Mali
Weather locations in Mali
Choose a location in Mali to view its available forecast products.
Mali illustrated weather map
18 mapped locations
Only locations with a verified coordinate are marked. The complete location list is below.
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Climate of Mali
Country climate guideMali is a landlocked West African state spanning the desert, the Sahel and the savanna between roughly the twelfth and twenty-fifth parallels, and its climate is dominated by the seasonal shift of the tropical rainbelt. Bamako, the capital in the south, averages about 28 °C in January and around 26 °C in July, with a large daily range. Annual rainfall in the capital is near 1,000 millimetres, while the north receives a fraction of that.
Main climate types
Three zones are recognised. A Sahelian belt covers the north, from about Timbuktu northwards, with rainfall under 150 millimetres and sustained heat. A Sudanian savanna belt runs through the centre and the capital, receiving roughly 500 to 1,000 millimetres. A Sudano-Guinean belt in the south-west, around Sikasso and Kayes, is the wettest, sometimes exceeding 1,200 millimetres. Latitude and the length of the rainy season separate them.
Temperatures
Mali is hot at almost every season. In the south the warmest months are April and May, just before the rains, when daytime highs frequently pass 38 °C, while July and August are cooler because of cloud and rain. Northern desert regions stay hot all year, with very large differences between day and night. The lowest temperatures of the year come inland at night in the dry season.
Rainfall
Only about a fifth of the country's rain falls outside the wet season. In the south, rain arrives from June to September, peaking in July and August, as heavy afternoon thunderstorms that can cause flash flooding on flat, bare ground. Further north the season shortens and weakens, and the desert north of Timbuktu typically receives under 100 millimetres. From November to March the harmattan, a dust-laden north-easterly, hangs fine red sand over the country.
When to go
The dry season, from November to March, is the practical choice for travel, with warm days, no rain and good visibility, though the harmattan in the early months brings haze and reduced sightlines. The wettest months, July to September, are hot and uncomfortable. Visitors should avoid the far north outside the dry season, when water and shade are scarce.