Atar Weather Records (MR000001421)

Record envelope, standing records and threshold days for Atar (MR000001421), Mauritania, with 41 years of record.

Key Facts for Atar

Atar (MR000001421) is a weather station in Mauritania at 20.52 latitude and -13.07 longitude, 226 m (741 ft) above sea level.
The station reports from 1940 to 1980, 41 years of record.
1,464 records set at Atar still stand.
Records are tracked for tmax, tmin, prcp: an element needs 30 years of data to be eligible.
Atar set a daily record high minimum temperature of 18.9 C (66.0 F) on 15 December 1980.

About the Station

Location: Mauritania, 20.52 latitude, -13.07 longitude.
Elevation: 226 m (741 ft).
Period of record: 1940 to 1980, 41 years.
Eligible elements: tmax, tmin, prcp.

Daily Record Envelope and 2026

0 days at or beyond a record

The band shows the record high and record low for each calendar day at Atar. The lines show the 2026 daily maximum and minimum. 0 days in 2026 matched or passed a record. Temperatures are in degrees Celsius.

Daily record high and record low at Atar, with 2026 drawn through them
Month	Highest record high	Lowest record low	2026 highest maximum	2026 lowest minimum
Jan	36.7 C (98.1 F)	2.0 C (35.6 F)	n/a	n/a
Feb	43.0 C (109.4 F)	5.0 C (41.0 F)	n/a	n/a
Mar	43.8 C (110.8 F)	8.6 C (47.5 F)	n/a	n/a
Apr	43.8 C (110.8 F)	9.1 C (48.4 F)	n/a	n/a
May	46.4 C (115.5 F)	14.5 C (58.1 F)	n/a	n/a
Jun	47.7 C (117.9 F)	18.3 C (64.9 F)	n/a	n/a
Jul	48.7 C (119.7 F)	16.8 C (62.2 F)	n/a	n/a
Aug	47.7 C (117.9 F)	16.5 C (61.7 F)	n/a	n/a
Sep	46.4 C (115.5 F)	17.9 C (64.2 F)	n/a	n/a
Oct	44.0 C (111.2 F)	14.3 C (57.7 F)	n/a	n/a
Nov	39.8 C (103.6 F)	8.2 C (46.8 F)	n/a	n/a
Dec	37.4 C (99.3 F)	4.0 C (39.2 F)	n/a	n/a

Which Years Hold Standing Records

1,464 standing records

1,464 records at Atar still stand. 1955 holds the most, with 62.

Standing records at Atar by the year they were set
Year set	Standing records
1940	37
1941	27
1942	45
1943	38
1944	32
1945	29
1946	25
1947	30
1948	26
1949	47
1950	43
1951	27
1952	33
1953	45
1954	32
1955	62
1956	49
1957	26
1958	21
1959	31
1960	48
1961	32
1962	31
1963	41
1964	33
1965	42
1967	32
1968	25
1969	39
1970	48
1971	36
1972	49
1973	47
1974	52
1975	32
1976	30
1977	34
1978	29
1979	51
1980	28

All-Time Record Progression

1 new records

1 all-time records were set at Atar between 28 August 1972 and 28 August 1972. Each dot is a new record.

Wettest Day of Each Month

Sep: 93.7 mm (3.7 in)

The wettest day on record for each calendar month at Atar. The most was 93.7 mm (3.7 in) on 10 September 1955.

Record daily precipitation for each month at Atar
Month	Record daily precipitation (mm)	Date
Jan	12.5 mm (0.5 in)	21 January 1953
Feb	22.2 mm (0.9 in)	9 February 1968
Mar	13.4 mm (0.5 in)	8 March 1953
Apr	9.2 mm (0.36 in)	14 April 1971
May	11.9 mm (0.5 in)	15 May 1945
Jun	10.0 mm (0.4 in)	5 June 1980
Jul	51.4 mm (2.0 in)	12 July 1960
Aug	31.6 mm (1.2 in)	11 August 1962
Sep	93.7 mm (3.7 in)	10 September 1955
Oct	44.5 mm (1.8 in)	6 October 1951
Nov	38.4 mm (1.5 in)	26 November 1947
Dec	20.5 mm (0.8 in)	18 December 1969

Period of Record Coverage

1940 to 1980

40 years of record at Atar, 1940 to 1980. 2 years have data for under 90 percent of days and are left out of rankings: 1975, 1979.

