Cairo in Winter
In winter (December, January and February), Cairo sees average daytime highs around 20°C and overnight lows near 10°C, with 9 mm of rain over about 2 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 20°C. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 57% of the time across winter, and the air most often feels dry.
Winter is Cairo's best season of the year to visit on our travel score. For the whole year in context, see Cairo's year-round climate.
- Avg daytime high
- 20°C
- coldest season of the year
- Avg overnight low
- 10°C
- Rainfall
- 9 mm
- 2 wet days
- Avg wind
- 11 km/h
- Travel score
- 8.2
- best season of the year
- Months
- Dec · Jan · Feb
Temperature in Cairo in Winter
Across winter, daytime highs hold fairly steady around 20°C.
A typical winter day in Cairo reaches about 20°C and drops to 10°C overnight. The warmest of the three months is December, the coolest January.
How winter really feels in Cairo
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.
winter sits comfortably in between — no days that feel dangerously hot or drop to a hard freeze once humidity and wind are folded in.
Cairo 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 | Daylight (hours) | Travel score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 19° / 9° | 4 | 1.1 | 10.3 | 7.9 |
| Feb | 21° / 10° | 4 | 0.9 | 10.9 | 8.3 |
| Mar | 24° / 12° | 4 | 0.5 | 11.8 | 9.1 |
| Apr | 28° / 15° | 1 | 0.2 | 12.7 | 7.8 |
| May | 32° / 18° | 1 | 0.1 | 13.5 | 5.3 |
| Jun | 35° / 21° | 0 | 0 | 13.9 | 3.6 |
| Jul | 36° / 22° | 0 | 0 | 13.7 | 3.1 |
| Aug | 35° / 23° | 0 | 0 | 13.1 | 3.2 |
| Sep | 34° / 22° | 0 | 0 | 12.2 | 4.4 |
| Oct | 30° / 19° | 1 | 0.2 | 11.3 | 6.5 |
| Nov | 25° / 15° | 2 | 0.5 | 10.5 | 8.8 |
| Dec | 21° / 11° | 2 | 0.4 | 10.1 | 8.4 |
Cloud cover in Winter
The sky is clear or mostly clear about 57% of the time across winter.
Chance of precipitation in Winter
Cairo gets around 9 mm of rain over 2 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 11 km/h across winter.
Sunrise & sunset in Winter
Daylight runs from about 10 h 12 min in early December to 11 h 18 min 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 3.8 kWh/m².
Hazard calendar for Cairo
None of Cairo's seasonal hazards peak in winter. The full-year calendar below shows when the rainy season, cyclone risk and dust haze do.
Cairo sees seasonal dust haze (April–May), heaviest in May.
Is winter a good time to visit Cairo?
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 one of the better times to visit Cairo for general sightseeing.
What to pack for Cairo in Winter
From winter's temperature range, rain chance, sun and wind — what's worth putting in the bag.
In winter, Cairo sees daytime highs around 20°C and nights near 10°C. Worth packing: sun protection.
UV index in Cairo in Winter
Clear-sky midday UV across winter averages around 4 — enough to warrant sun protection. The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.
Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Cairo peaks around June 17 at about 11 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near January 11 at about 3 (moderate).
The index reaches 3 or more — the level where the WHO recommends sun protection — every month of the year.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| UV index (midday) | 3 | 4 | 7 | 8 | 11 | 11 | 11 | 11 | 9 | 7 | 5 | 4 |
| Level | Moderate | Moderate | Very high | Very high | Extreme | Extreme | Extreme | Extreme | Very high | High | High | Moderate |
| UV index (midday) | Level | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 3 | Moderate |
| Feb | 4 | Moderate |
| Mar | 7 | Very high |
| Apr | 8 | Very high |
| May | 11 | Extreme |
| Jun | 11 | Extreme |
| Jul | 11 | Extreme |
| Aug | 11 | Extreme |
| Sep | 9 | Very high |
| Oct | 7 | High |
| Nov | 5 | High |
| Dec | 4 | Moderate |
Air quality in Cairo 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 Cairo is worst in January — around 134 µg/m³ PM2.5 (unhealthy), about 3.0× the cleanest month (July, 44 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) | 134 | 124 | 100 | 79 | 67 | 52 | 44 | 48 | 56 | 76 | 119 | 131 |
| Level | Unhealthy | Unhealthy | Unhealthy | Unhealthy | Unhealthy | Poor | Poor | Poor | Unhealthy | Unhealthy | Unhealthy | Unhealthy |
| PM2.5 (µg/m³) | Level | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 134 | Unhealthy |
| Feb | 124 | Unhealthy |
| Mar | 100 | Unhealthy |
| Apr | 79 | Unhealthy |
| May | 67 | Unhealthy |
| Jun | 52 | Poor |
| Jul | 44 | Poor |
| Aug | 48 | Poor |
| Sep | 56 | Unhealthy |
| Oct | 76 | Unhealthy |
| Nov | 119 | Unhealthy |
| Dec | 131 | Unhealthy |
Where is Cairo?
Cairo sits at 30.1°N, 31.2°E, 23 m above sea level, in Egypt. The nearest listed city is Būlāq Abū al ‘Ilā, 2.0 km away.
Topography around Cairo
How much the land rises and falls, and what covers it, within 3, 16 and 80 km of Cairo.
Within 3 km, the terrain around Cairo has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 59 m around an average of 29 m above sea level; within 16 km, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 267 m; within 80 km, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 790 m.
The land around Cairo is covered by artificial surfaces (92%) within 3 km, artificial surfaces (62%) within 16 km, and bare terrain (54%) and cropland (28%) within 80 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
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 Cairo (30.0626°, 31.2497°, elevation 23 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.