Climate and average weather in Laayoune
In Laayoune, the summers are humid, warm, dry, and clear and the winters are mild, breezy, and mostly clear.
Over the course of the year, the temperature in Laayoune typically varies from 13°C to 28°C, and is rarely below 10°C or above 31°C. August is the hottest month of the year, while January is the coldest.
Based on the travel score, the best time of year to visit Laayoune for warm-weather activities is from early January to late December.
- Hottest
- Aug
- 28°
- Coldest
- Jan
- 13°
- Wettest
- Dec
- 8 mm
- Driest
- Jul
- 0 mm
- Rain / yr
- 44 mm
- 8 wet days
- Daylight
- 10.3–13.7 h
- shortest–longest
- Elevation
- 68 m
- 27.1°N
- Clearest
- Jul
- 17% cloud
Laayoune weather by month, at a glance
The whole year in one picture — sky, rain, humidity, temperature and travel score. Click any band to jump to its full chart.
Each stripe is one measure across the whole year, stacked so a single day reads top to bottom. The sky band runs overcast grey on top down to clear blue at the base — more blue means sunnier — followed by the rainfall curve, the humidity band, a temperature strip that tints each stretch of the year by how warm its average high is, and the travel-score line at the foot. Scan straight down any date to read that day across every measure at once; the score climbs highest around early January to late December.
Temperature through the year
Daily average highs and lows in Laayoune, from 1991–2020 of climate data. The shaded bands show the range most days fall in — 10th to 90th percentile.
Temperatures in Laayoune stay fairly even through the year, without a distinct hot or cool season. The warmest month is August, with an average high of 28°C and low of 20°C; the coolest is January, with an average low of 13°C and high of 21°C.
Days typically run about 8°C warmer than nights year-round.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Avg high (°C) | 21 | 22 | 23 | 23 | 24 | 25 | 27 | 28 | 28 | 26 | 24 | 22 |
| Avg low (°C) | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 20 | 20 | 20 | 19 | 17 | 14 |
| Avg high (°C) | Avg low (°C) | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 21 | 13 |
| Feb | 22 | 14 |
| Mar | 23 | 15 |
| Apr | 23 | 16 |
| May | 24 | 17 |
| Jun | 25 | 18 |
| Jul | 27 | 20 |
| Aug | 28 | 20 |
| Sep | 28 | 20 |
| Oct | 26 | 19 |
| Nov | 24 | 17 |
| Dec | 22 | 14 |
Average hourly temperature in Laayoune
A compact picture of the whole year, hour by hour: each column is a day, each row an hour, and the color is the modeled average temperature. Darker overlays mark night, lighter ones the civil-twilight hours around sunrise and sunset.
Read left to right for the day of the year and top to bottom for the hour of the day; the color is the modeled temperature, cool blues through to hot reds on the same scale as the other charts. A vertical slice is a single day's swing — coolest just before dawn, warmest in the mid-afternoon — while a horizontal slice follows one hour across the seasons. The darker overlay marks night and the lighter one the twilight around sunrise and sunset. Colors run warmest on August afternoons, near 28°C, and coldest before dawn in January, near 13°C.
Laayoune weather by month
Every month at a glance. Click a month for its detailed page.
| Month | High / Low (°C) | Rainfall (mm) | Wet days | Daylight (hours) | Travel score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 21° / 13° | 7 | 1.2 | 10.5 | 8.3 |
| Feb | 22° / 14° | 6 | 1.4 | 11 | 8.4 |
| Mar | 23° / 15° | 5 | 1 | 11.8 | 8.8 |
| Apr | 23° / 16° | 1 | 0.3 | 12.6 | 8.9 |
| May | 24° / 17° | 1 | 0.2 | 13.3 | 9.2 |
| Jun | 25° / 18° | 0 | 0 | 13.7 | 9.2 |
| Jul | 27° / 20° | 0 | 0 | 13.5 | 8.9 |
| Aug | 28° / 20° | 0 | 0.1 | 13 | 8.4 |
| Sep | 28° / 20° | 3 | 0.7 | 12.2 | 8.5 |
| Oct | 26° / 19° | 8 | 0.9 | 11.3 | 8.4 |
| Nov | 24° / 17° | 5 | 0.9 | 10.7 | 8.7 |
| Dec | 22° / 14° | 8 | 1.4 | 10.3 | 8.4 |
Chance of rain
How likely it is to rain on a typical day, and how that shifts across the wetter and drier seasons.