Days with data per year at Atar
Year	Days with data	Share of year	Complete
1940	354	97%	Yes
1941	357	98%	Yes
1942	362	99%	Yes
1943	360	99%	Yes
1944	365	100%	Yes
1945	363	99%	Yes
1946	363	99%	Yes
1947	365	100%	Yes
1948	366	100%	Yes
1949	365	100%	Yes
1950	365	100%	Yes
1951	365	100%	Yes
1952	366	100%	Yes
1953	359	98%	Yes
1954	364	100%	Yes
1955	365	100%	Yes
1956	365	100%	Yes
1957	365	100%	Yes
1958	365	100%	Yes
1959	365	100%	Yes
1960	366	100%	Yes
1961	365	100%	Yes
1962	365	100%	Yes
1963	365	100%	Yes
1964	366	100%	Yes
1965	365	100%	Yes
1967	364	100%	Yes
1968	366	100%	Yes
1969	365	100%	Yes
1970	365	100%	Yes
1971	365	100%	Yes
1972	366	100%	Yes
1973	365	100%	Yes
1974	365	100%	Yes
1975	318	87%	No
1976	366	100%	Yes
1977	365	100%	Yes
1978	365	100%	Yes
1979	297	81%	No
1980	364	99%	Yes

Latest Records

Latest records at Atar
Date	Station	Record	Value	Beat old record by	Old record stood	Significance
15 December 1980	Atar, MR	daily high min	18.9 C (66.0 F)	0.4 C (0.7 F)	6 years	6 of 100 (Routine)
20 November 1980	Atar, MR	daily low min	11.5 C (52.7 F)	1.0 C (1.8 F)	24 years	14 of 100 (Routine)
12 November 1980	Atar, MR	daily high max	37.5 C (99.5 F)	1.2 C (2.2 F)	25 years	14 of 100 (Routine)
11 November 1980	Atar, MR	daily high max	38.5 C (101.3 F)	1.1 C (2.0 F)	33 years	16 of 100 (Routine)
10 November 1980	Atar, MR	daily high max	39.3 C (102.7 F)	1.7 C (3.1 F)	17 years	14 of 100 (Routine)
6 November 1980	Atar, MR	daily rain	0.9 mm (0.04 in)	0.9 mm (0.04 in)	40 years	16 of 100 (Routine)
31 October 1980	Atar, MR	daily low min	15.5 C (59.9 F)	0.1 C (0.2 F)	29 years	12 of 100 (Routine)
26 October 1980	Atar, MR	daily low min	15.8 C (60.4 F)	0.2 C (0.4 F)	16 years	8 of 100 (Routine)
12 October 1980	Atar, MR	daily high min	29.3 C (84.7 F)	1.4 C (2.5 F)	38 years	20 of 100 (Routine)
30 September 1980	Atar, MR	daily low max	33.2 C (91.8 F)	1.5 C (2.7 F)	29 years	17 of 100 (Routine)
30 September 1980	Atar, MR	daily rain (Tie)	8.8 mm (0.35 in)	tie	40 years	4 of 100 (Routine)
27 September 1980	Atar, MR	daily high min	30.0 C (86.0 F)	0.4 C (0.7 F)	36 years	15 of 100 (Routine)
25 September 1980	Atar, MR	daily high min	28.5 C (83.3 F)	0.1 C (0.2 F)	34 years	14 of 100 (Routine)
24 September 1980	Atar, MR	daily rain	3.2 mm (0.13 in)	2.8 mm (0.11 in)	5 years	7 of 100 (Routine)
24 September 1980	Atar, MR	daily high min (Tie)	29.0 C (84.2 F)	tie	31 years	3 of 100 (Routine)
3 September 1980	Atar, MR	daily low min	23.0 C (73.4 F)	0.2 C (0.4 F)	20 years	10 of 100 (Routine)
25 August 1980	Atar, MR	daily high min	30.8 C (87.4 F)	0.3 C (0.5 F)	17 years	10 of 100 (Routine)
1 August 1980	Atar, MR	daily high min (Tie)	30.0 C (86.0 F)	tie	4 years	1 of 100 (Routine)
27 July 1980	Atar, MR	daily rain	7.0 mm (0.28 in)	7.0 mm (0.28 in)	40 years	20 of 100 (Routine)
26 July 1980	Atar, MR	daily high min	31.0 C (87.8 F)	0.5 C (0.9 F)	24 years	13 of 100 (Routine)

