Abu Simbel in Winter

In winter (December, January and February), Abu Simbel sees average daytime highs around 24°C and overnight lows near 13°C, with 0 mm of rain over about 0 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 24°C. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 80% of the time across winter, and the air most often feels dry.

Winter is Abu Simbel's best season of the year to visit on our travel score. For the whole year in context, see Abu Simbel's year-round climate.

Avg daytime high
24°C
coldest season of the year
Avg overnight low
13°C
Rainfall
0 mm
0 wet days
Avg wind
16 km/h
Travel score
9.3
best season of the year
Months
Dec · Jan · Feb

Temperature in Abu Simbel in Winter

Average highAverage lowShaded bands: 10–90% of days

Across winter, daytime highs hold fairly steady around 24°C.

A typical winter day in Abu Simbel reaches about 24°C and drops to 13°C overnight. The warmest of the three months is February, the coolest January.

10°20°30°DecJanFeb

How winter really feels in Abu Simbel

Once humidity and wind are folded in, winter brings about 0 days that feel above 32°C and 0 that feel at or below 0°C.

Days feeling ≥ 32°C
0
heat index over the day's high
Days feeling ≤ C
0
wind chill below the day's low

winter sits comfortably in between — no days that feel dangerously hot or drop to a hard freeze once humidity and wind are folded in.

Abu Simbel 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.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan23° / 12°0010.89.3
Feb25° / 13°00.111.29.3
Mar30° / 16°0011.87.2
Apr35° / 21°0012.53.6
May39° / 25°0013.10.9
Jun40° / 27°0013.30.0
Jul40° / 27°0013.20.0
Aug41° / 28°00.112.80.0
Sep39° / 26°0012.10.8
Oct35° / 23°00.111.53.3
Nov29° / 17°0010.97.8
Dec24° / 13°0010.79.3

Cloud cover in Winter

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 80% of the time across winter.

0%25%50%75%100%DecJanFeb

Chance of precipitation in Winter

Any precipitation

Abu Simbel gets around 0 mm of rain over 0 wet days across winter. The line is the day-by-day chance of measurable precipitation.

0%10%20%30%DecJanFeb

Humidity in Winter

DryComfortableHumidMuggyOppressiveMiserable

Most of winter feels dry — the stacked bands show each day's mix of comfort levels, read off the dew point.

0%25%50%75%100%DecJanFeb

Wind in Winter

Winds average 16 km/h across winter.

05101520DecJanFeb

Sunrise & sunset in Winter

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 10 h 42 min in early December to 11 h 30 min by late February. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AMDecJanFeb

Solar energy in Winter

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day across winter, about 5.2 kWh/m².

0246DecJanFeb
Planning a trip in winter

Hazard calendar for Abu Simbel

In seasonPeak

None of Abu Simbel's seasonal hazards peak in winter. The full-year calendar below shows when the rainy season, cyclone risk and dust haze do.

Abu Simbel sees seasonal dust haze (March–September), heaviest in June.

Dust
Jan
Feb
Mar
Apr
May
Jun
Jul
Aug
Sep
Oct
Nov
Dec

Is winter a good time to visit Abu Simbel?

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.

9.3
Sightseeing
1st-best month of the year
7.7
Beach & pool
1st-best month of the year

winter is one of the better times to visit Abu Simbel for general sightseeing. The water and warmth also suit a beach or pool day.

What to pack for Abu Simbel in Winter

From winter's temperature range, rain chance, sun and wind — what's worth putting in the bag.

In winter, Abu Simbel sees daytime highs around 24°C and nights near 13°C. Worth packing: light clothes and sun protection.

light clothessun protection

UV index in Abu Simbel in Winter

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV across winter averages around 7 — enough to warrant sun protection. The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.

Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Abu Simbel peaks around August 11 at about 11 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near December 18 at about 6 (high).

The index reaches 3 or more — the level where the WHO recommends sun protection — every month of the year.

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecVery highExtremeVery highHighAug 11UV 11Dec 18UV 6
UV index (midday)Level
Jan6High
Feb9Very high
Mar11Extreme
Apr11Extreme
May11Extreme
Jun11Extreme
Jul11Extreme
Aug12Extreme
Sep9Very high
Oct8Very high
Nov7High
Dec5High

Air quality in Abu Simbel in Winter

GoodModeratePoorUnhealthyVery unhealthy

Average fine-particle pollution (PM2.5) through the year — so you can see where winter falls, not just the annual average.

Air quality in Abu Simbel is worst in June — around 57 µg/m³ PM2.5 (unhealthy), and holds fairly steady the rest of the year.

Modeled monthly averages (CAMS reanalysis, 2015–2024).

0204060JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecPoorPoorJun 1156 µg/m³Nov 2338 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan43Poor
Feb45Poor
Mar55Unhealthy
Apr53Poor
May53Poor
Jun57Unhealthy
Jul39Poor
Aug45Poor
Sep54Poor
Oct52Poor
Nov37Poor
Dec38Poor
Location & terrain

Where is Abu Simbel?

Abu Simbel sits at 22.3°N, 31.6°E, 0 m above sea level, in Egypt. The nearest listed city is Aswan, 234 km away.

AswanDarāwKom OmboAr Radīsīyah QiblīEdfuAl Başalīyah BaḩrīAs Sibā‘īyahAl-Khārijah

Topography around Abu Simbel

How much the land rises and falls, and what covers it, within 3, 16 and 80 km of Abu Simbel.

Within 3 km, the terrain around Abu Simbel has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 48 m around an average of 182 m above sea level; within 16 km, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 121 m; within 80 km, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 410 m.

The land around Abu Simbel is covered by water (47%) and bare terrain (43%) within 3 km, bare terrain (57%) and water (40%) within 16 km, and bare terrain (86%) within 80 km.

3 km
48 m
16 km
121 m
80 km
410 m
treesshrubscroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwater
Winter weather nearby: Aswan 234 km · Darāw 265 km · Kom Ombo 273 km · Ar Radīsīyah Qiblī 313 km · Edfu 320 km · Al Başalīyah Baḩrī 331 km · As Sibā‘īyah 335 km · Al-Khārijah 341 km

Egypt travel facts

Travel advisory
Level 2
Exercise Increased Caution
Power plugs
Type C / F
220 V · 50 Hz
Prices
≈ 15% of US
price level, 2025
GDP per capita
$3,086
2025
Happiness
3.9 / 10
World Happiness, 2025
Safe drinking water
79%
of population, 2024
Homicide rate
1.3
per 100k, 2017
Road deaths
10.1
per 100k/yr, 2019
Income group
Lower middle
World Bank
English
Low
EF EPI 459
Religion
Muslim 90%Christian 10%

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 Abu Simbel (22.3457°, 31.6162°, elevation 0 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.