Sfax in Winter
In winter (December, January and February), Sfax sees average daytime highs around 17°C and overnight lows near 11°C, with 55 mm of rain over about 11 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 59% of the time across winter, and the air most often feels dry.
Winter is Sfax's weakest season of the year to visit on our travel score. For the whole year in context, see Sfax's year-round climate.
- Avg daytime high
- 17°C
- coldest season of the year
- Avg overnight low
- 11°C
- Rainfall
- 55 mm
- 11 wet days
- Avg wind
- 19 km/h
- Travel score
- 6.5
- weakest season of the year
- Months
- Dec · Jan · Feb
Temperature in Sfax in Winter
Across winter, daytime highs hold fairly steady around 17°C.
A typical winter day in Sfax reaches about 17°C and drops to 11°C overnight. The warmest of the three months is December, the coolest January.
How winter really feels in Sfax
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.
Sfax 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° / 10° | 20 | 3.7 | 9.9 | 6.1 |
| Feb | 17° / 10° | 16 | 3.6 | 10.7 | 6.4 |
| Mar | 19° / 12° | 22 | 4 | 11.7 | 7.2 |
| Apr | 21° / 15° | 15 | 3.3 | 12.8 | 7.9 |
| May | 24° / 18° | 8 | 1.8 | 13.8 | 8.7 |
| Jun | 28° / 22° | 3 | 0.7 | 14.3 | 8.0 |
| Jul | 31° / 25° | 0 | 0.1 | 14.1 | 6.3 |
| Aug | 31° / 26° | 4 | 0.9 | 13.3 | 5.8 |
| Sep | 29° / 24° | 26 | 3.1 | 12.2 | 6.9 |
| Oct | 26° / 20° | 24 | 4.2 | 11.1 | 8.0 |
| Nov | 21° / 15° | 20 | 3.4 | 10.2 | 7.9 |
| Dec | 18° / 12° | 20 | 3.3 | 9.7 | 7.0 |
Cloud cover in Winter
The sky is clear or mostly clear about 59% of the time across winter.
Chance of precipitation in Winter
Sfax gets around 55 mm of rain over 11 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 19 km/h across winter.
Sunrise & sunset in Winter
Daylight runs from about 9 h 48 min in early December to 11 h 06 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 3.2 kWh/m².
Hazard calendar for Sfax
None of Sfax's seasonal hazards peak in winter. The full-year calendar below shows when the rainy season, cyclone risk and dust haze do.
Sfax sees seasonal dust haze (April–June), heaviest in April.
Is winter a good time to visit Sfax?
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 Sfax for sightseeing.
What to pack for Sfax in Winter
From winter's temperature range, rain chance, sun and wind — what's worth putting in the bag.
In winter, Sfax sees daytime highs around 17°C and nights near 11°C. Worth packing: a warm layer. About 11 days see rain.
Sea temperature near Sfax in Winter
The nearest coast averages about 16°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 17 km away) is warmest in August at about 28°C and coldest in February near 15°C.
It's comfortable for a long swim from May 13 to Nov 28 — 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) | 15 | 15 | 16 | 18 | 20 | 24 | 27 | 28 | 27 | 25 | 22 | 18 |
| Comfort | Cool | Bracing | Cool | Cool | Refreshing | Refreshing | Warm | Tropical | Warm | Warm | Refreshing | Cool |
| Sea temperature (°C) | Comfort | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 15 | Cool |
| Feb | 15 | Bracing |
| Mar | 16 | Cool |
| Apr | 18 | Cool |
| May | 20 | Refreshing |
| Jun | 24 | Refreshing |
| Jul | 27 | Warm |
| Aug | 28 | Tropical |
| Sep | 27 | Warm |
| Oct | 25 | Warm |
| Nov | 22 | Refreshing |
| Dec | 18 | Cool |
UV index in Sfax 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 Sfax peaks around July 14 at about 10 (very high) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near January 1 at about 2 (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) | 2 | 5 | 6 | 5 | 7 | 9 | 10 | 9 | 8 | 6 | 3 | 2 |
| Level | Moderate | Moderate | High | High | High | Very high | Very high | Very high | Very high | High | Moderate | Moderate |
| UV index (midday) | Level | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 2 | Moderate |
| Feb | 5 | Moderate |
| Mar | 6 | High |
| Apr | 5 | High |
| May | 7 | High |
| Jun | 9 | Very high |
| Jul | 10 | Very high |
| Aug | 9 | Very high |
| Sep | 8 | Very high |
| Oct | 6 | High |
| Nov | 3 | Moderate |
| Dec | 2 | Moderate |
Air quality in Sfax 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 Sfax is worst in January — around 35 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 2.8× the cleanest month (July, 13 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) | 35 | 31 | 30 | 25 | 20 | 16 | 13 | 13 | 17 | 23 | 29 | 31 |
| Level | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate |
| PM2.5 (µg/m³) | Level | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 35 | Moderate |
| Feb | 31 | Moderate |
| Mar | 30 | Moderate |
| Apr | 25 | Moderate |
| May | 20 | Moderate |
| Jun | 16 | Moderate |
| Jul | 13 | Moderate |
| Aug | 13 | Moderate |
| Sep | 17 | Moderate |
| Oct | 23 | Moderate |
| Nov | 29 | Moderate |
| Dec | 31 | Moderate |
Where is Sfax?
Sfax sits at 34.7°N, 10.8°E, 8 m above sea level, in Tunisia. The nearest listed city is Dar el Haj Taïeb, 5.0 km away.
Topography around Sfax
How much the land rises and falls, and what covers it, within 3, 16 and 80 km of Sfax.
Within 3 km, the terrain around Sfax has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 21 m around an average of 6 m above sea level; within 16 km, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 121 m; within 80 km, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 269 m.
The land around Sfax is covered by artificial surfaces (66%) within 3 km, water (43%) and artificial surfaces (20%) within 16 km, and water (49%) and cropland (24%) 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 Sfax (34.7406°, 10.7603°, elevation 8 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.