Matmata in Winter
In winter (December, January and February), Matmata sees average daytime highs around 17°C and overnight lows near 8°C, with 42 mm of rain over about 8 wet days across the season. It is the coldest season of the year and the 2nd-wettest season.
Across winter, daytime highs hold fairly steady around 17°C. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 65% of the time across winter, and the air most often feels dry.
Winter is Matmata's 3rd-best season to visit on our travel score. For the whole year in context, see Matmata's year-round climate.
- Avg daytime high
- 17°C
- coldest season of the year
- Avg overnight low
- 8°C
- Rainfall
- 42 mm
- 8 wet days
- Avg wind
- 16 km/h
- Travel score
- 6.6
- 3rd-best season
- Months
- Dec · Jan · Feb
Temperature in Matmata in Winter
Across winter, daytime highs hold fairly steady around 17°C.
A typical winter day in Matmata reaches about 17°C and drops to 8°C overnight. The warmest of the three months is February, the coolest January.
How winter really feels in Matmata
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.
Matmata 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 | 16° / 7° | 14 | 2.6 | 10 | 6.0 |
| Feb | 17° / 8° | 12 | 2.2 | 10.8 | 7.1 |
| Mar | 21° / 11° | 17 | 2.4 | 11.7 | 8.0 |
| Apr | 25° / 14° | 12 | 2.4 | 12.8 | 8.6 |
| May | 29° / 18° | 5 | 1.2 | 13.7 | 7.1 |
| Jun | 33° / 21° | 1 | 0.2 | 14.2 | 4.8 |
| Jul | 36° / 24° | 0 | 0.1 | 14 | 2.9 |
| Aug | 36° / 24° | 2 | 0.6 | 13.2 | 3.0 |
| Sep | 32° / 22° | 14 | 2.4 | 12.2 | 5.0 |
| Oct | 27° / 18° | 17 | 2.7 | 11.2 | 7.7 |
| Nov | 21° / 13° | 13 | 2.5 | 10.3 | 8.1 |
| Dec | 17° / 9° | 16 | 3 | 9.8 | 6.7 |
Cloud cover in Winter
The sky is clear or mostly clear about 65% of the time across winter.
Chance of precipitation in Winter
Matmata gets around 42 mm of rain over 8 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 16 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 3.6 kWh/m².
Hazard calendar for Matmata
None of Matmata's seasonal hazards peak in winter. The full-year calendar below shows when the rainy season, cyclone risk and dust haze do.
Matmata sees seasonal dust haze (March–July), heaviest in April.
Is winter a good time to visit Matmata?
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 Matmata for sightseeing.
What to pack for Matmata in Winter
From winter's temperature range, rain chance, sun and wind — what's worth putting in the bag.
In winter, Matmata sees daytime highs around 17°C and nights near 8°C. Worth packing: a warm layer. About 8 days see rain.
Sea temperature near Matmata in Winter
The nearest coast averages about 15°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 39 km away) is warmest in August at about 29°C and coldest in February near 14°C.
It's comfortable for a long swim from May 7 to Nov 24 — 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) | 14 | 14 | 15 | 18 | 21 | 24 | 27 | 29 | 28 | 25 | 21 | 17 |
| Comfort | Bracing | Bracing | Cool | Cool | Refreshing | Warm | Warm | Tropical | Warm | Warm | Refreshing | Cool |
| Sea temperature (°C) | Comfort | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 14 | Bracing |
| Feb | 14 | Bracing |
| Mar | 15 | Cool |
| Apr | 18 | Cool |
| May | 21 | Refreshing |
| Jun | 24 | Warm |
| Jul | 27 | Warm |
| Aug | 29 | Tropical |
| Sep | 28 | Warm |
| Oct | 25 | Warm |
| Nov | 21 | Refreshing |
| Dec | 17 | Cool |
UV index in Matmata in Winter
Clear-sky midday UV across winter averages 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 Matmata peaks around June 20 at about 10 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near December 23 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 | 6 | 7 | 11 | 10 | 9 | 8 | 7 | 4 | 3 |
| Level | Moderate | Moderate | High | High | 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 | 6 | High |
| May | 7 | High |
| Jun | 11 | Extreme |
| Jul | 10 | Very high |
| Aug | 9 | Very high |
| Sep | 8 | Very high |
| Oct | 7 | High |
| Nov | 4 | Moderate |
| Dec | 3 | Moderate |
Air quality in Matmata 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 Matmata is worst in April — around 59 µg/m³ PM2.5 (unhealthy), about 1.9× the cleanest month (August, 31 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) | 55 | 46 | 51 | 59 | 49 | 45 | 33 | 31 | 32 | 34 | 44 | 44 |
| Level | Unhealthy | Poor | Poor | Unhealthy | Poor | Poor | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Poor | Poor |
| PM2.5 (µg/m³) | Level | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 55 | Unhealthy |
| Feb | 46 | Poor |
| Mar | 51 | Poor |
| Apr | 59 | Unhealthy |
| May | 49 | Poor |
| Jun | 45 | Poor |
| Jul | 33 | Moderate |
| Aug | 31 | Moderate |
| Sep | 32 | Moderate |
| Oct | 34 | Moderate |
| Nov | 44 | Poor |
| Dec | 44 | Poor |
Where is Matmata?
Matmata sits at 33.5°N, 10.0°E, 0 m above sea level, in Tunisia. The nearest listed city is Mareth, 30 km away.
Topography around Matmata
How much the land rises and falls, and what covers it, within 3, 16 and 80 km of Matmata.
Within 3 km, the terrain around Matmata has significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 303 m around an average of 362 m above sea level; within 16 km, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 502 m; within 80 km, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 682 m.
The land around Matmata is covered by grassland (65%) and bare terrain (28%) within 3 km, bare terrain (55%) and grassland (40%) within 16 km, and bare terrain (71%) within 80 km.
Tunisia travel facts
- Travel advisory
- Level 2
- Exercise Increased Caution
- Power plugs
- Type C / E
- 230 V · 50 Hz
- Prices
- ≈ 29% of US
- price level, 2025
- GDP per capita
- $4,657
- 2025
- Happiness
- 4.8 / 10
- World Happiness, 2025
- Safe drinking water
- 65%
- of population, 2024
- Homicide rate
- 4.7
- per 100k, 2020
- Road deaths
- 16.5
- per 100k/yr, 2019
- Income group
- Lower middle
- World Bank
- English
- Low
- EF EPI 498
- 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 Matmata (33.5444°, 9.9716°, elevation 0 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.