Dakar, the capital of Senegal, sits on the Cap-Vert peninsula, the westernmost point of mainland Africa, jutting into the Atlantic at approximately 14.72°N, 17.47°W. Its exposed oceanic position gives it a hot semi-arid climate (Köppen BSh) — warm and breezy — with a short rainy season, notably moderated by the cool Canary Current offshore.

The rainy season, from July to October, is hot and humid, with highs around 30–31°C and warm nights, when the West African monsoon brings heavy but intermittent thunderstorms; August and September are the wettest months. Humidity is high, and the sea breeze offers only partial relief from the sticky heat.

The long dry season, from November to June, is warm, dry and pleasantly breezy, with highs around 25–27°C and comfortable nights near 18–20°C, cooled by the Atlantic and the trade winds — far milder than the searing Senegalese interior. The Harmattan occasionally reaches the peninsula, hazing the sky with Saharan dust.

Dakar is dry, receiving only around 400–500 mm of rain a year, almost all of it in the short rainy season from July to October, with an August and September peak, while November to June is effectively rainless. The rains are erratic and drought is a chronic Sahelian threat. Live rainfall, humidity, and pressure readings for the city are shown in the panels above.

Dakar's peninsular position, surrounded by the Atlantic and cooled by the Canary Current, gives it a far milder, breezier climate than the baking interior of Senegal just a short drive inland — a maritime moderation that makes Africa's westernmost city notably comfortable through its long dry season.

To follow any single measurement in Dakar more closely, use our live instruments: the online barometer for atmospheric pressure, the thermometer for temperature, the hygrometer for humidity, the anemometer for wind speed, the wind vane for wind direction, and the rain gauge for rainfall.