Gjirokastër in Winter
In winter (December, January and February), Gjirokastër sees average daytime highs around 9°C and overnight lows near 1°C, with 502 mm of precipitation over about 36 wet days across the season. It is the coldest season of the year and the wettest season of the year.
Across winter, daytime highs hold fairly steady around 9°C. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 35% of the time across winter, and the air most often feels dry.
Winter is Gjirokastër's weakest season of the year to visit on our travel score. For the whole year in context, see Gjirokastër's year-round climate.
- Avg daytime high
- 9°C
- coldest season of the year
- Avg overnight low
- 1°C
- Precipitation
- 502 mm
- 36 wet days
- Avg wind
- 5 km/h
- Travel score
- 1.9
- weakest season of the year
- Months
- Dec · Jan · Feb
Temperature in Gjirokastër in Winter
Across winter, daytime highs hold fairly steady around 9°C.
A typical winter day in Gjirokastër reaches about 9°C and drops to 1°C overnight. The warmest of the three months is February, the coolest January.
How winter really feels in Gjirokastër
Once humidity and wind are folded in, winter brings about 0 days that feel above 32°C and 77 that feel at or below 0°C.
The story in winter is cold — wind chill drags the overnight "feels like" below the raw low.
Gjirokastër weather by month
How the three winter months (December, January and February) compare with the rest of the year — the season's months are highlighted.
| Month | High / Low (°C) | Rainfall (mm) | Wet days | Snow days | Daylight (hours) | Travel score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 9° / -0° | 148 | 11.5 | 2 | 9.5 | 1.7 |
| Feb | 10° / 1° | 149 | 11.5 | 2.8 | 10.4 | 2.1 |
| Mar | 13° / 3° | 142 | 12.4 | 1.1 | 11.7 | 3.5 |
| Apr | 17° / 6° | 110 | 12.3 | 0 | 13 | 5.0 |
| May | 21° / 10° | 86 | 11 | 0 | 14.2 | 6.6 |
| Jun | 26° / 14° | 43 | 7 | 0 | 14.8 | 7.7 |
| Jul | 28° / 17° | 25 | 4.8 | 0 | 14.6 | 7.2 |
| Aug | 29° / 17° | 25 | 4.8 | 0 | 13.6 | 6.9 |
| Sep | 24° / 14° | 112 | 8.6 | 0 | 12.3 | 7.4 |
| Oct | 20° / 9° | 153 | 9.4 | 0 | 10.9 | 6.5 |
| Nov | 14° / 5° | 226 | 12.3 | 0.3 | 9.8 | 4.1 |
| Dec | 10° / 1° | 205 | 13.4 | 1.3 | 9.2 | 2.0 |
Cloud cover in Winter
The sky is clear or mostly clear about 35% of the time across winter.
Chance of precipitation in Winter
Gjirokastër gets around 502 mm of rain and snow over 36 wet days across winter. The line is the day-by-day chance of measurable precipitation.
Humidity in Winter
Most of winter feels dry — the stacked bands show each day's mix of comfort levels, read off the dew point.
Wind in Winter
Winds average 5 km/h across winter.
Sunrise & sunset in Winter
Daylight runs from about 9 h 24 min in early December to 11 hours by late February. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.
Solar energy in Winter
Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day across winter, about 2.3 kWh/m².
Hazard calendar for Gjirokastër
In winter, Gjirokastër overlaps its rainy season season. The full year is below, with each hazard's peak months called out.
Gjirokastër's rainy season runs September–April, when most of the year's rain falls.
Is winter a good time to visit Gjirokastër?
Our two travel scores rate winter for general sightseeing and for beach or pool weather — 0 (poor) to 10 (ideal), averaged across the three months.
winter is a weaker month for outdoor sightseeing in Gjirokastër.
What to pack for Gjirokastër in Winter
From winter's temperature range, rain chance, sun and wind — what's worth putting in the bag.
In winter, Gjirokastër sees daytime highs around 9°C and nights near 1°C. Pack a warm layer. Worth having: rain gear. About 36 days see rain.
Sea temperature near Gjirokastër in Winter
The nearest coast averages about 16°C across winter — the other half of the beach question. The full-year curve and swim-comfort zones are below.
The sea at the nearest coast (about 32 km away) is warmest in August at about 25°C and coldest in February near 15°C.
