Western Sahara weather by month

In Laayoune, the average share of the sky covered by clouds shows moderate seasonal variation over the course of the year.

The clearer part of the year begins around May 12 and lasts for 4.5 months, ending around September 24. The clearest month is July, when the sky is clear, mostly clear, or partly cloudy 98% of the time on average.

The cloudier part of the year begins around September 25 and lasts for 5.8 months, ending around March 21. The cloudiest month is November, when it is overcast or mostly cloudy 25% of the time.

This is the average sustained wind speed at the standard 10 metres above open ground — the steady flow a weather station reports, not the sharper gusts that come and go, which can run half again as fast. It's the number that says whether a place is generally breezy or calm.

Across the year, average wind speed in Laayoune is typically breezy, near 22 km/h, and varies a lot with the seasons.

The windier part of the year lasts 5.5 months, from around Apr 3 to Sep 15. The windiest month is July, averaging about 28 km/h (breezy).

The calmer part of the year runs from around Sep 16 to Apr 2, with October the calmest month at about 18 km/h.

Solar energy is how much sunlight actually reaches the ground each day, measured in kilowatt-hours per square metre (kWh/m²) — the combined effect of how long the sun is up, how high it climbs, and how much cloud gets in the way. It's the raw fuel a solar panel has to work with: for scale, 1 kWh/m² a day is dim and wintry, while 7+ is desert-bright.

Laayoune receives about 5.9 kWh/m² a day of solar energy on average — bright — with a clear seasonal swing between 3.7 and 7.6 kWh/m².

The brighter stretch of the year lasts 6.6 months, from around Mar 10 to Sep 25. The brightest month is June, averaging about 7.6 kWh/m² (intense).

The dimmest month is December, down near 3.8 kWh/m² — roughly 50% less than the June peak.