Climate
Under Köppen's climate classification, Cotonou features a tropical wet and dry climate, alternating with two rainy seasons (April – July and September – October, 800 to 1,200 mm of rain per year) and two dry seasons. In December and January, the city is affected by harmattan winds. Temperatures are relatively constant throughout the course of the year, with the average high temperatures hovering around 30°C, and average low temperatures at around 25°C.
| Climate data for Cotonou | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Average high °C (°F) | 27 (81) |
28 (82) |
28 (82) |
28 (82) |
27 (81) |
26 (79) |
26 (79) |
25 (77) |
26 (79) |
27 (81) |
28 (82) |
27 (81) |
26.9 (80.5) |
| Average low °C (°F) | 23 (73) |
25 (77) |
26 (79) |
26 (79) |
24 (75) |
23 (73) |
23 (73) |
23 (73) |
23 (73) |
24 (75) |
24 (75) |
24 (75) |
24.0 (75.2) |
| Precipitation mm (inches) | 33 (1.3) |
33 (1.3) |
117 (4.61) |
125 (4.92) |
254 (10) |
366 (14.41) |
89 (3.5) |
38 (1.5) |
66 (2.6) |
135 (5.31) |
58 (2.28) |
13 (0.51) |
1,327 (52.24) |
| Avg. rainy days | 2 | 2 | 5 | 7 | 11 | 13 | 7 | 3 | 6 | 9 | 6 | 1 | 72 |
| Mean monthly sunshine hours | 217 | 224 | 217 | 210 | 217 | 150 | 124 | 155 | 150 | 186 | 240 | 217 | 2,307 |
| Source: BBC Weather | |||||||||||||
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