Laayoune gets about 44 mm of precipitation a year. On a typical day the chance of rain is mostly dry, and that barely changes with the seasons — rain is spread fairly evenly through the year.
December is the wettest month by volume, with 8 mm over about 1 wet days; July is the driest, with 0 mm.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rain on a day (%) | 4 | 5 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 3 | 3 | 5 |
| Rain days | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| Rain on a day (%) | Rain days | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 4 | 1 |
| Feb | 5 | 1 |
| Mar | 3 | 1 |
| Apr | 1 | 0 |
| May | 1 | 0 |
| Jun | 0 | 0 |
| Jul | 0 | 0 |
| Aug | 0 | 0 |
| Sep | 2 | 1 |
| Oct | 3 | 1 |
| Nov | 3 | 1 |
| Dec | 5 | 1 |
Monthly rainfall
Over a full year, Laayoune collects about 44 mm of rain across 8 wet days — roughly 4 mm in an average month.
It doesn’t fall evenly. December is the wettest month with 8 mm, while July is the driest at just 0 mm. The three wettest months alone bring about 52% of the year’s total.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rainfall (mm) | 7 | 6 | 5 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 8 | 5 | 8 |
| Rain days | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| Rainfall (mm) | Rain days | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 7 | 1 |
| Feb | 6 | 1 |
| Mar | 5 | 1 |
| Apr | 1 | 0 |
| May | 1 | 0 |
| Jun | 0 | 0 |
| Jul | 0 | 0 |
| Aug | 0 | 0 |
| Sep | 3 | 1 |
| Oct | 8 | 1 |
| Nov | 5 | 1 |
| Dec | 8 | 1 |
Clouds and sunshine
How often the daytime sky is clear, partly cloudy or overcast.
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.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Clearer (%) | 77 | 80 | 83 | 81 | 86 | 94 | 98 | 95 | 87 | 79 | 75 | 76 |
| Cloudier (%) | 23 | 20 | 17 | 19 | 14 | 6 | 2 | 5 | 13 | 21 | 25 | 24 |
| Clearer (%) | Cloudier (%) | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 77 | 23 |
| Feb | 80 | 20 |
| Mar | 83 | 17 |
| Apr | 81 | 19 |
| May | 86 | 14 |
| Jun | 94 | 6 |
| Jul | 98 | 2 |
| Aug | 95 | 5 |
| Sep | 87 | 13 |
| Oct | 79 | 21 |
| Nov | 75 | 25 |
| Dec | 76 | 24 |
Daylight, sunrise and sunset
Hours of daylight through the year, with sunrise and sunset times.
