Az Zahrā’ in Winter
In winter (December, January and February), Az Zahrā’ sees average daytime highs around 18°C and overnight lows near 10°C, with 80 mm of rain over about 15 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 54% of the time across winter, and the air most often feels dry.
Winter is Az Zahrā’'s 2nd-best season to visit on our travel score. For the whole year in context, see Az Zahrā’'s year-round climate.
- Avg daytime high
- 18°C
- coldest season of the year
- Avg overnight low
- 10°C
- Rainfall
- 80 mm
- 15 wet days
- Avg wind
- 14 km/h
- Travel score
- 6.8
- 2nd-best season
- Months
- Dec · Jan · Feb
Temperature in Az Zahrā’ in Winter
Across winter, daytime highs hold fairly steady around 18°C.
A typical winter day in Az Zahrā’ reaches about 18°C and drops to 10°C overnight. The warmest of the three months is December, the coolest January.
How winter really feels in Az Zahrā’
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.
Az Zahrā’ 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° / 10° | 29 | 5.4 | 10.1 | 6.4 |
| Feb | 18° / 10° | 27 | 4.7 | 10.8 | 7.0 |
| Mar | 21° / 12° | 17 | 3.5 | 11.8 | 7.9 |
| Apr | 25° / 15° | 10 | 2 | 12.8 | 8.6 |
| May | 28° / 18° | 5 | 1 | 13.7 | 7.7 |
| Jun | 31° / 21° | 1 | 0.4 | 14.1 | 5.8 |
| Jul | 33° / 23° | 0 | 0 | 13.9 | 4.9 |
| Aug | 34° / 24° | 1 | 0.3 | 13.2 | 4.5 |
| Sep | 32° / 23° | 11 | 1.9 | 12.2 | 5.2 |
| Oct | 28° / 20° | 18 | 3.4 | 11.2 | 7.0 |
| Nov | 23° / 15° | 21 | 4.2 | 10.3 | 8.0 |
| Dec | 19° / 11° | 25 | 5.2 | 9.9 | 7.0 |
Cloud cover in Winter
The sky is clear or mostly clear about 54% of the time across winter.
Chance of precipitation in Winter
Az Zahrā’ gets around 80 mm of rain over 15 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 14 km/h across winter.
Sunrise & sunset in Winter
Daylight runs from about 10 hours 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 3.3 kWh/m².
Hazard calendar for Az Zahrā’
None of Az Zahrā’'s seasonal hazards peak in winter. The full-year calendar below shows when the rainy season, cyclone risk and dust haze do.
Az Zahrā’ sees seasonal dust haze (March–June), heaviest in April.
Is winter a good time to visit Az Zahrā’?
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 Az Zahrā’ for sightseeing.
What to pack for Az Zahrā’ in Winter
From winter's temperature range, rain chance, sun and wind — what's worth putting in the bag.
In winter, Az Zahrā’ sees daytime highs around 18°C and nights near 10°C. Little to plan around — just the basics. About 15 days see rain.
Sea temperature near Az Zahrā’ in Winter
The nearest coast averages about 18°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 22 km away) is warmest in August at about 27°C and coldest in February near 16°C.
It's comfortable for a long swim from May 25 to Dec 10 — about 6.6 months when the water holds above 20°C.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sea temperature (°C) | 17 | 16 | 16 | 17 | 19 | 22 | 25 | 27 | 27 | 25 | 23 | 19 |
| Comfort | Cool | Cool | Cool | Cool | Cool | Refreshing | Warm | Warm | Warm | Warm | Refreshing | Cool |
| Sea temperature (°C) | Comfort | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 17 | Cool |
| Feb | 16 | Cool |
| Mar | 16 | Cool |
| Apr | 17 | Cool |
| May | 19 | Cool |
| Jun | 22 | Refreshing |
| Jul | 25 | Warm |
| Aug | 27 | Warm |
| Sep | 27 | Warm |
| Oct | 25 | Warm |
| Nov | 23 | Refreshing |
| Dec | 19 | Cool |
UV index in Az Zahrā’ 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 Az Zahrā’ peaks around June 19 at about 10 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near January 1 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 | 5 | 7 | 5 | 7 | 11 | 9 | 10 | 8 | 7 | 4 | 3 |
| Level | Moderate | Moderate | High | High | Very high | Extreme | Very high | Very high | Very high | High | Moderate | Moderate |
| UV index (midday) | Level | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 3 | Moderate |
| Feb | 5 | Moderate |
| Mar | 7 | High |
| Apr | 5 | High |
| May | 7 | Very high |
| Jun | 11 | Extreme |
| Jul | 9 | Very high |
| Aug | 10 | Very high |
| Sep | 8 | Very high |
| Oct | 7 | High |
| Nov | 4 | Moderate |
| Dec | 3 | Moderate |
Air quality in Az Zahrā’ 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 Az Zahrā’ is worst in April — around 40 µg/m³ PM2.5 (poor), about 2.6× the cleanest month (August, 16 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) | 38 | 35 | 38 | 40 | 29 | 22 | 16 | 16 | 21 | 26 | 32 | 32 |
| Level | Poor | Poor | Poor | Poor | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate |
| PM2.5 (µg/m³) | Level | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 38 | Poor |
| Feb | 35 | Poor |
| Mar | 38 | Poor |
| Apr | 40 | Poor |
| May | 29 | Moderate |
| Jun | 22 | Moderate |
| Jul | 16 | Moderate |
| Aug | 16 | Moderate |
| Sep | 21 | Moderate |
| Oct | 26 | Moderate |
| Nov | 32 | Moderate |
| Dec | 32 | Moderate |
Where is Az Zahrā’?
Az Zahrā’ sits at 32.7°N, 12.9°E, 80 m above sea level, in Libya. The nearest listed city is An Nāşirīyah, 5.0 km away.
Topography around Az Zahrā’
How much the land rises and falls, and what covers it, within 3, 16 and 80 km of Az Zahrā’.
Within 3 km, the terrain around Az Zahrā’ has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 35 m around an average of 75 m above sea level; within 16 km, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 121 m; within 80 km, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 912 m.
The land around Az Zahrā’ is covered by grassland (49%) and cropland (27%) within 3 km, grassland (47%) and cropland (29%) within 16 km, and grassland (31%), water (28%) and bare terrain (22%) within 80 km.
Libya travel facts
- Travel advisory
- Level 4
- Do Not Travel
- Power plugs
- Type C / F / L
- 230 V · 50 Hz
- Prices
- ≈ 39% of US
- price level, 2025
- GDP per capita
- $6,449
- 2025
- Happiness
- 5.7 / 10
- World Happiness, 2025
- Road deaths
- 21.3
- per 100k/yr, 2019
- Income group
- Upper middle
- World Bank
- English
- Very low
- EF EPI 395
- 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 Az Zahrā’ (32.6789°, 12.8733°, elevation 80 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.