Climate

Senegal’s climate could generally be described as tropical. However, the weather does vary in different parts of the country, broadly falling into three main zones:

1. The coastal region: the Atlantic coastal strip is cooler than inland, partly due to brisk onshore winds. Winter temperatures range from 18-26°C in January. In summer; maximum temperatures average around 31°C. Rains arrive in July, peak in August and tail off by October, bringing around 550mm of rainfall annually.
2. The Sahel region: the northern half of the country falls within the ‘Sahel belt’, a region of semi-arid land which spans across the African continent. Here, temperatures can be cool at night (dropping to around 14°C), but often reach 40°C by day. Rainfall is below 400mm.
3. The Southern region: the southern half of the country is hot and humid, with average maximum temperatures above 30°C throughout the year. Rainfall is usually over 1,500mm to the far south.

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