Cotonou weather by month & the best time to visit
🇧🇯 Benin · coastal city break · tropical — wet & dry seasons climate
The best time to visit Cotonou is January — its sunniest month (Sunshine Score 86/100), with December and February close behind. Cotonou averages about 1,921 hours of sunshine a year. Daytime highs around 30°C / 86°F and roughly 20 mm of rain in January.
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- Sun hours / year
- 1,921
- Sunniest month
- January
- Peak score
- 86/100
- Rain / year
- 1,342 mm
- Midday UV at peak
- 9 (very high)
- Sea at warmest
- 31°C / 88°F
- Population
- 762k
- Elevation
- Sea level
When is the best time to visit Cotonou?
For sunshine, the best time to visit Cotonou is January, then December and February. The dullest month is May (62/100, 174 mm of rain). The full month-by-month picture is in the table below.
How sunny is Cotonou?
Cotonou gets a moderate 1,921 hours of sunshine a year. January (86/100) is noticeably better than May (62). It is the only destination Sunshine Map tracks in Benin. Rain has a clear season: the wettest stretch, around June, carries about 41% of the annual 1,342 mm.
Sunshine Score by month
| Month | Score | Day high | Night low | Rain | UV | Sea |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 86 | 30° / 86°F | 23° / 73°F | 20 mm | 7 | 30° / 86°F |
| February | 84 | 30° / 86°F | 25° / 77°F | 32 mm | 7 | 29° / 84°F |
| March | 76 | 30° / 86°F | 26° / 79°F | 78 mm | 8 | 29° / 84°F |
| April | 68 | 30° / 86°F | 26° / 79°F | 119 mm | 9 | 30° / 86°F |
| May | 62 | 29° / 84°F | 26° / 79°F | 174 mm | 8 | 31° / 88°F |
| June | 62 | 28° / 82°F | 25° / 77°F | 216 mm | 7 | 30° / 86°F |
| July | 62 | 27° / 81°F | 23° / 73°F | 165 mm | 7 | 27° / 81°F |
| August | 73 | 27° / 81°F | 23° / 73°F | 93 mm | 8 | 26° / 79°F |
| September | 62 | 27° / 81°F | 24° / 75°F | 198 mm | 8 | 26° / 79°F |
| October | 62 | 28° / 82°F | 24° / 75°F | 172 mm | 8 | 28° / 82°F |
| November | 80 | 29° / 84°F | 25° / 77°F | 55 mm | 8 | 30° / 86°F |
| December | 86 | 30° / 86°F | 24° / 75°F | 20 mm | 7 | 29° / 84°F |
Sea temperature in Cotonou by month
The sea off Cotonou is warmest in May at around 31°C / 88°F, and coolest in August at 26°C / 79°F. The water sits at a comfortable 21°C or warmer roughly all year round. Month-by-month sea-surface temperatures are in the Sea column of the table above.
See Cotonou on the interactive sunshine globe →
Nearby places for sunshine
- Lagos Nigeria · 106 km · best in Jan · 1,868 h sun/yr
- Lomé Togo · 127 km · best in Jan · 2,104 h sun/yr
- Accra Ghana · 294 km · best in Jan · 2,134 h sun/yr
- Kumasi Ghana · 441 km · best in Jan · 1,964 h sun/yr
- Port Harcourt Nigeria · 527 km · best in Jan · 1,725 h sun/yr
- Owerri Nigeria · 543 km · best in Dec · 1,819 h sun/yr
Nearest destinations
- Ibadan Nigeria · 208 km · 1,910 h sun/yr · best in Jan
- Ilorin/Ogbomosho Nigeria · 328 km · 2,273 h sun/yr · best in Dec
- Akure Nigeria · 337 km · 2,006 h sun/yr · best in Jan
Head-to-head
How Cotonou compares month by month: Cotonou vs Lagos · Cotonou vs Lomé · Cotonou vs Accra · all comparisons
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