Rafaḩ in Winter
In winter (December, January and February), Rafaḩ sees average daytime highs around 19°C and overnight lows near 10°C, with 85 mm of rain over about 21 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 19°C. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 51% of the time across winter, and the air most often feels dry.
Winter is Rafaḩ's 3rd-best season to visit on our travel score. For the whole year in context, see Rafaḩ's year-round climate.
- Avg daytime high
- 19°C
- coldest season of the year
- Avg overnight low
- 10°C
- Rainfall
- 85 mm
- 21 wet days
- Avg wind
- 12 km/h
- Travel score
- 6.9
- 3rd-best season
- Months
- Dec · Jan · Feb
Temperature in Rafaḩ in Winter
Across winter, daytime highs hold fairly steady around 19°C.
A typical winter day in Rafaḩ reaches about 19°C and drops to 10°C overnight. The warmest of the three months is December, the coolest January.
How winter really feels in Rafaḩ
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.
Rafaḩ 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 | 18° / 9° | 35 | 8.2 | 10.2 | 6.5 |
| Feb | 19° / 10° | 27 | 6.9 | 10.9 | 6.9 |
| Mar | 22° / 12° | 19 | 4.5 | 11.8 | 7.9 |
| Apr | 26° / 14° | 7 | 2.2 | 12.7 | 8.6 |
| May | 29° / 17° | 3 | 0.8 | 13.6 | 7.7 |
| Jun | 31° / 21° | 1 | 0.2 | 14 | 6.3 |
| Jul | 33° / 23° | 0 | 0.1 | 13.8 | 5.2 |
| Aug | 33° / 24° | 0 | 0 | 13.1 | 5.0 |
| Sep | 32° / 22° | 1 | 0.3 | 12.2 | 5.8 |
| Oct | 29° / 19° | 9 | 2.3 | 11.2 | 7.1 |
| Nov | 25° / 14° | 16 | 4.5 | 10.4 | 8.1 |
| Dec | 20° / 10° | 23 | 6.3 | 10 | 7.2 |
Cloud cover in Winter
The sky is clear or mostly clear about 51% of the time across winter.
Chance of precipitation in Winter
Rafaḩ gets around 85 mm of rain over 21 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 12 km/h across winter.
Sunrise & sunset in Winter
Daylight runs from about 10 h 06 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 3.5 kWh/m².
Hazard calendar for Rafaḩ
None of Rafaḩ's seasonal hazards peak in winter. The full-year calendar below shows when the rainy season, cyclone risk and dust haze do.
Rafaḩ sees seasonal dust haze (May), heaviest in May.
Is winter a good time to visit Rafaḩ?
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 Rafaḩ for sightseeing.
What to pack for Rafaḩ in Winter
From winter's temperature range, rain chance, sun and wind — what's worth putting in the bag.
In winter, Rafaḩ sees daytime highs around 19°C and nights near 10°C. Worth packing: rain gear. About 21 days see rain.
Sea temperature near Rafaḩ 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 at the nearest coast (about 14 km away) is warmest in August at about 28°C and coldest in February near 17°C.
It's comfortable for a long swim from Apr 29 to Dec 25 — about 7.9 months when the water holds above 20°C.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sea temperature (°C) | 19 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 22 | 25 | 27 | 28 | 28 | 27 | 24 | 21 |
| Comfort | Cool | Cool | Cool | Cool | Refreshing | Warm | Warm | Tropical | Tropical | Warm | Refreshing | Refreshing |
| Sea temperature (°C) | Comfort | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 19 | Cool |
| Feb | 17 | Cool |
| Mar | 18 | Cool |
| Apr | 19 | Cool |
| May | 22 | Refreshing |
| Jun | 25 | Warm |
| Jul | 27 | Warm |
| Aug | 28 | Tropical |
| Sep | 28 | Tropical |
| Oct | 27 | Warm |
| Nov | 24 | Refreshing |
| Dec | 21 | Refreshing |
UV index in Rafaḩ 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 Rafaḩ peaks around June 18 at about 11 (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 — every month of the year.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| UV index (midday) | 3 | 4 | 7 | 7 | 10 | 11 | 10 | 11 | 10 | 6 | 5 | 3 |
| Level | Moderate | Moderate | High | Very high | Very high | Extreme | Extreme | Extreme | Very high | High | Moderate | Moderate |
| UV index (midday) | Level | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 3 | Moderate |
| Feb | 4 | Moderate |
| Mar | 7 | High |
| Apr | 7 | Very high |
| May | 10 | Very high |
| Jun | 11 | Extreme |
| Jul | 10 | Extreme |
| Aug | 11 | Extreme |
| Sep | 10 | Very high |
| Oct | 6 | High |
| Nov | 5 | Moderate |
| Dec | 3 | Moderate |
Air quality in Rafaḩ 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 Rafaḩ is worst in February — around 64 µg/m³ PM2.5 (unhealthy), about 2.4× the cleanest month (August, 27 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) | 61 | 64 | 60 | 56 | 48 | 35 | 28 | 27 | 28 | 35 | 54 | 60 |
| Level | Unhealthy | Unhealthy | Unhealthy | Unhealthy | Poor | Poor | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Poor | Unhealthy |
| PM2.5 (µg/m³) | Level | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 61 | Unhealthy |
| Feb | 64 | Unhealthy |
| Mar | 60 | Unhealthy |
| Apr | 56 | Unhealthy |
| May | 48 | Poor |
| Jun | 35 | Poor |
| Jul | 28 | Moderate |
| Aug | 27 | Moderate |
| Sep | 28 | Moderate |
| Oct | 35 | Moderate |
| Nov | 54 | Poor |
| Dec | 60 | Unhealthy |
Where is Rafaḩ?
Rafaḩ sits at 31.3°N, 34.2°E, 30 m above sea level, in Palestinian Territory. The nearest listed city is Rafaḩ, 2.0 km away.
Topography around Rafaḩ
How much the land rises and falls, and what covers it, within 3, 16 and 80 km of Rafaḩ.
Within 3 km, the terrain around Rafaḩ has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 83 m around an average of 47 m above sea level; within 16 km, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 124 m; within 80 km, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 898 m.
The land around Rafaḩ is covered by artificial surfaces (41%) within 3 km, water (34%) and cropland (22%) within 16 km, and bare terrain (48%) and water (28%) within 80 km.
Palestinian Territory travel facts
- Power plugs
- Type C / H
- 230 V · 50 Hz
- GDP per capita
- $3,171
- 2025
- Happiness
- 4.7 / 10
- World Happiness, 2025
- Safe drinking water
- 81%
- of population, 2024
- Homicide rate
- 0.6
- per 100k, 2022
- Road deaths
- 5.3
- per 100k/yr, 2016
- Income group
- Lower middle
- World Bank
- English
- Low
- EF EPI 463
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 Rafaḩ (31.2972°, 34.2436°, elevation 30 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.