Dakar weather in December
December in Dakar: warm, dry, with poor air quality — fine if you can take poor air.
Updated September 2026 · climate normals from ERA5 reanalysis
#6 of 12 months in Dakar · #397 of 1413 destinations to visit in December · comfort 82/100 (tier A)
- Days
- 27°C
- Nights
- 22°C
- Wet days
- 0
- Sun
- 9.7 h
- Humidity
- 56%
- Daylight
- 11 h

Traveller notes on Dakar in December
Other months in Dakar
Forum posters describe September in Dakar as nearing the end of the rainy season, with storms when they happen typically lasting only around two hours rather than settling in for the day - posters generally reassure visitors not to worry too much about September weather in the city itself. Posters are direct that year-to-year variability is real, though: one particularly wet September brought record flooding to city streets with heavy rain continuing into October and high humidity throughout, while more recent visitor reports describe comparatively little rain in Dakar during September specifically. Posters consistently note that travelers heading south into Senegal's countryside should expect significantly heavier rain than in Dakar itself during this period. Posters generally rate September as a workable, if occasionally unpredictable, time to visit Dakar specifically.
Forum posters place March squarely in the dry season: daily highs of 25-32C with low humidity along the coast, though some years bring cooler, dustier spells from Harmattan winds sweeping in from the Sahara and turning the sky brown. By late March the weather is generally called lovely, with a shawl or light jumper recommended just for cooler evenings. One geographic note worth knowing: heading inland from the coast, both temperature and humidity climb noticeably compared to Dakar itself, so the coastal dry-season comfort doesn't necessarily extend far past the city.
Add your own note from Dakar's card on the map.
Dakar climate normals — December
Monthly averages from ERA5 reanalysis. AQI is the mean US Air Quality Index for the month.
Crowds in Dakar in December
How busy the place itself is — school and mass holidays, the months an editor tagged, and how sought-after the weather makes them. Never part of the comfort score.
Shoulder seasonschool holidays in 5 of the markets that fill it, an ordinary month(estimated)
Peak crowdsBusyShoulder seasonQuiet
Best months for Dakar's weather
Ranked by this destination's own climate comfort score across the year — a different thing from how busy it gets (see Crowds above).
Fair weatherDakar's weather peaks January–March, best around February.
Best weatherFair weatherToughest weather
What's on in Dakar in December
Recurring seasonal events, natural spectacles, closures and holidays — curated and sourced.
- Festival
Dak'Art contemporary art biennial
15 Nov – 20 Dec · usuallyArts festivalThe continent's longest-running contemporary African art biennial, with an official selection plus a sprawling OFF programme in galleries and flats across the city. It runs in even years and has been postponed before. Source ↗
- Season
Saharan dust season
1 Dec – 28 Feb · usuallyRiskDust off the Sahara crosses the Cap-Vert peninsula through the cool months and drops the visibility to a few kilometres for days at a time. It is the reason a clear winter day here can still look grey. Source ↗
Where is Dakar?
Dakar in December — FAQ
- Is December a good time to visit Dakar?
- December in Dakar: warm, dry, with poor air quality — fine if you can take poor air. It ranks #6 of 12 months for Dakar on SeasonMap's comfort score (82/100).
- What is the weather like in Dakar in December?
- In December, Dakar averages a daily high of 27.2°C and a low of 22.2°C, with about 0.9 mm of rain over roughly 0.4 rainy days.
- What is the air quality in Dakar in December?
- Dakar has a mean US Air Quality Index of about 101 in December.