It's comfortable for a long swim from May 27 to Nov 13 — about 5.6 months when the water holds above 20°C.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sea temperature (°C) | 15 | 15 | 15 | 16 | 19 | 22 | 24 | 25 | 24 | 22 | 20 | 17 |
| Comfort | Cool | Bracing | Bracing | Cool | Cool | Refreshing | Refreshing | Warm | Warm | Refreshing | Cool | Cool |
| Sea temperature (°C) | Comfort | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 15 | Cool |
| Feb | 15 | Bracing |
| Mar | 15 | Bracing |
| Apr | 16 | Cool |
| May | 19 | Cool |
| Jun | 22 | Refreshing |
| Jul | 24 | Refreshing |
| Aug | 25 | Warm |
| Sep | 24 | Warm |
| Oct | 22 | Refreshing |
| Nov | 20 | Cool |
| Dec | 17 | Cool |
UV index in Gjirokastër in Winter
Clear-sky midday UV across winter averages around 2. The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.
Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Gjirokastër peaks around July 24 at about 9 (very high) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near December 21 at about 2 (low).
The index reaches 3 or more — the level where the WHO recommends sun protection — in 8 months of the year.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| UV index (midday) | 2 | 3 | 5 | 7 | 7 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 6 | 4 | 3 | 2 |
| Level | Low | Moderate | High | High | High | Very high | Very high | Very high | High | Moderate | Moderate | Low |
| UV index (midday) | Level | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 2 | Low |
| Feb | 3 | Moderate |
| Mar | 5 | High |
| Apr | 7 | High |
| May | 7 | High |
| Jun | 9 | Very high |
| Jul | 9 | Very high |
| Aug | 9 | Very high |
| Sep | 6 | High |
| Oct | 4 | Moderate |
| Nov | 3 | Moderate |
| Dec | 2 | Low |
Air quality in Gjirokastër in Winter
Average fine-particle pollution (PM2.5) through the year — so you can see where winter falls, not just the annual average.
Air quality in Gjirokastër is worst in April — around 15 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 1.9× the cleanest month (December, 8 µg/m³).
Modeled monthly averages (CAMS reanalysis, 2015–2024).
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PM2.5 (µg/m³) | 9 | 12 | 14 | 15 | 15 | 13 | 14 | 14 | 10 | 10 | 9 | 8 |
| Level | Good | Good | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Good | Good | Good | Good |
| PM2.5 (µg/m³) | Level | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 9 | Good |
| Feb | 12 | Good |
| Mar | 14 | Moderate |
| Apr | 15 | Moderate |
| May | 15 | Moderate |
| Jun | 13 | Moderate |
| Jul | 14 | Moderate |
| Aug | 14 | Moderate |
| Sep | 10 | Good |
| Oct | 10 | Good |
| Nov | 9 | Good |
| Dec | 8 | Good |
Where is Gjirokastër?
Gjirokastër sits at 40.1°N, 20.1°E, 286 m above sea level, in Albania. The nearest listed city is Sarande, 25 km away.
Topography around Gjirokastër
How much the land rises and falls, and what covers it, within 3, 16 and 80 km of Gjirokastër.
Within 3 km, the terrain around Gjirokastër has large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 876 m around an average of 390 m above sea level; within 16 km, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 2,072 m; within 80 km, extreme variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 2,590 m.
The land around Gjirokastër is covered by grassland (57%) within 3 km, grassland (56%) and trees (30%) within 16 km, and trees (45%), grassland (25%) and water (25%) within 80 km.
Albania travel facts
- Travel advisory
- Level 2
- Exercise Increased Caution
- Power plugs
- Type C / F
- 230 V · 50 Hz
- Prices
- ≈ 43% of US
- price level, 2025
- GDP per capita
- $12,998
- 2025
- Happiness
- 5.7 / 10
- World Happiness, 2025
- Safe drinking water
- 71%
- of population, 2024
- Homicide rate
- 1.4
- per 100k, 2023
- Road deaths
- 11.7
- per 100k/yr, 2019
- Income group
- Upper middle
- World Bank
- English
- Moderate
- EF EPI 532
- Religion
Sources: World Bank, US State Department, World Happiness Report, WHO/UNICEF, EF EPI, CIA World Factbook.
Data sources
Temperature, precipitation, cloud, humidity, wind and solar figures are a 1991–2020 climatology for Gjirokastër (40.0758°, 20.1389°, elevation 286 m), computed from hourly ERA5 reanalysis — contains modified Copernicus Climate Change Service information. Sun figures are astronomical calculations, not observations. City data © GeoNames, CC BY 4.0. Map outlines from Natural Earth (public domain); interactive map © Google.