Climate Trend

38 complete years, 1940 to 1980

One stripe for each of 38 complete years at Atar, 1940 to 1980. Blue stripes are years cooler than the station's own mean of 27.9 C (82.2 F); red stripes are warmer. The coolest year was 1976, at 26.8 C (80.2 F), and the warmest was 1955, at 28.7 C (83.7 F). The strongest colour marks a difference of 1.2 C (2.2 F).

Annual mean temperature at Atar as warming stripes, 1940 to 1980
Year	Annual mean temperature	Difference from the station mean
1940	28.0 C	+0.08 C
1941	28.1 C	+0.17 C
1942	28.3 C	+0.42 C
1943	28.0 C	+0.07 C
1944	28.1 C	+0.21 C
1945	28.6 C	+0.73 C
1946	27.6 C	-0.33 C
1947	28.2 C	+0.31 C
1948	27.8 C	-0.10 C
1949	27.6 C	-0.27 C
1950	27.6 C	-0.25 C
1951	27.4 C	-0.47 C
1952	27.2 C	-0.70 C
1953	28.0 C	+0.13 C
1954	27.5 C	-0.38 C
1955	28.7 C	+0.85 C
1956	27.7 C	-0.20 C
1957	27.4 C	-0.48 C
1958	28.2 C	+0.29 C
1959	28.0 C	+0.13 C
1960	28.0 C	+0.08 C
1961	28.2 C	+0.30 C
1962	28.2 C	+0.33 C
1963	27.9 C	-0.02 C
1964	28.5 C	+0.60 C
1965	27.7 C	-0.21 C
1967	27.3 C	-0.60 C
1968	27.6 C	-0.33 C
1969	28.2 C	+0.29 C
1970	28.7 C	+0.78 C
1971	27.2 C	-0.66 C
1972	27.4 C	-0.53 C
1973	28.4 C	+0.48 C
1974	27.1 C	-0.79 C
1976	26.8 C	-1.12 C
1977	28.4 C	+0.49 C
1978	28.3 C	+0.38 C
1980	28.3 C	+0.38 C

The fitted trend in annual mean temperature here over 1940 to 1980 is -0.04 C (-0.17 to 0.10) per decade. The interval includes zero, so the trend is not clearly different from zero. In Fahrenheit: -0.1 F (-0.3 to 0.2) per decade. The slope is a straight line fitted to 38 complete years; the brackets give its 95 percent interval.

Fitted temperature trends per decade at Atar
Measure	Per decade (C)	Per decade (F)	Period	Complete years	Reading
Annual mean temperature	-0.04 C (-0.17 to 0.10) per decade	-0.1 F (-0.3 to 0.2) per decade	1940 to 1980	38	Not clearly different from zero
Mean daily maximum	0.1 C (-0.1 to 0.3) per decade	0.1 F (-0.2 to 0.5) per decade	1940 to 1980	38	Not clearly different from zero
Mean daily minimum	-0.15 C (-0.30 to 0.01) per decade	-0.26 F (-0.55 to 0.02) per decade	1940 to 1980	38	Not clearly different from zero

A year is complete when all 12 months have at least 20 days of both daily maximum and daily minimum readings. The annual mean is the mean of the monthly means. The trend describes this one station over this period; it does not say what caused the change.