The gold band is daylight — sunrise runs along its lower edge, sunset along the upper — so it widens toward summer and pinches toward winter, with night the dark area above and below. The longest day, around June 8, brings about 13 h 42 min of light; the shortest, around January 1, only 10 h 18 min — a swing of roughly 3 h 24 min.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Daylight (h) | 10.5 | 11.0 | 11.8 | 12.6 | 13.3 | 13.7 | 13.5 | 13.0 | 12.2 | 11.3 | 10.7 | 10.3 |
| Sunrise (AM) | 7:48 | 7:36 | 7:08 | 6:34 | 6:09 | 6:02 | 6:12 | 6:28 | 6:42 | 6:57 | 7:19 | 7:40 |
| Sunset (PM) | 6:16 | 6:39 | 6:56 | 7:12 | 7:29 | 7:44 | 7:45 | 7:26 | 6:52 | 6:18 | 5:57 | 5:58 |
| Daylight (h) | Sunrise (AM) | Sunset (PM) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 10.5 | 7:48 | 6:16 |
| Feb | 11.0 | 7:36 | 6:39 |
| Mar | 11.8 | 7:08 | 6:56 |
| Apr | 12.6 | 6:34 | 7:12 |
| May | 13.3 | 6:09 | 7:29 |
| Jun | 13.7 | 6:02 | 7:44 |
| Jul | 13.5 | 6:12 | 7:45 |
| Aug | 13.0 | 6:28 | 7:26 |
| Sep | 12.2 | 6:42 | 6:52 |
| Oct | 11.3 | 6:57 | 6:18 |
| Nov | 10.7 | 7:19 | 5:57 |
| Dec | 10.3 | 7:40 | 5:58 |
Sunny days
How many genuinely sunny days each month brings — days the sky stays clear or mostly clear — banded into plain-language zones.
Laayoune averages about 22 sunny days a month — counting the days the sky stays clear or mostly clear — with a clear seasonal swing between 17 and 29 days.
The sunnier stretch runs 4.4 months, from around May 17 to Sep 28. The sunniest month is July, with roughly 28 sunny days (brilliant).
The greyest month is December, down near 18 sunny days — about 37% fewer than the July peak.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sunny days | 19 | 18 | 21 | 20 | 22 | 26 | 29 | 28 | 23 | 20 | 17 | 18 |
| Sky | Bright | Bright | Bright | Bright | Bright | Brilliant | Brilliant | Brilliant | Brilliant | Bright | Bright | Bright |
| Sunny days | Sky | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 19 | Bright |
| Feb | 18 | Bright |
| Mar | 21 | Bright |
| Apr | 20 | Bright |
| May | 22 | Bright |
| Jun | 26 | Brilliant |
| Jul | 29 | Brilliant |
| Aug | 28 | Brilliant |
| Sep | 23 | Brilliant |
| Oct | 20 | Bright |
| Nov | 17 | Bright |
| Dec | 18 | Bright |
Humidity comfort
Share of days at each humidity comfort level, based on the dew point — the measure that tracks how muggy it actually feels.
Humidity comfort is graded by the dew point — the temperature at which the air would be fully saturated — because it tracks how muggy it actually feels far better than relative humidity does. A low dew point feels dry and crisp; a high one feels sticky and oppressive no matter the reading on a humidity gauge.
In Laayoune, how humid it feels changes dramatically over the year.
The more humid part of the year lasts 5.2 months, from around June 3 to November 6. The muggiest month is August, when the air feels humid, muggy or worse about 98% of the time.
The most comfortable stretch runs from around November 7 to June 2, and January is the most comfortable month — the air is dry or comfortable 99% of the time.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dry (%) | 88 | 81 | 68 | 53 | 26 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 8 | 40 | 70 |
| Comfortable (%) | 10 | 17 | 31 | 43 | 54 | 38 | 7 | 2 | 5 | 20 | 35 | 22 |
| Humid (%) | 1 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 20 | 56 | 69 | 51 | 55 | 53 | 22 | 7 |
| Muggy (%) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 24 | 46 | 39 | 19 | 2 | 0 |
| Oppressive (%) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Dry (%) | Comfortable (%) | Humid (%) | Muggy (%) | Oppressive (%) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 88 | 10 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Feb | 81 | 17 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| Mar | 68 | 31 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| Apr | 53 | 43 | 4 | 0 | 0 |
| May | 26 | 54 | 20 | 0 | 0 |
| Jun | 3 | 38 | 56 | 4 | 0 |
| Jul | 0 | 7 | 69 | 24 | 0 |
| Aug | 0 | 2 | 51 | 46 | 1 |
| Sep | 0 | 5 | 55 | 39 | 1 |
| Oct | 8 | 20 | 53 | 19 | 0 |
| Nov | 40 | 35 | 22 | 2 | 0 |
| Dec | 70 | 22 | 7 | 0 | 0 |
Wind
Average wind speed through the year, banded into plain-language speed zones so a number reads as 'breezy' or 'calm' without knowing the scale.
