Nouakchott weather by month
The best time to visit Nouakchott is December to February — 88/100 in January, 28°C and 0 rainy days. The best season is winter, December to February (86/100 on average).
The worst month is October at 62/100 — sweltering, dry, poor air quality. See October →
Updated September 2026 · climate normals from ERA5 reanalysis
Best season: December to February (86/100 on average) · worst October (62/100)
- Days
- 28°C
- Nights
- 17°C
- Wet days
- 0
- Sun
- 9.9 h
- Humidity
- 28%
- Daylight
- 11 h

Nouakchott, month by month
Comfort score out of 100 for the kind of trip Nouakchott is best for, the average high, rainy days and hours of sun a day from the climate normals, and how busy it tends to be.
What's on in Nouakchott through the year
Festivals, natural spectacles, holidays and the seasons to watch out for — curated and sourced. The month pages carry the detail.
- February
- Ramadan1 Feb – 25 Mar (usually)Holiday
- May
- Tabaski (Eid al-Adha)10 May – 5 Jun (usually)Holiday
- July
- The guetna exodus15 Jul – 31 Aug (usually)Season
- August
- Flooded districts after storms1 Aug – 30 Sep (usually)Hazard
- November
- Independence Day28 NovHoliday
- The cool season20 Nov – 28 Feb (usually)Season
- Sand and dust season25 Nov – 15 Apr (usually)Season
Crowds in Nouakchott in January
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.
Busyschool holidays in 5 of the markets that fill it, one of its best months for weather(estimated)
Peak crowdsBusyShoulder seasonQuiet
Traveller notes on Nouakchott
What people who have been say about the place — the year-round notes first, then month by month.
Forum posters and regional guides consistently name the winter months, January included, as the coolest and most comfortable stretch of the year in this Saharan coastal capital, a real break from the punishing heat of the summer months further inland. Posters describe conditions as still warm by day - comfortably into the high 70s to low 80s Fahrenheit is typical for this time of year along the Mauritanian coast - but with genuinely cool, pleasant evenings thanks to the Atlantic's moderating effect on what is otherwise a desert climate. Posters generally frame January as one of the more forgiving months to explore Nouakchott's markets and the nearby coastline without the extreme heat that defines the rest of the year.
Forum posters describe July as Nouakchott's hottest month, with temperatures reported as high as 89F (roughly 32C). Given the limited destination-specific detail beyond that figure, this note is grounded in the well-established regional pattern for this stretch of the Mauritanian Atlantic coast: hot, dry, desert-influenced conditions with very little rainfall even at the height of summer, and real coastal wind moderating the heat somewhat compared to inland Sahara locations. Posters generally emphasize safety and logistics as the more pressing planning concern for a Nouakchott visit than the specific month chosen. Posters generally rate July as genuinely hot, with the desert climate's low humidity making the heat somewhat more bearable than an equivalent temperature in a humid tropical location.
Add your own note from Nouakchott's card on the map.