 | 5.2 |
| Dec | 30° / 21° | 2 | 0.3 | 11.2 | 6.4 |
Cloud cover in Winter
The sky is clear or mostly clear about 52% of the time across winter.
Chance of precipitation in Winter
Joal gets around 4 mm of rain over 1 wet days across winter. The line is the day-by-day chance of measurable precipitation.
Humidity in Winter
Most of winter feels dry — the stacked bands show each day's mix of comfort levels, read off the dew point.
Wind in Winter
Winds average 15 km/h across winter.
Sunrise & sunset in Winter
Daylight runs from about 11 h 12 min in early December to 11 h 42 min by late February. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.
Solar energy in Winter
Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day across winter, about 5.5 kWh/m².
Hazard calendar for Joal
In winter, Joal overlaps its dust season. The full year is below, with each hazard's peak months called out.
Joal sits in the Atlantic hurricane belt; the season peaks August–October.
Joal sees seasonal dust haze (January–October), heaviest in June.
Is winter a good time to visit Joal?
Our two travel scores rate winter for general sightseeing and for beach or pool weather — 0 (poor) to 10 (ideal), averaged across the three months.
winter is a reasonable time to visit Joal for sightseeing. The water and warmth also suit a beach or pool day.
What to pack for Joal in Winter
From winter's temperature range, rain chance, sun and wind — what's worth putting in the bag.
In winter, Joal sees daytime highs around 29°C and nights near 20°C. Pack light clothes and sun protection.
Sea temperature near Joal in Winter
The nearest coast averages about 21°C across winter — the other half of the beach question. The full-year curve and swim-comfort zones are below.
The sea offshore is warmest in October at about 29°C and coldest in March near 19°C.
It's comfortable for a long swim from Apr 16 to Feb 5 — about 9.7 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 | 26 | 28 | 28 | 29 | 29 | 27 | 24 |
| Comfort | Refreshing | Cool | Cool | Cool | Refreshing | Warm | Warm | Tropical | Tropical | Tropical | Warm | Refreshing |
| Sea temperature (°C) | Comfort | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 21 | Refreshing |
| Feb | 20 | Cool |
| Mar | 19 | Cool |
| Apr | 20 | Cool |
| May | 22 | Refreshing |
| Jun | 26 | Warm |
| Jul | 28 | Warm |
| Aug | 28 | Tropical |
| Sep | 29 | Tropical |
| Oct | 29 | Tropical |
| Nov | 27 | Warm |
| Dec | 24 | Refreshing |
UV index in Joal in Winter
Clear-sky midday UV across winter averages around 9 (very high — sun protection essential). The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.
Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Joal peaks around March 18 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.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| UV index (midday) | 8 | 11 | 13 | 12 | 11 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 12 | 10 | 8 | 7 |
| Level | Very high | Extreme | Extreme | Extreme | Extreme | Extreme | Extreme | Extreme | Extreme | Very high | Very high | High |
| UV index (midday) | Level | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 8 | Very high |
| Feb | 11 | Extreme |
| Mar | 13 | Extreme |
| Apr | 12 | Extreme |
| May | 11 | Extreme |
| Jun | 10 | Extreme |
| Jul | 11 | Extreme |
| Aug | 12 | Extreme |
| Sep | 12 | Extreme |
| Oct | 10 | Very high |
| Nov | 8 | Very high |
| Dec | 7 | High |
Air quality in Joal in Winter
Average fine-particle pollution (PM2.5) through the year — so you can see where winter falls, not just the annual average.
Air quality in Joal is worst in February — around 105 µg/m³ PM2.5 (unhealthy), about 3.2× the cleanest month (August, 33 µg/m³).
Modeled monthly averages (CAMS reanalysis, 2015–2024).
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PM2.5 (µg/m³) | 100 | 105 | 84 | 66 | 60 | 71 | 46 | 33 | 41 | 66 | 76 | 96 |
| Level | Unhealthy | Unhealthy | Unhealthy | Unhealthy | Unhealthy | Unhealthy | Poor | Moderate | Poor | Unhealthy | Unhealthy | Unhealthy |
| PM2.5 (µg/m³) | Level | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 100 | Unhealthy |
| Feb | 105 | Unhealthy |
| Mar | 84 | Unhealthy |
| Apr | 66 | Unhealthy |
| May | 60 | Unhealthy |
| Jun | 71 | Unhealthy |
| Jul | 46 | Poor |
| Aug | 33 | Moderate |
| Sep | 41 | Poor |
| Oct | 66 | Unhealthy |
| Nov | 76 | Unhealthy |
| Dec | 96 | Unhealthy |
Where is Joal?
Joal sits at 14.2°N, 16.8°W, 8 m above sea level, in Senegal. The nearest listed city is Mbour, 30 km away.
Topography around Joal
How much the land rises and falls, and what covers it, within 3, 16 and 80 km of Joal.
Within 3 km, the terrain around Joal has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 14 m around an average of 2 m above sea level; within 16 km, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 35 m; within 80 km, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 144 m.
The land around Joal is covered by water (46%) within 3 km, water (54%) within 16 km, and water (39%) and cropland (33%) 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 Joal (14.1731°, -16.8493°, elevation 8 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.