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.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wind speed (km/h) | 19 | 21 | 21 | 23 | 23 | 25 | 28 | 27 | 22 | 18 | 18 | 18 |
| Feels | light breeze | breezy | breezy | breezy | breezy | breezy | breezy | breezy | breezy | light breeze | light breeze | light breeze |
| Wind speed (km/h) | Feels | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 19 | light breeze |
| Feb | 21 | breezy |
| Mar | 21 | breezy |
| Apr | 23 | breezy |
| May | 23 | breezy |
| Jun | 25 | breezy |
| Jul | 28 | breezy |
| Aug | 27 | breezy |
| Sep | 22 | breezy |
| Oct | 18 | light breeze |
| Nov | 18 | light breeze |
| Dec | 18 | light breeze |
Hazard calendar for Laayoune
When the seasonal hazards worth planning around — the rainy season, tropical-cyclone risk and dust haze — are active through the year.
Laayoune sees seasonal dust haze (July–August), heaviest in July.
Best time to visit Laayoune
To characterize how pleasant the weather is in Laayoune throughout the year, we compute two travel scores — one for general sightseeing, one for beach and pool weather.
Around late December, Laayoune is still near the tail of its best-weather window — great conditions with the peak-season crowds already thinning.
Inferred from the travel-score curve; month-by-month visitor numbers are a planned addition.
The travel score favors clear, rainless days with daytime highs between 18°C and 28°C. Based on this score, Laayoune suits general outdoor tourist activities for most of the year, with a peak score in the last week of May.
The travel score (filled area), and its constituents: the temperature score (red line), the cloud cover score (blue line), and the precipitation score (green line).
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Travel score (0–10) | 8.3 | 8.4 | 8.8 | 8.9 | 9.2 | 9.2 | 8.9 | 8.4 | 8.4 | 8.5 | 8.7 | 8.4 |
| Rating | ideal | ideal | ideal | ideal | ideal | ideal | ideal | ideal | ideal | ideal | ideal | ideal |
| Travel score (0–10) | Rating | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 8.3 | ideal |
| Feb | 8.4 | ideal |
| Mar | 8.8 | ideal |
| Apr | 8.9 | ideal |
| May | 9.2 | ideal |
| Jun | 9.2 | ideal |
| Jul | 8.9 | ideal |
| Aug | 8.4 | ideal |
| Sep | 8.4 | ideal |
| Oct | 8.5 | ideal |
| Nov | 8.7 | ideal |
| Dec | 8.4 | ideal |
The beach/pool score favors clear, rainless days with daytime highs between 24°C and 34°C. Based on this score, the best time of year to visit Laayoune for hot-weather activities is from early May to mid November, with a peak score in the third week of August.
The beach/pool score (filled area), and its constituents: the temperature score (red line), the cloud cover score (blue line), and the precipitation score (green line).
What to pack for Laayoune, by month
Month by month, what's worth putting in the bag — from the temperature range, rain chance, sun and wind. Tap a month for a quick packing note.
For a warm-season trip around August (highs near 28°C), the essentials are light clothes, sun protection and a windbreaker. In the cold season around January (highs near 21°C), pack a light layer.
In August, Laayoune sees daytime highs around 28°C and nights near 20°C. Pack light clothes and sun protection. Worth having: a windbreaker.
Sea temperature near Laayoune
Average ocean temperature at the nearest coast, month by month, banded into swim-comfort zones — the other half of the beach question.
The sea at the nearest coast (about 19 km away) is warmest in October at about 21°C and coldest in February near 17°C.
