Essaouira weather in January

In January, Essaouira sees average daytime highs of 18°C and overnight lows near 12°C, with 39 mm of rain across 4.4 wet days and about 10.2 hours of daylight. It is the 12th-warmest and 3rd-wettest month of the year here.

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 18°C through the month. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 63% of the time in January, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 10 hours at the start of January to 10 h 30 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, January is Essaouira's 8th-clearest and 12th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Essaouira's year-round climate.

Daytime high
18°
12th warmest
Overnight low
12°
1st coldest
Rainfall
39 mm
4.4 wet days
Daylight
10 h 12 min
7:44 AM – 5:53 PM
Cloud cover
34%
8th clearest
Wind
15 km/h
12th windiest
Solar energy
3.59 kWh/m²
Travel score
6.9
out of 10

Essaouira is city in Marrakech-Safi, Morocco.

Density
17,027/km²
people per km²
Founded
1769

Air quality: WHO Ambient Air Quality Database. Density & description: Wikidata (CC0), GeoNames.

Temperature in January

Average highAverage lowShaded bands: 10–90% of days

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 18°C through the month.

A typical January day in Essaouira reaches about 18°C in the afternoon and slips back to 12°C overnight — a 6°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 15°C and 20°C. Set against its neighbours, January runs about 1°C cooler than December and on par with February.

10°15°20°25°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
11812
21812
31812
41812
51812
61812
71812
81812
91812
101812
111812
121812
131812
141812
151812
161812
171812
181711
191711
201711
211711
221711
231711
241711
251711
261711
271711
281812
291812
301812
311812

Essaouira weather by month

How January compares with the rest of the year at a glance. January is the 12th-warmest and 3rd-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan18° / 12°394.410.26.9
Feb18° / 12°384.710.87.1
Mar19° / 13°385.211.87.3
Apr20° / 15°213.712.77.8
May22° / 16°111.613.68.5
Jun23° / 18°10.2149.4
Jul25° / 20°0013.89.4
Aug26° / 21°10.113.19.2
Sep25° / 19°50.912.29.1
Oct23° / 18°263.411.28.4
Nov21° / 15°474.810.47.6
Dec19° / 13°504.9107.2

Cloud cover in January

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 63% of the time in January.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 13% of January, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 24%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
17624
27624
37624
47525
57525
67525
77525
87426
97426
107426
117426
127426
137426
147426
157525
167624
177624
187624
197723
207723
217723
227723
237723
247822
257822
267822
277723
287723
297723
307723
317723

Chance of precipitation in January

Any precipitation

Essaouira gets around 39 mm of rain over 4.4 wet days in January. The line is the day-by-day chance of measurable precipitation.

Day to day, the chance of measurable rain averages around 15% and peaks near 19% on the wettest days. The odds climb toward the end of the month.

0%10%20%30%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
112
211
311
411
510
610
710
811
911
1011
1112
1212
1313
1413
1514
1614
1715
1816
1916
2017
2117
2218
2318
2419
2519
2619
2719
2819
2919
3019
3118

Humidity in January

DryComfortableHumidMuggyOppressiveMiserable

Most of January feels dry — the stacked bands show each day's mix of comfort levels, read off the dew point.

By dew point, January lands in the dry band about 96% of days. It rarely turns muggy — the humid and sticky bands barely register.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)
19181
29181
39271
49361
59361
69451
79451
89640
99640
109730
119730
129730
139730
149730
159820
169820
179820
189820
199820
209820
219820
229820
239820
249820
259820
269820
279730
289730
299730
309640
319640

Wind in January

Winds average 15 km/h in January, the calmest month.

Across January, daily wind ranges from about 15 km/h on the calmest days to 17 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

05101520151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
115light breeze
215light breeze
315light breeze
415light breeze
515light breeze
615light breeze
715light breeze
815light breeze
915light breeze
1015light breeze
1115light breeze
1215light breeze
1315light breeze
1415light breeze
1515light breeze
1615light breeze
1716light breeze
1816light breeze
1916light breeze
2016light breeze
2116light breeze
2216light breeze
2316light breeze
2416light breeze
2516light breeze
2617light breeze
2717light breeze
2817light breeze
2917light breeze
3017light breeze
3117light breeze

Sunrise & sunset in January

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 10 hours at the start of January to 10 h 30 min by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days grow by about 30 minutes over January. Sunrise moves from 7:43 AM to 7:39 AM, and sunset from 5:42 PM to 6:06 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
110.07:435:42
210.07:435:42
310.07:435:43
410.07:435:44
510.07:445:44
610.07:445:45
710.07:445:46
810.07:445:47
910.17:445:47
1010.17:445:48
1110.17:445:49
1210.17:445:50
1310.17:445:51
1410.17:445:51
1510.17:445:52
1610.27:445:53
1710.27:445:54
1810.27:435:55
1910.27:435:56
2010.27:435:56
2110.27:435:57
2210.37:425:58
2310.37:425:59
2410.37:426:00
2510.37:416:01
2610.37:416:02
2710.47:416:03
2810.47:406:04
2910.47:406:04
3010.47:396:05
3110.57:396:06

Solar energy in January

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in January, about 3.59 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 3.24 kWh/m² to a high of 7.89 kWh/m² in June across the year — January's 3.59 kWh/m² sits near the bottom.

