Cape Verde Weather by Month

January is peak winter-sun season in Cape Verde. Days are warm and reliably dry, nights are cool enough to sleep without air conditioning, and the trade winds blow steadily, which makes it one of the strongest months of the year for kitesurfing and windsurfing. Saharan dust, known locally as bruma seca, can soften the light for a few days at a time.

February is the driest month of the year and the coolest, which on these islands still means the middle twenties. Wind is at its most consistent, so the kite and windsurf schools are busy on Sal. Mindelo's Carnival falls in this month and effectively fills Sao Vicente, so book accommodation there well in advance.

March brings clear skies, low humidity and the best visibility of the year, which matters if you are climbing Pico do Fogo or walking the ridges of Santo Antao. The sea is at its coolest, around 22 degrees, so swimmers notice it even though the air is warm. Crowds thin out as the European winter season winds down.

April is dry, sunny and quiet, with the wind starting to ease slightly from its winter peak. It is arguably the best all-round month to visit: everything is open, prices have come off their January highs, and conditions are good for both beaches and mountains. Sao Filipe on Fogo holds its Bandeira festival at the end of the month.

May is warm, dry and largely empty of visitors. Sea temperatures begin to climb toward the mid twenties, which makes swimming noticeably more pleasant than in March, and the wind is gentle enough that the open beaches are less punishing. Prices are at their lowest of the first half of the year.

June is warm and dry with almost no rain anywhere in the archipelago. Loggerhead turtles begin coming ashore to nest on Boa Vista and Sal toward the end of the month, the start of a season that runs to October. The water is warm, the wind has dropped, and the islands are quiet.

July is hot and humid by Cape Verdean standards, and the first real moisture of the year arrives, though rain is still rare and brief. Turtle nesting is well underway on Boa Vista and Sal. European school holidays bring a second, smaller wave of visitors, mostly Portuguese and Italian families.

August is the hottest month and the beginning of the short rains, which fall as brief heavy showers rather than sustained wet weather. Santo Antao and Fogo see far more of it than Sal or Boa Vista. Turtle hatchlings start emerging, and Sao Vicente holds the Baia das Gatas music festival on the August full moon.

September is the wettest and most humid month of the year, and the one time conditions are genuinely against you. Showers are heaviest on the mountainous islands, where trails turn slippery and the Pico do Fogo climb is often impossible. Sal and Boa Vista stay largely dry and hot. Turtle hatchlings are at their peak.

October sees the rains ease and the mountainous islands at their greenest, which makes it one of the best months to walk on Santo Antao even though the ground is still soft. Sea temperatures peak around 26 degrees. Turtle season closes. This is the cheapest time to visit and the islands are close to empty.

November is the turn of the season. Rain stops, humidity drops, and the trade winds return, which brings the kitesurfers back to Sal. The sea is still warm from summer while the air has cooled to something very comfortable. It is one of the most underrated months in the Cape Verdean calendar.

December opens the European winter-sun season and the islands fill again, particularly Sal and Boa Vista. Conditions are dry, breezy and warm, with cool evenings. Saharan haze becomes more likely from this month into February. Prices rise sharply over Christmas and New Year and accommodation books out early.