Laayoune weather in January

In January, Laayoune sees average daytime highs of 21°C and overnight lows near 13°C, with 7 mm of rain across 1.2 wet days and about 10.5 hours of daylight. It is the 12th-warmest and 3rd-wettest month of the year here.

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 21°C through the month. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 61% of the time in January, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 10 h 18 min at the start of January to 10 h 42 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, January is Laayoune's 9th-clearest and 9th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Laayoune's year-round climate.

Daytime high
21°
12th warmest
Overnight low
13°
1st coldest
Rainfall
7 mm
1.2 wet days
Daylight
10 h 30 min
7:48 AM – 6:16 PM
Cloud cover
35%
9th clearest
Wind
19 km/h
9th windiest
Solar energy
4.07 kWh/m²
Travel score
8.3
out of 10

Temperature in January

Average highAverage lowShaded bands: 10–90% of days

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 21°C through the month.

A typical January day in Laayoune reaches about 21°C in the afternoon and slips back to 13°C overnight — a 8°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 18°C and 25°C. Set against its neighbours, January runs about 1°C cooler than December and on par with February.

10°15°20°25°30°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
12213
22213
32213
42213
52113
62113
72113
82113
92113
102113
112113
122113
132113
142113
152113
162113
172113
182113
192113
202113
212113
222113
232113
242113
252113
262113
272113
282113
292113
302113
312113

Laayoune weather by month

How January compares with the rest of the year at a glance. January is the 12th-warmest and 3rd-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan21° / 13°71.210.58.3
Feb22° / 14°61.4118.4
Mar23° / 15°5111.88.8
Apr23° / 16°10.312.68.9
May24° / 17°10.213.39.2
Jun25° / 18°0013.79.2
Jul27° / 20°0013.58.9
Aug28° / 20°00.1138.4
Sep28° / 20°30.712.28.5
Oct26° / 19°80.911.38.4
Nov24° / 17°50.910.78.7
Dec22° / 14°81.410.38.4

Cloud cover in January

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 61% of the time in January.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 17% of January, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 22%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
17822
27822
37822
47723
57723
67723
77723
87723
97723
107723
117723
127822
137822
147822
157822
167822
177921
187822
197822
207822
217822
227822
237723
247723
257723
267723
277723
287822
297723
307723
317723

Chance of precipitation in January

Any precipitation

Laayoune gets around 7 mm of rain over 1.2 wet days in January. The line is the day-by-day chance of measurable precipitation.

Day to day, the chance of measurable rain averages around 4% and peaks near 5% on the wettest days.

0%10%20%30%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
12
23
33
43
53
63
73
83
93
103
114
124
134
144
154
164
174
184
194
204
214
225
235
245
255
265
275
285
295
305
314

Humidity in January

DryComfortableHumidMuggyOppressiveMiserable

Most of January feels dry — the stacked bands show each day's mix of comfort levels, read off the dew point.

By dew point, January lands in the dry band about 89% of days. It rarely turns muggy — the humid and sticky bands barely register.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)
183152
284142
384142
486131
586131
687121
788111
888111
989101
1089101
119091
129091
139091
149091
159181
169181
179181
189181
199181
209091
219091
229091
239091
2489101
2589101
2689101
2789101
2889101
2989101
3088102
3188102

Wind in January

Winds average 19 km/h in January.

Across January, daily wind ranges from about 18 km/h on the calmest days to 20 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

0510152025151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
118light breeze
219light breeze
319light breeze
419light breeze
519light breeze
619light breeze
719light breeze
819light breeze
919light breeze
1019light breeze
1119light breeze
1219light breeze
1319light breeze
1419light breeze
1519light breeze
1619light breeze
1719light breeze
1819light breeze
1919light breeze
2019light breeze
2119light breeze
2219light breeze
2319light breeze
2420light breeze
2520light breeze
2620light breeze
2720light breeze
2820light breeze
2920light breeze
3020light breeze
3120light breeze

