Country Guide

It has a typical tropical climate with a single rainy season and a long dry season. The general features of the weather and climate of this part of Africa are described for Mali.

Burkina has a climate similar to that of southern Mali. The table for Ouagadougou is representative of the country and comparison between this and the table for Bamako in Mali shows that there is little difference.

The climate is hot around the year and the heat is most uncomfortable during the period May to October, when humidity and cloud are greatest. During the low-sun period from November to March, drier air is brought by the northeasterly harmattan, although on occasions this also brings unpleasant conditions with dust-laden air.

Hours of sunshine are greatest during the dry season, when they average eight to nine hours a day as compared with six to seven hours during the rainy season.