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

Nouakchott🇲🇷 Mauritania · Sahel & Cabo Verde · City88
  1. 88Jan
  2. 85Feb
  3. 83Mar
  4. 79Apr
  5. 76May
  6. 71Jun
  7. 73Jul
  8. 69Aug
  9. 63Sep
  10. 62Oct
  11. 80Nov
  12. 84Dec

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, Mauritania
Photo: laye Photographe · Pexels

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.

MonthScoreTierHighRainSunCrowdsOn
Jan88A28°C0 d10 hBusy2
Feb85A29°C0 d10 hBusy3
Mar83A31°C0 d11 hBusy2
Apr79B32°C0 d12 hShoulder1
May76B33°C0 d12 hBusy1
Jun71B34°C0 d12 hBusy1
Jul73B31°C1 d12 hShoulder1
Aug69C32°C3 d12 hQuiet2
Sep63C35°C3 d11 hQuiet1
Oct62C36°C1 d11 hQuiet—
Nov80A33°C0 d10 hBusy3
Dec84A29°C0 d10 hBusy2

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

Everything on in Nouakchott through the year →

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)

JFMAMJJASOND

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.
Tripadvisor community · January · 1 month ago · Read more on Tripadvisor ↗
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.
Tripadvisor community · July · 1 month ago · Read more on Tripadvisor ↗

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