It's comfortable for a long swim from Aug 4 to Nov 19 — about 3.6 months when the water holds above 20°C.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sea temperature (°C) | 18 | 17 | 18 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 20 | 20 | 21 | 21 | 20 | 19 |
| Comfort | Cool | Cool | Cool | Cool | Cool | Cool | Cool | Refreshing | Refreshing | Refreshing | Refreshing | Cool |
| Sea temperature (°C) | Comfort | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 18 | Cool |
| Feb | 17 | Cool |
| Mar | 18 | Cool |
| Apr | 18 | Cool |
| May | 19 | Cool |
| Jun | 20 | Cool |
| Jul | 20 | Cool |
| Aug | 20 | Refreshing |
| Sep | 21 | Refreshing |
| Oct | 21 | Refreshing |
| Nov | 20 | Refreshing |
| Dec | 19 | Cool |
UV index (midday) in Laayoune by month
Clear-sky midday UV index through the year, shaded by the WHO exposure levels — how much sun protection each month calls for.
Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Laayoune peaks around August 13 at about 10 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near December 17 at about 4 (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) | 5 | 6 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 10 | 10 | 11 | 9 | 9 | 5 | 4 |
| Level | Moderate | High | Very high | Very high | Very high | Extreme | Very high | Extreme | Very high | Very high | Moderate | Moderate |
| UV index (midday) | Level | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 5 | Moderate |
| Feb | 6 | High |
| Mar | 9 | Very high |
| Apr | 9 | Very high |
| May | 9 | Very high |
| Jun | 10 | Extreme |
| Jul | 10 | Very high |
| Aug | 11 | Extreme |
| Sep | 9 | Very high |
| Oct | 9 | Very high |
| Nov | 5 | Moderate |
| Dec | 4 | Moderate |
Average hourly UV index in Laayoune
Modeled clear-sky UV for every hour of every day — when in the day sun protection actually matters.
The whole year hour by hour: each column is a day, each row an hour, and the color is the modeled clear-sky UV index — the midday peak scaled down as the sun sits lower in the sky. Darker overlays mark night, lighter ones the civil-twilight hours around sunrise and sunset.
UV falls off far faster than brightness as the sun drops, so even in August the burn window is concentrated in the middle of the day: about 8 hours a day reach index 3 (protection recommended), and 5.5 hours reach 6 or more. Mornings and late afternoons stay comparatively gentle year round.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| UV ≥ 3 (h/day) | 4.5 | 5.5 | 7 | 7 | 8 | 8 | 8.5 | 8 | 7.5 | 6.5 | 4.5 | 3.5 |
| UV ≥ 6 (h/day) | 0 | 0.5 | 4.5 | 4.5 | 5 | 5.5 | 5.5 | 5.5 | 5 | 4 | 0 | 0 |
| UV ≥ 3 (h/day) | UV ≥ 6 (h/day) | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 4.5 | 0 |
| Feb | 5.5 | 0.5 |
| Mar | 7 | 4.5 |
| Apr | 7 | 4.5 |
| May | 8 | 5 |
| Jun | 8 | 5.5 |
| Jul | 8.5 | 5.5 |
| Aug | 8 | 5.5 |
| Sep | 7.5 | 5 |
| Oct | 6.5 | 4 |
| Nov | 4.5 | 0 |
| Dec | 3.5 | 0 |
Air quality in Laayoune by month
Average fine-particle pollution (PM2.5) through the year — so you can see which months the air is worst, not just the yearly average.