Extremes by Year

1940 to 1980

Yearly extremes at Atar: the record and the median year
Measure	Record	Year of the record	Median year	Years with a value
Hottest day (TXx)	48.7 C (119.7 F)	1940	46.6 C (115.9 F)	40
Coldest night (TNn)	2.0 C (35.6 F)	1956	6.5 C (43.7 F)	40
Wettest day (Rx1day)	93.7 mm (3.7 in)	1955	20.2 mm (0.8 in)	40
Wettest five days (Rx5day)	106.4 mm (4.2 in)	1951	27.7 mm (1.1 in)	40
Longest dry spell (CDD)	219 days	1946	134 days	40

Hottest day (TXx)

The hottest day of the year at Atar, 1940 to 1980. The record is 48.7 C (119.7 F) in 1940, marked on the chart; the median year is 46.6 C (115.9 F).

Hottest day (TXx) at Atar by year
Year	Hottest day (TXx)
1940	48.7 C (119.7 F)
1941	46.2 C (115.2 F)
1942	46.8 C (116.2 F)
1943	45.3 C (113.5 F)
1944	46.8 C (116.2 F)
1945	46.2 C (115.2 F)
1946	45.8 C (114.4 F)
1947	46.6 C (115.9 F)
1948	45.6 C (114.1 F)
1949	46.5 C (115.7 F)
1950	46.5 C (115.7 F)
1951	47.2 C (117.0 F)
1952	46.5 C (115.7 F)
1953	45.8 C (114.4 F)
1954	47.5 C (117.5 F)
1955	47.4 C (117.3 F)
1956	48.0 C (118.4 F)
1957	47.5 C (117.5 F)
1958	45.4 C (113.7 F)
1959	46.3 C (115.3 F)
1960	45.3 C (113.5 F)
1961	47.2 C (117.0 F)
1962	46.7 C (116.1 F)
1963	46.6 C (115.9 F)
1964	46.7 C (116.1 F)
1965	46.7 C (116.1 F)
1967	46.0 C (114.8 F)
1968	47.7 C (117.9 F)
1969	45.5 C (113.9 F)
1970	47.7 C (117.9 F)
1971	45.9 C (114.6 F)
1972	48.0 C (118.4 F)
1973	47.1 C (116.8 F)
1974	48.5 C (119.3 F)
1975	46.8 C (116.2 F)
1976	46.1 C (115.0 F)
1977	46.5 C (115.7 F)
1978	47.0 C (116.6 F)
1979	46.5 C (115.7 F)
1980	46.4 C (115.5 F)

Coldest night (TNn)

The coldest night of the year at Atar, 1940 to 1980. The record is 2.0 C (35.6 F) in 1956, marked on the chart; the median year is 6.5 C (43.7 F).

