Climate
 

With a all year round location.  Perfect tropical dry climate with very little rainfall.  Low humidity & long dry season November – July.  They also have No Hurricanes.  Average air temp is between 22-27C and  sea temp ranges from 21-26C, 3 degrees warmer than the Canaries with sunshine levels of 10 to 12 hours per day.  Daily highs range from 20°C (68°F) to around 29°C (84°F) from August to October, when there can also be rainstorms. Because it is situated in a zone where the Northeast winds predominate and increase intensity until the month of July, Cape Verde has a milder climate than those neighbouring countries located on the same latitude.
The rainy season is during August, September and October. However, this does not prevent Cape Verde from enjoying Summer all year round. The East winds blowing from the African continent is extremely warm and usually arrives during January and February.
The climate is tropical and dry. There are two seasons, a dry season between November and July  with some rain between August and October. Daily hours of sunshine vary from around 6-7 between August and October and 10-12 for the rest of the year. The ocean creates a maritime temperate climate.  Total precipitation averages around 260mm (10 inches) per year of which over 90% falls between August and October. Wind speed averages around 13 knots, dropping to 9 knots in the summer brought in by the north east trade winds. The wind helps provide a welcome cooling on the coast.   

The climate of Cape Verde is more suited to beach and water tourism, especially in the winter, than the already successful Canary Islands.  In the Canary Islands annual average precipitation totals 278mm (11 inches), but is spread more evenly between September and May with, on average, 6 days per month experiencing rainfall.  The Canaries Current, does not provide as pleasant bathing conditions in the Canaries as in the Cape Verde Islands.
The likelihood of a hurricane striking the Cape Verde Islands is very remote, unlike the Caribbean. Hurricanes start small in the Gulf of Guinea (south of Nigeria) near the equator and sweep westwards across the Atlantic well to the south of Cape Verde and by the time they reach the Caribbean are able to cause severe damage.
In the light of there having been major and devastating hurricanes this summer over the Caribbean and Florida, the fact that Cape Verde doesn't suffer the ravishes of hurricanes should be accepted as a major positive factor.

The following bar chart for Praia, Cape Verde shows the years average weather condition readings covering rain, average maximum daily temperature and average minimum temperature.


Graphical bar chart showing Praia's average weather conditions for a year (Jan - Dec)

Average Conditions

Month Average Sunlight (hours) Temperature Discomfort from heat and humidity Relative humidity Average Precipitation (mm) Wet Days (+0.25 mm)
Average Record
Min Max Min Max am pm
Jan 7 20 25 17 30 Moderate 63 59 3 0.9
Feb 8 19 25 13 31 Moderate 59 57 0 0.3
March 9 20 26 17 33 Moderate 58 55 0 0.1
April 10 21 26 18 34 Moderate 58 54 0 0
May 10 21 27 18 33 Medium 59 55 0 0
June 9 22 28 19 34 Medium 62 59 0 0
July 7 24 28 19 33 Medium 68 66 5 0.5
Aug 6 24 29 22 32 High 73 71 97 8
Sept 7 25 29 22 34 High 74 73 114 7
Oct 8 24 29 22 33 Medium 69 65 31 3
Nov 8 23 28 20 32 Medium 64 63 8 0.9
Dec 7 22 26 18 31 Medium 63 62 3 0.5