01234151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
13.3Moderate
23.3Moderate
33.4Moderate
43.4Moderate
53.4Moderate
63.4Moderate
73.4Moderate
83.4Moderate
93.4Moderate
103.5Moderate
113.5Moderate
123.5Moderate
133.5Moderate
143.5Moderate
153.5Moderate
163.6Moderate
173.6Moderate
183.6Moderate
193.6Moderate
203.7Moderate
213.7Moderate
223.7Moderate
233.7Moderate
243.8Moderate
253.8Moderate
263.8Moderate
273.9Moderate
283.9Moderate
293.9Moderate
304.0Moderate
314.0Bright
Planning a trip in January

Hazard calendar for Essaouira

In seasonPeak

None of Essaouira's seasonal hazards are active in January. The full-year calendar below shows when the rainy season, cyclone risk and dust haze do peak.

Essaouira sees seasonal dust haze (July–August), heaviest in July.

Dust
Jan
Feb
Mar
Apr
May
Jun
Jul
Aug
Sep
Oct
Nov
Dec

Is January a good time to visit Essaouira?

Our two travel scores rate January for general sightseeing and for beach or pool weather — 0 (poor) to 10 (ideal).

6.9
Sightseeing
12th-best month of the year
2.1
Beach & pool
12th-best month of the year

January is a reasonable time to visit Essaouira for sightseeing.

What to pack for Essaouira in January

From January's temperature range, rain chance, sun and wind — what's worth putting in the bag.

In January, Essaouira sees daytime highs around 18°C and nights near 12°C. Little to plan around — just the basics. About 4 days see rain.

Sea temperature near Essaouira in January

The nearest coast averages about 17°C in January — the other half of the beach question. The full-year curve and swim-comfort zones are below.

The sea at the nearest coast (about 16 km away) is warmest in September at about 20°C and coldest in February near 17°C.

It's comfortable for a long swim from Aug 4 to Oct 9 — about 2.2 months when the water holds above 20°C.

16°18°20°22°JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDeccoolrefreshingcomfortable to swim
Sea temperature (°C)Comfort
Jan17Cool
Feb17Cool
Mar17Cool
Apr17Cool
May18Cool
Jun19Cool
Jul20Cool
Aug20Refreshing
Sep20Refreshing
Oct20Cool
Nov18Cool
Dec18Cool

UV index in Essaouira in January

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in January peaks 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 Essaouira peaks around July 15 at about 11 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near December 17 at about 3 (moderate).

The index reaches 3 or more — the level where the WHO recommends sun protection — every month of the year.

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecModerateVery highExtremeVery highModerateJul 15UV 11Dec 17UV 3
UV index (midday)Level
Jan4Moderate
Feb4Moderate
Mar8Very high
Apr9Very high
May9Very high
Jun10Very high
Jul11Extreme
Aug10Very high
Sep7Very high
Oct7Very high
Nov4Moderate
Dec3Moderate

Air quality in Essaouira in January

GoodModeratePoorUnhealthyVery unhealthy

Average fine-particle pollution (PM2.5) through the year — so you can see where January falls, not just the annual average.

Air quality in Essaouira is worst in February — around 15 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 2.0× the cleanest month (June, 8 µg/m³).

Modeled monthly averages (CAMS reanalysis, 2015–2024).

01020JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecGoodModerateGoodModerateGoodGoodFeb 1715 µg/m³Jun 128 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan10Good
Feb15Moderate
Mar12Moderate
Apr11Good
May9Good
Jun8Good
Jul12Good
Aug14Moderate
Sep10Good
Oct13Moderate
Nov10Good
Dec9Good
Location & terrain

Where is Essaouira?

Essaouira sits at 31.5°N, 9.8°W, 7 m above sea level, in Morocco. The nearest listed city is Sebt Gzoula, 93 km away.

Sebt GzoulaImi-n-TanoutChichaouaSafiAourirAgadirDakhlaEchemmaia Est

Topography around Essaouira

How much the land rises and falls, and what covers it, within 3, 16 and 80 km of Essaouira.

Within 3 km, the terrain around Essaouira has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 42 m around an average of 4 m above sea level; within 16 km, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 247 m; within 80 km, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,689 m.

The land around Essaouira is covered by water (61%) within 3 km, water (55%) and shrubs (30%) within 16 km, and grassland (37%) and water (37%) within 80 km.

3 km
42 m
16 km
247 m
80 km
1,689 m
treesshrubsgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwater
January weather nearby: Sebt Gzoula 93 km · Imi-n-Tanout 95 km · Chichaoua 96 km · Safi 101 km · Aourir 114 km · Agadir 123 km · Dakhla 124 km · Echemmaia Est 125 km

Morocco travel facts

Travel advisory
Level 2
Exercise Increased Caution
Power plugs
Type C / E
220 V · 50 Hz
Prices
≈ 42% of US
price level, 2025
GDP per capita
$4,672
2025
Happiness
4.6 / 10
World Happiness, 2025
Safe drinking water
80%
of population, 2024
Homicide rate
1.7
per 100k, 2023
Road deaths
17
per 100k/yr, 2019
Income group
Lower middle
World Bank
English
Low
EF EPI 492
Religion
Muslim 99%other 1%

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 Essaouira (31.5125°, -9.77°, elevation 7 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. Sea temperatures are the NOAA OISST v2.1 1991–2020 monthly climatology (public domain), sampled at the nearest ocean point. UV index is derived from CAMS (Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service) clear-sky UV data — contains modified Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service information. Monthly air-quality (PM2.5) seasonality is from the CAMS EAC4 reanalysis (Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service), scaled to the WHO annual mean where available. Topography is sampled from the Copernicus DEM GLO-90 elevation model (© ESA/Airbus) and ESA WorldCover 2021 land cover (CC BY 4.0).