Coldest night (TNn) at Atar by year
Year	Coldest night (TNn)
1940	7.9 C (46.2 F)
1941	6.9 C (44.4 F)
1942	8.5 C (47.3 F)
1943	7.3 C (45.1 F)
1944	8.0 C (46.4 F)
1945	9.0 C (48.2 F)
1946	5.1 C (41.2 F)
1947	5.3 C (41.5 F)
1948	6.0 C (42.8 F)
1949	7.0 C (44.6 F)
1950	6.5 C (43.7 F)
1951	7.5 C (45.5 F)
1952	5.5 C (41.9 F)
1953	6.2 C (43.2 F)
1954	5.4 C (41.7 F)
1955	7.4 C (45.3 F)
1956	2.0 C (35.6 F)
1957	6.9 C (44.4 F)
1958	7.8 C (46.0 F)
1959	3.8 C (38.8 F)
1960	5.4 C (41.7 F)
1961	6.4 C (43.5 F)
1962	6.1 C (43.0 F)
1963	5.8 C (42.4 F)
1964	6.5 C (43.7 F)
1965	3.0 C (37.4 F)
1967	5.2 C (41.4 F)
1968	3.8 C (38.8 F)
1969	10.3 C (50.5 F)
1970	6.0 C (42.8 F)
1971	7.0 C (44.6 F)
1972	7.0 C (44.6 F)
1973	4.0 C (39.2 F)
1974	6.0 C (42.8 F)
1975	7.5 C (45.5 F)
1976	6.1 C (43.0 F)
1977	7.0 C (44.6 F)
1978	9.0 C (48.2 F)
1979	9.0 C (48.2 F)
1980	7.6 C (45.7 F)

Wettest day (Rx1day)

The wettest day of the year at Atar, 1940 to 1980. The record is 93.7 mm (3.7 in) in 1955, marked on the chart; the median year is 20.2 mm (0.8 in).

Wettest day (Rx1day) at Atar by year
Year	Wettest day (Rx1day)
1940	15.6 mm (0.6 in)
1941	12.6 mm (0.5 in)
1942	32.2 mm (1.3 in)
1943	34.7 mm (1.4 in)
1944	11.9 mm (0.5 in)
1945	24.6 mm (1.0 in)
1946	20.9 mm (0.8 in)
1947	38.4 mm (1.5 in)
1948	29.5 mm (1.2 in)
1949	31.2 mm (1.2 in)
1950	69.7 mm (2.7 in)
1951	44.5 mm (1.8 in)
1952	68.2 mm (2.7 in)
1953	19.7 mm (0.8 in)
1954	15.5 mm (0.6 in)
1955	93.7 mm (3.7 in)
1956	53.3 mm (2.1 in)
1957	41.2 mm (1.6 in)
1958	13.3 mm (0.5 in)
1959	13.4 mm (0.5 in)
1960	51.4 mm (2.0 in)
1961	8.2 mm (0.32 in)
1962	31.6 mm (1.2 in)
1963	14.0 mm (0.6 in)
1964	5.0 mm (0.20 in)
1965	18.8 mm (0.7 in)
1967	16.0 mm (0.6 in)
1968	22.2 mm (0.9 in)
1969	23.0 mm (0.9 in)
1970	16.3 mm (0.6 in)
1971	9.2 mm (0.36 in)
1972	15.0 mm (0.6 in)
1973	12.4 mm (0.5 in)
1974	8.5 mm (0.33 in)
1975	20.7 mm (0.8 in)
1976	40.6 mm (1.6 in)
1977	9.0 mm (0.35 in)
1978	16.5 mm (0.6 in)
1979	25.0 mm (1.0 in)
1980	18.7 mm (0.7 in)

Wettest five days (Rx5day)

The wettest five days of the year at Atar, 1940 to 1980. The record is 106.4 mm (4.2 in) in 1951, marked on the chart; the median year is 27.7 mm (1.1 in).

