Beirut in Winter
In winter (December, January and February), Beirut sees average daytime highs around 16°C and overnight lows near 11°C, with 414 mm of rain over about 36 wet days across the season. It is the coldest season of the year and the wettest season of the year.
Over the season highs ease from about 18°C in early December to 16°C by late February. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 46% of the time across winter, and the air most often feels dry.
Winter is Beirut's weakest season of the year to visit on our travel score. For the whole year in context, see Beirut's year-round climate.
- Avg daytime high
- 16°C
- coldest season of the year
- Avg overnight low
- 11°C
- Rainfall
- 414 mm
- 36 wet days
- Avg wind
- 13 km/h
- Travel score
- 4.9
- weakest season of the year
- Months
- Dec · Jan · Feb
Temperature in Beirut in Winter
Over the season highs ease from about 18°C in early December to 16°C by late February.
A typical winter day in Beirut reaches about 16°C and drops to 11°C overnight. The warmest of the three months is December, the coolest January.
Beirut 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 | 15° / 10° | 144 | 13.8 | 10 | 4.4 |
| Feb | 15° / 10° | 138 | 11.3 | 10.7 | 4.7 |
| Mar | 17° / 12° | 105 | 9.4 | 11.7 | 5.9 |
| Apr | 20° / 14° | 46 | 5.6 | 12.8 | 7.4 |
| May | 24° / 18° | 17 | 3 | 13.7 | 8.7 |
| Jun | 26° / 22° | 2 | 0.7 | 14.2 | 9.1 |
| Jul | 29° / 24° | 0 | 0.1 | 14 | 8.1 |
| Aug | 29° / 24° | 1 | 0.3 | 13.3 | 7.6 |
| Sep | 28° / 23° | 6 | 1.2 | 12.2 | 8.3 |
| Oct | 25° / 20° | 30 | 4.5 | 11.1 | 8.3 |
| Nov | 21° / 16° | 78 | 7.7 | 10.2 | 7.3 |
| Dec | 17° / 12° | 133 | 11.3 | 9.8 | 5.5 |
Cloud cover in Winter
The sky is clear or mostly clear about 46% of the time across winter.
Chance of precipitation in Winter
Beirut gets around 414 mm of rain 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 13 km/h across winter.
Sunrise & sunset in Winter
Daylight runs from about 9 h 54 min in early December to 11 h 12 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 3.0 kWh/m².
Hazard calendar for Beirut
In winter, Beirut overlaps its rainy season season. The full year is below, with each hazard's peak months called out.
Beirut's rainy season runs November–March, when most of the year's rain falls.
Is winter a good time to visit Beirut?
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 reasonable time to visit Beirut for sightseeing.
What to pack for Beirut in Winter
From winter's temperature range, rain chance, sun and wind — what's worth putting in the bag.
In winter, Beirut sees daytime highs around 16°C and nights near 11°C. Worth packing: a warm layer and rain gear. About 36 days see rain.
Sea temperature near Beirut in Winter
The nearest coast averages about 19°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 28°C and coldest in March near 17°C.
It's comfortable for a long swim from May 3 to Dec 23 — about 7.7 months when the water holds above 20°C.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sea temperature (°C) | 18 | 18 | 17 | 19 | 21 | 25 | 27 | 28 | 28 | 26 | 23 | 21 |
| Comfort | Cool | Cool | Cool | Cool | Refreshing | Warm | Warm | Tropical | Warm | Warm | Refreshing | Refreshing |
| Sea temperature (°C) | Comfort | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 18 | Cool |
| Feb | 18 | Cool |
| Mar | 17 | Cool |
| Apr | 19 | Cool |
| May | 21 | Refreshing |
| Jun | 25 | Warm |
| Jul | 27 | Warm |
| Aug | 28 | Tropical |
| Sep | 28 | Warm |
| Oct | 26 | Warm |
| Nov | 23 | Refreshing |
| Dec | 21 | Refreshing |
UV index in Beirut 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 Beirut peaks around June 21 at about 10 (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 — in 10 months of the year.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| UV index (midday) | 3 | 4 | 5 | 7 | 8 | 11 | 10 | 10 | 8 | 6 | 4 | 3 |
| Level | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | High | Very high | Extreme | Very high | Very high | Very high | High | Moderate | Moderate |
| UV index (midday) | Level | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 3 | Moderate |
| Feb | 4 | Moderate |
| Mar | 5 | Moderate |
| Apr | 7 | High |
| May | 8 | Very high |
| Jun | 11 | Extreme |
| Jul | 10 | Very high |
| Aug | 10 | Very high |
| Sep | 8 | Very high |
| Oct | 6 | High |
| Nov | 4 | Moderate |
| Dec | 3 | Moderate |
Air quality in Beirut 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 Beirut is worst in April — around 29 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 2.4× the cleanest month (August, 12 µg/m³).
Seasonal pattern from CAMS reanalysis, scaled to Beirut's WHO annual average of 19 µg/m³.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PM2.5 (µg/m³) | 18 | 22 | 25 | 29 | 25 | 18 | 14 | 12 | 13 | 15 | 18 | 17 |
| Level | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate |
| PM2.5 (µg/m³) | Level | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 18 | Moderate |
| Feb | 22 | Moderate |
| Mar | 25 | Moderate |
| Apr | 29 | Moderate |
| May | 25 | Moderate |
| Jun | 18 | Moderate |
| Jul | 14 | Moderate |
| Aug | 12 | Moderate |
| Sep | 13 | Moderate |
| Oct | 15 | Moderate |
| Nov | 18 | Moderate |
| Dec | 17 | Moderate |
Where is Beirut?
Beirut sits at 33.9°N, 35.5°E, 40 m above sea level, in Lebanon. The nearest listed city is Ra’s Bayrūt, 2.0 km away.
Topography around Beirut
How much the land rises and falls, and what covers it, within 3, 16 and 80 km of Beirut.
Within 3 km, the terrain around Beirut has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 106 m around an average of 32 m above sea level; within 16 km, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,129 m; within 80 km, extreme variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 3,079 m.
The land around Beirut is covered by artificial surfaces (58%) and water (32%) within 3 km, water (60%) and trees (21%) within 16 km, and grassland (36%) and water (34%) within 80 km.
Lebanon travel facts
- Travel advisory
- Level 4
- Do Not Travel
- Power plugs
- Type A / B / C / D / G
- 220 V · 50 Hz
- Prices
- ≈ 38% of US
- price level, 2024
- GDP per capita
- $4,473
- 2024
- Happiness
- 3.7 / 10
- World Happiness, 2025
- Safe drinking water
- 48%
- of population, 2024
- Homicide rate
- 2.2
- per 100k, 2020
- Road deaths
- 16.4
- per 100k/yr, 2019
- Income group
- Lower middle
- World Bank
- English
- Low
- EF EPI 477
- 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 Beirut (33.8933°, 35.5016°, elevation 40 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.