Sunrise & sunset in January

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 10 h 18 min at the start of January to 10 h 42 min by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days grow by about 24 minutes over January. Sunrise moves from 7:46 AM to 7:45 AM, and sunset from 6:05 PM to 6:28 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
110.37:466:05
210.37:476:06
310.37:476:07
410.37:476:07
510.37:476:08
610.47:486:09
710.47:486:09
810.47:486:10
910.47:486:11
1010.47:486:11
1110.47:486:12
1210.47:486:13
1310.47:486:14
1410.47:486:14
1510.47:486:15
1610.57:486:16
1710.57:486:17
1810.57:486:17
1910.57:486:18
2010.57:486:19
2110.57:486:20
2210.67:476:21
2310.67:476:21
2410.67:476:22
2510.67:476:23
2610.67:466:24
2710.67:466:24
2810.77:466:25
2910.77:456:26
3010.77:456:27
3110.77:456:28

Solar energy in January

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in January, about 4.07 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 3.74 kWh/m² to a high of 7.62 kWh/m² in June across the year — January's 4.07 kWh/m² sits near the bottom.

012345151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
13.9Moderate
23.9Moderate
33.9Moderate
43.9Moderate
53.9Moderate
63.9Moderate
73.9Moderate
83.9Moderate
94.0Moderate
104.0Moderate
114.0Moderate
124.0Moderate
134.0Bright
144.0Bright
154.0Bright
164.1Bright
174.1Bright
184.1Bright
194.1Bright
204.1Bright
214.2Bright
224.2Bright
234.2Bright
244.2Bright
254.3Bright
264.3Bright
274.3Bright
284.3Bright
294.4Bright
304.4Bright
314.4Bright
Planning a trip in January

Hazard calendar for Laayoune

In seasonPeak

None of Laayoune's seasonal hazards are active in January. The full-year calendar below shows when the rainy season, cyclone risk and dust haze do peak.

Laayoune sees seasonal dust haze (July–August), heaviest in July.

Dust
Jan
Feb
Mar
Apr
May
Jun
Jul
Aug
Sep
Oct
Nov
Dec

Is January a good time to visit Laayoune?

Our two travel scores rate January for general sightseeing and for beach or pool weather — 0 (poor) to 10 (ideal).

8.3
Sightseeing
12th-best month of the year
5.2
Beach & pool
12th-best month of the year

January is one of the better times to visit Laayoune for general sightseeing.

What to pack for Laayoune in January

From January's temperature range, rain chance, sun and wind — what's worth putting in the bag.

In January, Laayoune sees daytime highs around 21°C and nights near 13°C. Little to plan around — just the basics.

Sea temperature near Laayoune in January

The nearest coast averages about 18°C in January — the other half of the beach question. The full-year curve and swim-comfort zones are below.

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.

16°18°20°22°JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDeccoolrefreshingcomfortable to swim
Sea temperature (°C)Comfort
Jan18Cool
Feb17Cool
Mar18Cool
Apr18Cool
May19Cool
Jun20Cool
Jul20Cool
Aug20Refreshing
Sep21Refreshing
Oct21Refreshing
Nov20Refreshing
Dec19Cool

UV index in Laayoune in January

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in January peaks around 5 — enough to warrant sun protection. The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.

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.

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecHighVery highExtremeVery highModerateAug 13UV 10Dec 17UV 4
UV index (midday)Level
Jan5Moderate
Feb6High
Mar9Very high
Apr9Very high
May9Very high
Jun10Extreme
Jul10Very high
Aug11Extreme
Sep9Very high
Oct9Very high
Nov5Moderate
Dec4Moderate

Air quality in Laayoune in January

GoodModeratePoorUnhealthyVery unhealthy

Average fine-particle pollution (PM2.5) through the year — so you can see where January falls, not just the annual 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).

0102030JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecModerateGoodModerateDec 2228 µg/m³Jun 117 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan25Moderate
Feb26Moderate
Mar14Moderate
Apr10Good
May8Good
Jun7Good
Jul11Good
Aug12Good
Sep9Good
Oct12Moderate
Nov12Moderate
Dec28Moderate
Location & terrain

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.

SmaraBoujdour

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.

3 km
67 m
16 km
114 m
80 km
305 m
shrubsartificial surfacesbare terrainwater
January weather nearby: El Marsa 23 km · Smara 157 km · Pájara 162 km · Puerto del Rosario 165 km · Boujdour 171 km · La Oliva 179 km · Puerto del Carmen 204 km · Arrecife 206 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).