Sharm El Sheikh in Winter
In winter (December, January and February), Sharm El Sheikh sees average daytime highs around 23°C and overnight lows near 12°C, with 7 mm of rain over about 1 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 23°C. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 79% of the time across winter, and the air most often feels dry.
Winter is Sharm El Sheikh's best season of the year to visit on our travel score. For the whole year in context, see Sharm El Sheikh's year-round climate.
- Avg daytime high
- 23°C
- coldest season of the year
- Avg overnight low
- 12°C
- Rainfall
- 7 mm
- 1 wet days
- Avg wind
- 10 km/h
- Travel score
- 9.1
- best season of the year
- Months
- Dec · Jan · Feb
Temperature in Sharm El Sheikh in Winter
Across winter, daytime highs hold fairly steady around 23°C.
A typical winter day in Sharm El Sheikh reaches about 23°C and drops to 12°C overnight. The warmest of the three months is December, the coolest January.
How winter really feels in Sharm El Sheikh
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.
Sharm El Sheikh 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 | 22° / 11° | 3 | 0.6 | 10.4 | 8.8 |
| Feb | 23° / 12° | 2 | 0.4 | 11 | 9.2 |
| Mar | 26° / 16° | 2 | 0.3 | 11.8 | 9.1 |
| Apr | 30° / 20° | 1 | 0.1 | 12.6 | 6.6 |
| May | 34° / 24° | 0 | 0.1 | 13.4 | 3.9 |
| Jun | 37° / 26° | 0 | 0 | 13.7 | 2.1 |
| Jul | 38° / 28° | 0 | 0 | 13.6 | 1.5 |
| Aug | 38° / 28° | 0 | 0 | 13 | 1.5 |
| Sep | 36° / 26° | 0 | 0 | 12.2 | 2.7 |
| Oct | 33° / 22° | 1 | 0.1 | 11.3 | 5.1 |
| Nov | 27° / 17° | 2 | 0.3 | 10.6 | 8.4 |
| Dec | 23° / 13° | 1 | 0.3 | 10.3 | 9.2 |
Cloud cover in Winter
The sky is clear or mostly clear about 79% of the time across winter.
Chance of precipitation in Winter
Sharm El Sheikh gets around 7 mm of rain over 1 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 10 km/h across winter.
Sunrise & sunset in Winter
Daylight runs from about 10 h 24 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 4.5 kWh/m².
Hazard calendar for Sharm El Sheikh
None of Sharm El Sheikh's seasonal hazards peak in winter. The full-year calendar below shows when the rainy season, cyclone risk and dust haze do.
Sharm El Sheikh sees seasonal dust haze (April–May), heaviest in May.
Is winter a good time to visit Sharm El Sheikh?
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 Sharm El Sheikh for general sightseeing. The water and warmth also suit a beach or pool day.
What to pack for Sharm El Sheikh in Winter
From winter's temperature range, rain chance, sun and wind — what's worth putting in the bag.
In winter, Sharm El Sheikh sees daytime highs around 23°C and nights near 12°C. Worth packing: light clothes and sun protection.
Sea temperature near Sharm El Sheikh in Winter
The nearest coast averages about 24°C across winter — the other half of the beach question. The full-year curve and swim-comfort zones are below.
The sea offshore is warmest in August at about 29°C and coldest in March near 23°C.
The water stays above 20°C all year — warm enough for a swim any month.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sea temperature (°C) | 23 | 23 | 23 | 23 | 25 | 26 | 28 | 29 | 28 | 28 | 27 | 25 |
| Comfort | Refreshing | Refreshing | Refreshing | Refreshing | Warm | Warm | Tropical | Tropical | Tropical | Warm | Warm | Warm |
| Sea temperature (°C) | Comfort | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 23 | Refreshing |
| Feb | 23 | Refreshing |
| Mar | 23 | Refreshing |
| Apr | 23 | Refreshing |
| May | 25 | Warm |
| Jun | 26 | Warm |
| Jul | 28 | Tropical |
| Aug | 29 | Tropical |
| Sep | 28 | Tropical |
| Oct | 28 | Warm |
| Nov | 27 | Warm |
| Dec | 25 | Warm |
UV index in Sharm El Sheikh 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 Sharm El Sheikh peaks around August 16 at about 11 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near January 11 at about 4 (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) | 4 | 5 | 8 | 8 | 10 | 11 | 10 | 11 | 10 | 7 | 5 | 4 |
| Level | Moderate | Moderate | Very high | Very high | Extreme | Extreme | Very high | Extreme | Very high | Very high | High | Moderate |
| UV index (midday) | Level | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 4 | Moderate |
| Feb | 5 | Moderate |
| Mar | 8 | Very high |
| Apr | 8 | Very high |
| May | 10 | Extreme |
| Jun | 11 | Extreme |
| Jul | 10 | Very high |
| Aug | 11 | Extreme |
| Sep | 10 | Very high |
| Oct | 7 | Very high |
| Nov | 5 | High |
| Dec | 4 | Moderate |
Air quality in Sharm El Sheikh 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 Sharm El Sheikh is worst in May — around 26 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), and holds fairly steady the rest of the year.
Modeled monthly averages (CAMS reanalysis, 2015–2024).
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PM2.5 (µg/m³) | 21 | 19 | 22 | 25 | 26 | 25 | 17 | 21 | 25 | 20 | 17 | 20 |
| Level | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate |
| PM2.5 (µg/m³) | Level | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 21 | Moderate |
| Feb | 19 | Moderate |
| Mar | 22 | Moderate |
| Apr | 25 | Moderate |
| May | 26 | Moderate |
| Jun | 25 | Moderate |
| Jul | 17 | Moderate |
| Aug | 21 | Moderate |
| Sep | 25 | Moderate |
| Oct | 20 | Moderate |
| Nov | 17 | Moderate |
| Dec | 20 | Moderate |
Where is Sharm El Sheikh?
Sharm El Sheikh sits at 27.9°N, 34.3°E, 11 m above sea level, in Egypt. The nearest listed city is Dahab, 65 km away.
Topography around Sharm El Sheikh
How much the land rises and falls, and what covers it, within 3, 16 and 80 km of Sharm El Sheikh.
Within 3 km, the terrain around Sharm El Sheikh has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 100 m around an average of 30 m above sea level; within 16 km, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,097 m; within 80 km, extreme variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 2,601 m.
The land around Sharm El Sheikh is covered by bare terrain (55%), water (24%) and artificial surfaces (20%) within 3 km, bare terrain (54%) and water (42%) within 16 km, and water (59%) and bare terrain (41%) 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 Sharm El Sheikh (27.9158°, 34.3299°, elevation 11 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.