
The Weather in Morocco
INTRODUCTION BY AREAS BY MONTH NEXT FEW DAYS BEST TIME TO TRAVEL TO MOROCCO
The climate of Morocco is as complex as its geography. We can divide them both into four climatic areas: coastal, inland, desert and mountain.
By Areas
The coastal area of Morocco is the area along the Mediterranean and Atlantic coasts (for example Asilah or Essaouira); It has mild summers and cool, wet winters. It’s the most consistent climatic region throughout the year, thanks to the regulating influence of the ocean.
The inland region is between the coastal region to the Sahara below (with cities such as Fez or Marrakech). It’s similar to the coastal, except that the ocean has no regulating influence. This is both an advantage and an inconvenience: while winters are milder, summers are hotter.
The desert region is part of the great Sahara desert; such is the case with Erg Chebbi and Erg Chegaga, but also in nearby cities such as Erfoud or Agdz. It’s where temperatures are most extreme, so that there is a considerable difference throughout the year and between day and night temperatures.
There are four mountain range systems: the Rif, High Atlas, Middle Atlas and Anti Atlas. Some destinations are Chaouen, Ifrane, Imlil (at the foot of the Toubkal) and Ouarzazate. The main feature of these areas is their low temperatures, around ten degrees (50 Fahrenheit) during winter nights in the Rif area, with the cold temperatures last for 6 months of the year or more in the Atlas.
By Month
Below are the average monthly temperatures (both maximum and minimum) in each climatic region of Morocco. The statistical data collected in recent years is from a representative place in each area (for the coastal region Tangier, Fez for the inland region, in the desert region Erg Chebbi and Chefchaouen for the mountain region):
January
Coastal
16º/09º
Inland
16º/04º
Desert
18º/03º
Mountains
14º/04º
February
Coastal
17º/09º
Inland
17º/05º
Desert
21º/06º
Mountains
15º/05º
March
Coastal
18º/11º
Inland
20º/08º
Desert
24º/09º
Mountains
18º/07º
April
Coastal
20º/12º
Inland
23º/10º
Desert
29º/13º
Mountains
20º/09º
May
Coastal
23º/14º
Inland
26º/12º
Desert
34º/17º
Mountains
23º/11º
June
Coastal
26º/17º
Inland
31º/15º
Desert
38º/22º
Mountains
28º/15º
July
Coastal
29º/19º
Inland
36º/18º
Desert
43º/26º
Mountains
32º/18º
August
Coastal
29º/19º
Inland
36º/18º
Desert
42º/25º
Mountains
32º/18º
September
Coastal
28º/18º
Inland
36º/18º
Desert
34º/19º
Mountains
28º/15º
October
Coastal
24º/15º
Inland
26º/13º
Desert
30º/15º
Mountains
23º/12º
November
Coastal
20º/12º
Inland
20º/09º
Desert
22º/09º
Mountains
20º/09º
December
Coastal
17º/10º
Inland
16º/09º
Desert
18º/05º
Mountains
16º/07º
Next Few Days
With similar criteria to that in the previous section, here is a forecast for the next 7 days in four representative places of the four climatic zones (Tangier, Fez, Erg Chebbi and Chefchaouen for the Coastal, Inland, Desert and Mountainous regions, respectively):
The Best Time to Visit Moroco
It’s not practical to say when, in general, is the best time to travel to Morocco, since in all likelihood you will cross several climatic areas on your trip. Instead, it’s more helpful to know what kind of weather to be prepared for.
In the coastal region, you’ll need a jacket for the winter months. In inland Morocco, winter temperatures are somewhat lower, so you’ll need a coat, and in summer it can be very hot. In the mountains it’ll be even colder, so you’ll need to really bundle up in autumn and winter (in the Atlas, the cold lasts for 6 or more months).
In the desert, you’ll need to take more precautions. In spring and autumn it’s only hot during the day and slightly cool at night, but summer days are very hot and winter nights are very cold.
Fortunately, Morocco is not a very rainy country, and if we don’t count the Atlas mountain ranges there is only a low probability that it will rain in winter and the months before and after the winter (around 30%).
In conclusion, if you travel in spring or autumn you do not need to take special precautions (except if you go to the Atlas Mountains), in summer you must be careful in the inland and desert areas, not exposing yourself too much to the sun and wearing sunglasses and/or a hat during the day. And in winter you must wear the right coat if you travel to mountainous areas or to the desert. Unless you go to the Atlas Mountains, it’s only necessary to carry a small umbrella in case it rains from November to April.
If you want to know more about the country, we invite you to read our Morocco guide.