Al Fāw in Winter
In winter (December, January and February), Al Fāw sees average daytime highs around 18°C and overnight lows near 13°C, with 92 mm of rain over about 13 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 18°C. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 63% of the time across winter, and the air most often feels dry.
Winter is Al Fāw's best season of the year to visit on our travel score. For the whole year in context, see Al Fāw's year-round climate.
- Avg daytime high
- 18°C
- coldest season of the year
- Avg overnight low
- 13°C
- Rainfall
- 92 mm
- 13 wet days
- Avg wind
- 17 km/h
- Travel score
- 7.0
- best season of the year
- Months
- Dec · Jan · Feb
Temperature in Al Fāw in Winter
Across winter, daytime highs hold fairly steady around 18°C.
A typical winter day in Al Fāw reaches about 18°C and drops to 13°C overnight. The warmest of the three months is December, the coolest January.
How winter really feels in Al Fāw
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.
Al Fāw 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 | 17° / 12° | 39 | 4.8 | 10.3 | 6.4 |
| Feb | 18° / 13° | 16 | 3 | 10.9 | 7.3 |
| Mar | 22° / 17° | 20 | 3.3 | 11.8 | 8.2 |
| Apr | 27° / 22° | 7 | 1.4 | 12.7 | 8.1 |
| May | 33° / 27° | 2 | 0.3 | 13.5 | 4.7 |
| Jun | 38° / 31° | 0 | 0 | 13.9 | 1.6 |
| Jul | 39° / 33° | 0 | 0 | 13.7 | 0.8 |
| Aug | 39° / 33° | 0 | 0 | 13.1 | 0.9 |
| Sep | 36° / 30° | 0 | 0 | 12.2 | 2.6 |
| Oct | 31° / 26° | 4 | 0.8 | 11.3 | 5.8 |
| Nov | 24° / 19° | 48 | 3.5 | 10.5 | 8.2 |
| Dec | 19° / 14° | 37 | 4.7 | 10.1 | 7.3 |
Cloud cover in Winter
The sky is clear or mostly clear about 63% of the time across winter.
Chance of precipitation in Winter
Al Fāw gets around 92 mm of rain over 13 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 17 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 Al Fāw
None of Al Fāw's seasonal hazards peak in winter. The full-year calendar below shows when the rainy season, cyclone risk and dust haze do.
Al Fāw sees seasonal dust haze (March–July), heaviest in May.
Is winter a good time to visit Al Fāw?
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 Al Fāw for general sightseeing.
What to pack for Al Fāw in Winter
From winter's temperature range, rain chance, sun and wind — what's worth putting in the bag.
In winter, Al Fāw sees daytime highs around 18°C and nights near 13°C. Worth packing: a warm layer and sun protection. About 13 days see rain.
Sea temperature near Al Fāw in Winter
The nearest coast averages about 17°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 15 km away) is warmest in August at about 32°C and coldest in February near 16°C.
It's comfortable for a long swim from Apr 1 to Dec 9 — about 8.3 months when the water holds above 20°C.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sea temperature (°C) | 16 | 16 | 18 | 22 | 26 | 29 | 31 | 32 | 31 | 28 | 24 | 19 |
| Comfort | Cool | Cool | Cool | Refreshing | Warm | Tropical | Tropical | Tropical | Tropical | Tropical | Refreshing | Cool |
| Sea temperature (°C) | Comfort | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 16 | Cool |
| Feb | 16 | Cool |
| Mar | 18 | Cool |
| Apr | 22 | Refreshing |
| May | 26 | Warm |
| Jun | 29 | Tropical |
| Jul | 31 | Tropical |
| Aug | 32 | Tropical |
| Sep | 31 | Tropical |
| Oct | 28 | Tropical |
| Nov | 24 | Refreshing |
| Dec | 19 | Cool |
UV index in Al Fāw in Winter
Clear-sky midday UV across winter averages around 3 — enough to warrant sun protection. The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.
Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Al Fāw peaks around June 22 at about 10 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near January 12 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 | 5 | 5 | 7 | 11 | 10 | 9 | 7 | 6 | 5 | 3 |
| Level | Moderate | Moderate | High | High | High | Extreme | Extreme | Very high | High | High | Moderate | Moderate |
| UV index (midday) | Level | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 3 | Moderate |
| Feb | 4 | Moderate |
| Mar | 5 | High |
| Apr | 5 | High |
| May | 7 | High |
| Jun | 11 | Extreme |
| Jul | 10 | Extreme |
| Aug | 9 | Very high |
| Sep | 7 | High |
| Oct | 6 | High |
| Nov | 5 | Moderate |
| Dec | 3 | Moderate |
Air quality in Al Fāw 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 Al Fāw is worst in May — around 53 µg/m³ PM2.5 (poor), 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) | 45 | 44 | 48 | 52 | 53 | 47 | 49 | 49 | 49 | 46 | 38 | 43 |
| Level | Poor | Poor | Poor | Poor | Poor | Poor | Poor | Poor | Poor | Poor | Poor | Poor |
| PM2.5 (µg/m³) | Level | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 45 | Poor |
| Feb | 44 | Poor |
| Mar | 48 | Poor |
| Apr | 52 | Poor |
| May | 53 | Poor |
| Jun | 47 | Poor |
| Jul | 49 | Poor |
| Aug | 49 | Poor |
| Sep | 49 | Poor |
| Oct | 46 | Poor |
| Nov | 38 | Poor |
| Dec | 43 | Poor |
Where is Al Fāw?
Al Fāw sits at 30.0°N, 48.5°E, 2 m above sea level, in Iraq. The nearest listed city is Abadan, 44 km away.
Topography around Al Fāw
How much the land rises and falls, and what covers it, within 3, 16 and 80 km of Al Fāw.
Within 3 km, the terrain around Al Fāw has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 10 m around an average of 1 m above sea level; within 16 km, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 10 m; within 80 km, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 95 m.
The land around Al Fāw is covered by bare terrain (50%) within 3 km, bare terrain (55%) and water (33%) within 16 km, and bare terrain (51%) and water (41%) within 80 km.
Iraq travel facts
- Travel advisory
- Level 4
- Do Not Travel
- Power plugs
- Type C / D / G
- 230 V · 50 Hz
- Prices
- ≈ 38% of US
- price level, 2025
- GDP per capita
- $5,410
- 2025
- Happiness
- 5.2 / 10
- World Happiness, 2025
- Safe drinking water
- 60%
- of population, 2024
- Homicide rate
- 9.5
- per 100k, 2013
- Road deaths
- 27.3
- per 100k/yr, 2019
- Income group
- Upper middle
- World Bank
- English
- Very low
- EF EPI 406
- 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 Al Fāw (29.9742°, 48.4731°, elevation 2 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.