Air quality in Laayoune is worst in December — around 28 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 4.2× the cleanest month (June, 7 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) | 25 | 26 | 14 | 10 | 8 | 7 | 11 | 12 | 9 | 12 | 12 | 28 |
| Level | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Good | Good | Good | Good | Good | Good | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate |
| PM2.5 (µg/m³) | Level | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 25 | Moderate |
| Feb | 26 | Moderate |
| Mar | 14 | Moderate |
| Apr | 10 | Good |
| May | 8 | Good |
| Jun | 7 | Good |
| Jul | 11 | Good |
| Aug | 12 | Good |
| Sep | 9 | Good |
| Oct | 12 | Moderate |
| Nov | 12 | Moderate |
| Dec | 28 | Moderate |
Growing season
Laayoune is frost-free year round — even the coldest nights rarely reach freezing, so there is no start or end to the growing season.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Frost-free chance (%) | 100 | 100 | 100 | 100 | 100 | 100 | 100 | 100 | 100 | 100 | 100 | 100 |
| Frost nights | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Frost-free chance (%) | Frost nights | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 100 | 0 |
| Feb | 100 | 0 |
| Mar | 100 | 0 |
| Apr | 100 | 0 |
| May | 100 | 0 |
| Jun | 100 | 0 |
| Jul | 100 | 0 |
| Aug | 100 | 0 |
| Sep | 100 | 0 |
| Oct | 100 | 0 |
| Nov | 100 | 0 |
| Dec | 100 | 0 |
Growing degree days
Growing degree days tally heat above 10°C: each day adds however many degrees its average temperature runs over that threshold, and cold days add nothing. Laayoune banks about 3,873 degree days a year, and the running total — which growers use to time plantings and predict maturity — climbs fastest around August.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Growing degree days (°C·days) | 219 | 217 | 273 | 279 | 322 | 352 | 406 | 436 | 411 | 392 | 311 | 254 |
| Growing degree days (°C·days) | |
|---|---|
| Jan | 219 |
| Feb | 217 |
| Mar | 273 |
| Apr | 279 |
| May | 322 |
| Jun | 352 |
| Jul | 406 |
| Aug | 436 |
| Sep | 411 |
| Oct | 392 |
| Nov | 311 |
| Dec | 254 |
Solar energy
Average daily shortwave solar energy reaching the ground, banded into brightness zones so the number means something at a glance.
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.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Solar energy (kWh/m²) | 4.1 | 5.0 | 6.2 | 7.0 | 7.5 | 7.6 | 7.4 | 7.0 | 6.3 | 5.2 | 4.3 | 3.7 |
| Level | Bright | Bright | Intense | Intense | Intense | Intense | Intense | Intense | Intense | Bright | Bright | Moderate |
| Solar energy (kWh/m²) | Level | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 4.1 | Bright |
| Feb | 5.0 | Bright |
| Mar | 6.2 | Intense |
| Apr | 7.0 | Intense |
| May | 7.5 | Intense |
| Jun | 7.6 | Intense |
| Jul | 7.4 | Intense |
| Aug | 7.0 | Intense |
| Sep | 6.3 | Intense |
| Oct | 5.2 | Bright |
| Nov | 4.3 | Bright |
| Dec | 3.7 | Moderate |
Where is Laayoune?
Laayoune sits at 27.1°N, 13.2°W, 68 m above sea level, in Western Sahara. The nearest listed city is El Marsa, 23 km away.
Topography around Laayoune
How much the land rises and falls, and what covers it, within 3, 16 and 80 km of Laayoune.
Within 3 km, the terrain around Laayoune has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 67 m around an average of 62 m above sea level; within 16 km, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 114 m; within 80 km, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 305 m.
The land around Laayoune is covered by bare terrain (55%) and artificial surfaces (42%) within 3 km, bare terrain (97%) within 16 km, and bare terrain (74%) and water (25%) within 80 km.
Data sources
Temperature, precipitation, cloud, humidity, wind and solar figures are a 1991–2020 climatology for Laayoune (27.1418°, -13.188°, elevation 68 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. Sea temperatures are the NOAA OISST v2.1 1991–2020 monthly climatology (public domain), sampled at the nearest ocean point. UV index is derived from CAMS (Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service) clear-sky UV data — contains modified Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service information. Monthly air-quality (PM2.5) seasonality is from the CAMS EAC4 reanalysis (Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service), scaled to the WHO annual mean where available. Topography is sampled from the Copernicus DEM GLO-90 elevation model (© ESA/Airbus) and ESA WorldCover 2021 land cover (CC BY 4.0).