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

Dakar🇸🇳 Senegal · Sahel & Cabo Verde · City82
  1. 89Jan
  2. 91Feb
  3. 90Mar
  4. 88Apr
  5. 83May
  6. 76Jun
  7. 70Jul
  8. 58Aug
  9. 60Sep
  10. 67Oct
  11. 74Nov
  12. 82Dec

#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
Dakar, Senegal
Photo: Libasse El Arbi Ndoye · Pexels

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.
Tripadvisor community · September · 1 month ago · Read more on Tripadvisor ↗
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.
Tripadvisor community · March · 1 month ago · Read more on Tripadvisor ↗

Add your own note from Dakar's card on the map.

Dakar climate normals — December

Daytime high27°C / 81°F🌤 warm
Nighttime low22°C / 72°F
Feels like (high)27°C / 81°F
Sea temperature25°C / 77°F😎 warm sea
Rainfall1 mm / 0 in☀️ dry
Rainy days0 days
Humidity56%🍃 comfortable
Dew point16°C / 61°F
Sunshine9.7 h/day
Daylight11.3 h
Wind22 km/h / 14 mph
Air quality (US AQI)101😷 poor

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)

JFMAMJJASOND

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.

JFMAMJJASOND

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 festival

    The 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 · usuallyRisk

    Dust 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 ↗

What's on around the world in December →

Where is Dakar?

Loading map…

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.