Wettest five days (Rx5day) at Atar by year
Year	Wettest five days (Rx5day)
1940	29.3 mm (1.2 in)
1941	23.4 mm (0.9 in)
1942	52.4 mm (2.1 in)
1943	35.5 mm (1.4 in)
1944	24.5 mm (1.0 in)
1945	24.7 mm (1.0 in)
1946	20.9 mm (0.8 in)
1947	42.3 mm (1.7 in)
1948	29.5 mm (1.2 in)
1949	45.3 mm (1.8 in)
1950	85.7 mm (3.4 in)
1951	106.4 mm (4.2 in)
1952	95.2 mm (3.7 in)
1953	25.7 mm (1.0 in)
1954	38.3 mm (1.5 in)
1955	93.9 mm (3.7 in)
1956	67.7 mm (2.7 in)
1957	85.9 mm (3.4 in)
1958	18.0 mm (0.7 in)
1959	29.4 mm (1.2 in)
1960	69.0 mm (2.7 in)
1961	8.2 mm (0.32 in)
1962	36.2 mm (1.4 in)
1963	20.6 mm (0.8 in)
1964	5.3 mm (0.21 in)
1965	29.7 mm (1.2 in)
1967	20.0 mm (0.8 in)
1968	28.5 mm (1.1 in)
1969	25.1 mm (1.0 in)
1970	20.3 mm (0.8 in)
1971	9.2 mm (0.36 in)
1972	15.0 mm (0.6 in)
1973	23.5 mm (0.9 in)
1974	14.1 mm (0.6 in)
1975	20.7 mm (0.8 in)
1976	40.6 mm (1.6 in)
1977	9.0 mm (0.35 in)
1978	26.2 mm (1.0 in)
1979	40.8 mm (1.6 in)
1980	26.8 mm (1.1 in)

Longest dry spell (CDD)

The longest dry spell of the year at Atar, 1940 to 1980. The record is 219 days in 1946, marked on the chart; the median year is 134 days.

Longest dry spell (CDD) at Atar by year
Year	Longest dry spell (CDD)
1940	70 days
1941	124 days
1942	77 days
1943	89 days
1944	170 days
1945	120 days
1946	219 days
1947	138 days
1948	73 days
1949	89 days
1950	167 days
1951	208 days
1952	201 days
1953	108 days
1954	153 days
1955	174 days
1956	212 days
1957	190 days
1958	91 days
1959	156 days
1960	129 days
1961	175 days
1962	162 days
1963	149 days
1964	132 days
1965	136 days
1967	131 days
1968	112 days
1969	169 days
1970	202 days
1971	111 days
1972	85 days
1973	151 days
1974	131 days
1975	122 days
1976	103 days
1977	205 days
1978	187 days
1979	94 days
1980	88 days

Each chart shows one value per year; the dot marks the record year. TXx is the hottest daily maximum, TNn the coldest daily minimum, Rx1day and Rx5day the largest one-day and five-day rain totals, and CDD the longest run of days with less than 1 mm of rain. A year with missing days can understate an extreme.

Rainfall Return Levels

39 years, 1940 to 1980

A day with at least 21.1 mm (0.8 in) of rain is expected about once in 2 years. A day with at least 111.5 mm (4.4 in) of rain is expected about once in 100 years.

Rainfall return levels at Atar: the daily rain expected about once in a given number of years
Expected about once in	A day with at least	Note
2 years	21.1 mm (0.8 in)
5 years	36.5 mm (1.4 in)
10 years	49.5 mm (1.9 in)
25 years	70.0 mm (2.8 in)
50 years	89.0 mm (3.5 in)	Longer than the 39 years of record
100 years	111.5 mm (4.4 in)	Longer than the 39 years of record

The levels come from a generalised extreme value (GEV) distribution fitted by L-moments to the wettest-day total of each year, 39 years of values from 1940 to 1980.

A return level is an estimate. It is least reliable for the long periods, 50 and 100 years, and for any period longer than the record behind the fit, where the fit has to reach past the largest day actually observed. It is not a forecast.

The largest wettest-day totals in the fit: 93.7 mm (3.7 in) in 1955; 69.7 mm (2.7 in) in 1950; 68.2 mm (2.7 in) in 1952.

Download the Data

Data for Atar standing records by year: CSV or JSON. Field meanings are on the data page.
Data for Atar threshold days by year: CSV or JSON. Field meanings are on the data page.

Source: NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, Global Historical Climatology Network Daily (GHCN-Daily). Records are computed by World Extreme Weather Monitor and are not official NOAA products. (US Government open data (NOAA NCEI)) Data as of 2026-10-12 (12 October 2026). Records are computed by this site and are not official.

Data as of 2025-12-31. Last revised 31 December 2025 (2025-12-31).