Weather and winds on the Cape Verde Islands

Ocean water temperature: February-March +21 ... +22 °C, August-October +25 ... +26 °C. There is a constant wind on the islands, which attracts a lot of yachtsmen, surfers and kiteboarders. The average annual rainfall on the islands is 100-300 mm. Sometimes there are heavy downpours in the mountains, capable of "pouring" up to 500 mm of moisture in a single day, which destroys the fertile topsoil.

Harmattan is a dry and dusty West African trade wind. It blows from the Sahara towards the Gulf of Guinea from late November to early March.

Temperatures can drop as low as 3 °C during this time. As the wind passes through the desert, it captures many dust particles in size from 0.5 to 10 microns. Therefore, it brings large amounts of dust and sand to the Atlantic Ocean, including the Cape Verde Islands. When Harmattan reaches its greatest intensity, the dust even reaches North America. In some West African countries, the haze caused by Harmattan often significantly reduces visibility and can obscure the sun for days, like fog. In addition, the interaction of the Harmattan with the monsoon can cause tornadoes. These features of the Harttaman are dangerous for yachtsmen.