Dakhla in Winter
In winter (December, January and February), Dakhla sees average daytime highs around 19°C and overnight lows near 16°C, with 10 mm of rain over about 2 wet days across the season. It is the 3rd-warmest season and the 2nd-wettest season.
Across winter, daytime highs hold fairly steady around 19°C. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 71% of the time across winter, and the air most often feels dry.
Winter is Dakhla's weakest season of the year to visit on our travel score. Dakhla has little temperature swing across the year, so its calendar seasons blur — the season framing matters less here than for a place with four distinct seasons. For the whole year in context, see Dakhla's year-round climate.
- Avg daytime high
- 19°C
- 3rd-warmest season
- Avg overnight low
- 16°C
- Rainfall
- 10 mm
- 2 wet days
- Avg wind
- 23 km/h
- Travel score
- 8.1
- weakest season of the year
- Months
- Dec · Jan · Feb
Temperature in Dakhla in Winter
Across winter, daytime highs hold fairly steady around 19°C.
A typical winter day in Dakhla reaches about 19°C and drops to 16°C overnight. The warmest of the three months is December, the coolest January.
Dakhla 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 | 19° / 16° | 4 | 0.7 | 10.7 | 8.1 |
| Feb | 19° / 16° | 2 | 0.5 | 11.2 | 8.1 |
| Mar | 19° / 17° | 3 | 0.3 | 11.8 | 8.3 |
| Apr | 19° / 17° | 1 | 0.1 | 12.5 | 8.2 |
| May | 20° / 18° | 0 | 0.1 | 13.1 | 8.3 |
| Jun | 20° / 19° | 0 | 0.1 | 13.4 | 8.8 |
| Jul | 21° / 20° | 0 | 0 | 13.3 | 8.9 |
| Aug | 22° / 21° | 1 | 0.2 | 12.8 | 9.1 |
| Sep | 22° / 21° | 6 | 0.5 | 12.1 | 9.0 |
| Oct | 22° / 21° | 3 | 0.4 | 11.4 | 8.7 |
| Nov | 21° / 19° | 2 | 0.2 | 10.9 | 8.5 |
| Dec | 20° / 17° | 5 | 0.5 | 10.6 | 8.2 |
Cloud cover in Winter
The sky is clear or mostly clear about 71% of the time across winter.
Chance of precipitation in Winter
Dakhla gets around 10 mm of rain over 2 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 23 km/h across winter.
Sunrise & sunset in Winter
Daylight runs from about 10 h 36 min in early December to 11 h 30 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 4.7 kWh/m².
Hazard calendar for Dakhla
None of Dakhla's seasonal hazards peak in winter. The full-year calendar below shows when the rainy season, cyclone risk and dust haze do.
Dakhla sits in the Atlantic hurricane belt; the season peaks August–October.
Dakhla sees seasonal dust haze (June–October), heaviest in July.
Is winter a good time to visit Dakhla?
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 one of the better times to visit Dakhla for general sightseeing.
What to pack for Dakhla in Winter
From winter's temperature range, rain chance, sun and wind — what's worth putting in the bag.
In winter, Dakhla sees daytime highs around 19°C and nights near 16°C. Worth packing: sun protection and a windbreaker.
Sea temperature near Dakhla in Winter
The nearest coast averages about 18°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 18 km away) is warmest in October at about 21°C and coldest in February near 18°C.
It's comfortable for a long swim from Aug 9 to Nov 2 — about 2.8 months when the water holds above 20°C.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sea temperature (°C) | 18 | 18 | 18 | 18 | 18 | 19 | 19 | 20 | 20 | 21 | 20 | 19 |
| Comfort | Cool | Cool | Cool | Cool | Cool | Cool | Cool | Refreshing | Refreshing | Refreshing | Cool | Cool |
| Sea temperature (°C) | Comfort | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 18 | Cool |
| Feb | 18 | Cool |
| Mar | 18 | Cool |
| Apr | 18 | Cool |
| May | 18 | Cool |
| Jun | 19 | Cool |
| Jul | 19 | Cool |
| Aug | 20 | Refreshing |
| Sep | 20 | Refreshing |
| Oct | 21 | Refreshing |
| Nov | 20 | Cool |
| Dec | 19 | Cool |
UV index in Dakhla in Winter
Clear-sky midday UV across winter averages around 6 — enough to warrant sun protection. The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.
Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Dakhla peaks around August 22 at about 10 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near December 18 at about 5 (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) | 6 | 7 | 9 | 8 | 10 | 10 | 9 | 10 | 10 | 9 | 6 | 4 |
| Level | High | Very high | Very high | Very high | Very high | Extreme | Very high | Extreme | Extreme | Very high | High | Moderate |
| UV index (midday) | Level | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 6 | High |
| Feb | 7 | Very high |
| Mar | 9 | Very high |
| Apr | 8 | Very high |
| May | 10 | Very high |
| Jun | 10 | Extreme |
| Jul | 9 | Very high |
| Aug | 10 | Extreme |
| Sep | 10 | Extreme |
| Oct | 9 | Very high |
| Nov | 6 | High |
| Dec | 4 | Moderate |
Air quality in Dakhla 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 Dakhla is worst in December — around 48 µg/m³ PM2.5 (poor), about 3.0× the cleanest month (May, 16 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) | 47 | 40 | 31 | 17 | 16 | 20 | 29 | 32 | 30 | 25 | 25 | 48 |
| Level | Poor | Poor | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Poor |
| PM2.5 (µg/m³) | Level | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 47 | Poor |
| Feb | 40 | Poor |
| Mar | 31 | Moderate |
| Apr | 17 | Moderate |
| May | 16 | Moderate |
| Jun | 20 | Moderate |
| Jul | 29 | Moderate |
| Aug | 32 | Moderate |
| Sep | 30 | Moderate |
| Oct | 25 | Moderate |
| Nov | 25 | Moderate |
| Dec | 48 | Poor |
Where is Dakhla?
Dakhla sits at 23.7°N, 16.0°W, 6 m above sea level, in Western Sahara. The nearest listed city is Boujdour, 310 km away.
Topography around Dakhla
How much the land rises and falls, and what covers it, within 3, 16 and 80 km of Dakhla.
Within 3 km, the terrain around Dakhla has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 15 m around an average of 4 m above sea level; within 16 km, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 57 m; within 80 km, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 252 m.
The land around Dakhla is covered by water (49%) and bare terrain (32%) within 3 km, water (84%) within 16 km, and bare terrain (58%) and water (42%) within 80 km.
Data sources
Temperature, precipitation, cloud, humidity, wind and solar figures are a 1991–2020 climatology for Dakhla (23.6848°, -15.958°, elevation 6 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.