Ouagadougou endures one of the hottest climates on Earth, with a stark wet-dry tropical pattern that divides the year into two unmistakable halves.
The dry season brings relentless heat and the Harmattan wind, which deposits a fine layer of Saharan dust on everything including your clothes, while the wet season concentrates nearly all annual rainfall into a few months of dramatic afternoon storms.
Temperatures routinely exceed 40°C (104°F) before the rains arrive, and even the wet season rarely drops below 25°C (77°F) at night.
Humidity remains low during the dry months but climbs sharply once the monsoon begins, turning the heat from searing to oppressive.
Light-colored clothing becomes visibly dusty within hours during Harmattan season, making darker tones paradoxically more practical despite the heat.
Ouagadougou has two seasons defined by rainfall rather than temperature: a bone-dry period of dust and extreme heat, and a wet season that remains hot but brings relief through dramatic storms.