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The climate of the Gambia
Gambia, also known as ‘The Gambia’, is located in the western part of the African continent. According to the Köppen climate classification Gambia has a tropical savannah climate (type Aw). This means the country is situated within a tropical climate zone. Some sources mistakenly classify the climate of Gambia as subtropical. Gambia not only has a savannah climate; the vegetation is also typical for a savannah climate. Mainly grass landscapes with big bushes and several trees can be found here. There are no large rainforests here. However, in the southern part of the country there are several forests with fruit trees such as citrus trees. In the drier northern part of Africa the characteristic baobab tree can be found, also known as the monkey bread tree. Along the Gambia River the landscape is swampy. The river causes typical mangrove overgrowth with the accompanying animal and fish species.

 

Climate information of places and areas in the Gambia
The climate information given on this page is only brief. Specific information on weather and climate can be found on the pages per region or city. The following climate information is available for Gambia:
 

Banjul
Basse Santa Su
Cape Point / Bakau
Janjanbureh
Jenoi
Kerewan
Kololi
Kotu Beach
 

Tropical
Tropical daytime temperatures of 31-38 degrees Celsius can be recorded all year round in Gambia. Along the coast temperatures may be slightly tempered. However, the difference in temperatures between the coastline and the interior is often not more than 1-2 degrees Celsius; because of a sea breeze it may feel much more pleasant along the coast. During the summer temperatures only slowly drop during the evening. At the end of the night temperatures are 23-24 degrees Celsius after which they rapidly rise to figures above 30 degrees Celsius. During the winter night time temperatures are lower; minimum temperatures of 18-20 degrees Celsius on average can be recorded during the night.

Two seasons
Gambia has two distinct seasons. A very dry season and a distinct rainy season. From the end of October till the beginning of June it is very dry in Gambia. During this period it hardly ever rains; when it does rain figures are very low. During the dry period heavy tropical showers are uncommon. In the second or third week of June the weather changes. Humidity figures rise and chances of rain increase rapidly. During the rainy period from the second part of June till the second part of October one in every two days is a rainy day on average. Precipitation almost always falls in the form of (sometimes heavy) showers. These showers mainly occur during the end of the day or after sunset. Almost all the rain that falls in Gambia falls during the rainy season. The interior gets 1,000 millimeters of annual rain on average, the capital Banjul about 1,400 millimeters of annual rain. However, they may be a difference of several of hundreds of millimeters of precipitation between different years.

Warm spring
March, April and May are the warmest and most sunny months in Gambia. During this period temperatures may easily rise up to 40 degrees Celsius. This is caused by the Harmattan, a desert wind that comes from the north east. As soon as the rainy season starts daytime temperatures are slightly lower. However, minimum temperatures rise. Because of rising humidity figures it still feels warm or even muggy.

Very pleasant winters
December, January and February are the most pleasant months to go on vacation in Gambia. Humidity figures are lower during this period and temperatures are much more bearable. It is still warm without getting too hot. Especially on the beach or at the swimming pool you can enjoy the sunshine. Because chances of rain are almost nil Gambia is seen as one of the best places for a winter sun vacation. From March temperatures start to rise to 34 degrees Celsius which may be a bit too warm for most of us.

UV-index
UV-index figures are high in Gambia. The maximum value of 11 can be recorded almost all year round, with the exception of November, December and January when a maximum figure of 10 can be recorded. During cloudy days there is also a high risk of skin burn. If you expose your skin to the sun for a longer period of time there is also a serious risk of skin cancer. We advise you to wear protective clothes (also against mosquitoes) and to apply sunscreen with a high protective factor.

 

Climate figures
The figures below are based on long term weather and climate records. They are an average for Gambia. Local deviations may occur. During the day it is slightly warmer in the interior than along the coast. The western part of Gambia gets slightly more rain. Please, visit the individual climate pages for climate information on specific places and regions in Gambia.

average
 maximum
temperature (°C)

average
minimum

temperature (°C)
average
hours of sunshine

per
day
average days with precipitation
per month
average
mm
precipitation
per month
average
sea
temperature (°C)
January 32 16 8 1 22
February 34 17 9 1 21
March 35 18 9 1 21
April 36 18 10 3 22
May 35 20 10 7 24
June 34 23 8 14 27
July 33 24 7 17 28
August 32 24 7 18 28
September 32 23 7 16 28
October 33 22 8 13 28
November 33 19 9 6 28
December 32 17 8 3 25
= 0-5 mm ● = 6-30 mm ● = 31-60 mm ● = 61-100 mm ● = 101-200 mm ● = over 200 mm
= 0-0.2 inches ● = 0.2-1.2 inches ● = 1.2-2.4 inches ● = 2.5-4 inches ● = 4.1-8 inches ● = over 8 inches

More climate information
Climate tables are useful but they don’t give an overall picture of the climate and possible weather conditions during a period of time. How high the chances are of hot or cold weather or hurricanes can often not be found in these tables. This is why we offer extra climate information per month. The figures below can be seen as an average for Gambia
 

chance of
(very) hot

weather

chance of
(very) cool
weather
chance of
long-term

precipitation
chance of
hurricanes
(cyclones)
chance of
sunny days

UV-index

January
February
March
April
May
June
July
August
September
October
November
December
click here for the explanation of the symbols

 

Disclaimer
The information at this site was carefully composed from climate data collected by meteorological services, meteorological offices, climate experts and other sources. “More climate info” is based on statistics, climate data and personal experience. No rights can be derived from this site. Weather has no memory and gives no guaranties. Nothing is as changeable and unpredictable as the weather. The authors of this site feel in no way responsible for any damages caused by misinterpretation or other circumstances that may influence your holiday or trip to a certain destination. We provide information, it’s up to the reader to use it to it’s benefit.

 

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