May brings 23°C daytime highs, 8mm of precipitation across about 1 wet days and 13.6 hours of daylight — best for hiking, cycling and reliable sunshine. The strongest run of the year is May to July. December is the quietest month: quiet and local, and still good for hiking, cycling and low-angle light.
Long-run climate normals for Essaouira. Month ratings compare months within Essaouira only — they are not a ranking of Essaouira against other destinations, and they are not a forecast for a specific year.
Last updated: · Live forecast data refreshes hourly.
| Best month | May — Hiking, Cycling, Reliable sunshine |
| Best 3-month window | May–July |
| Quietest month | December — Quiet and local |
| Driest month | July — 0mm |
| Wettest month | December — 55mm |
| Warmest / coolest | July 26°C / February 18°C |
| Seasonality | Fairly even across the year |
| Annual rainfall | 300mm over roughly 40 rain days |
December gets roughly 588% more precipitation than May — 55mm against 8mm. That difference, more than temperature, is what changes how a day here feels.
Daytime highs only move 8°C across the whole year (18–26°C), so timing matters far less here than rainfall does.
June gives you 14 hours of daylight against just 10 in December — a 4-hour difference in how much you can actually fit into a day.
July is the driest month at 0mm across roughly 0 wet days, while December peaks at 55mm.
June is almost as good as May, but usually quieter and cheaper. If your dates are flexible, it is the easier trip.
Essaouira stays fairly consistent all year, so there is no month you need to avoid. What you plan to do matters more than when you go.
Ratings compare months within Essaouira, not against destinations worldwide: five stars means the best time to be here, not that Essaouira beats anywhere else. Tags describe what the conditions actually suit.
| Month | Rating | High / Low | Precipitation | Wet days | Sun | Daylight | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | ★★☆☆☆ | 18°C / 10°C | 40mm | 6 | 3h | 10.2h | Hiking · Cycling · Low-angle light |
| February | ★★☆☆☆ | 18°C / 10°C | 35mm | 5 | 5h | 10.9h | Hiking · Cycling · Low-angle light |
| March | ★★★☆☆ | 19°C / 11°C | 30mm | 5 | 5h | 11.8h | Hiking · Cycling · Spring greenery |
| April | ★★★★☆ | 21°C / 12°C | 20mm | 3 | 6h | 12.8h | Hiking · Cycling · Spring greenery |
| May | ★★★★★ | 23°C / 14°C | 8mm | 1 | 10h | 13.6h | Hiking · Cycling · Reliable sunshine |
| June | ★★★★★ | 25°C / 15°C | 2mm | 1 | 11h | 14h | Reliable sunshine |
| July | ★★★★★ | 26°C / 16°C | 0mm | 0 | 11h | 13.8h | Beach days · Swimming · Reliable sunshine |
| August | ★★★★★ | 26°C / 16°C | 0mm | 0 | 11h | 13.1h | Beach days · Swimming · Reliable sunshine |
| September | ★★★★★ | 25°C / 15°C | 5mm | 1 | 11h | 12.2h | Reliable sunshine |
| October | ★★★★☆ | 23°C / 14°C | 20mm | 3 | 6h | 11.2h | Hiking · Cycling · Low-angle light |
| November | ★★☆☆☆ | 21°C / 12°C | 45mm | 7 | 4h | 10.4h | Hiking · Cycling · Low-angle light |
| December | ★★☆☆☆ | 19°C / 11°C | 55mm | 8 | 3h | 10h | Hiking · Cycling · Low-angle light |
| You are planning | Pick | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Sun & beach days | July | 11h daily sunshine, 26°C highs and only 0 rain days. |
| City walking & sightseeing | May | 23°C highs with 13.6h of daylight — long days without heat fatigue. |
| Photography & light | July | 11h of sun and 13.8h daylight give the widest window for golden-hour work. |
| Value & fewer crowds | August | Scores 93/100 — close to peak conditions but outside the busiest window. |
| Cooler-weather travel | February | 18°C highs and 10°C nights suit anyone who dislikes heat. |
Each month in Essaouira is described from long-run climate normals and then rated relative to the other eleven months in the same city. A five-star January in a cold destination means January is one of the best times to be there — not that it beats a Mediterranean summer.
| Factor | Weight | What it measures |
|---|---|---|
| Temperature | Described | Average daytime high and overnight low for the month, shown as measured rather than judged. |
| Precipitation | Described | Monthly millimetres and wet-day count, labelled as snow or rain/snow where temperatures make that the likely phase. |
| Sunshine & daylight | Described | Average daily sunshine hours and astronomical daylight length at mid-month, from the city’s latitude. |
| “Best for” tags | Derived | Applied only when the conditions genuinely support the activity — snow depth-friendly cold for skiing, 13–24°C and low rain risk for hiking, dark evenings at high latitude for aurora. A month with few strong use cases gets fewer tags rather than padded ones. |
| Star rating | Relative | Ranks the month against the other eleven months in the same city. Never a comparison between cities. |
Figures are long-run climate averages, not a forecast for a specific year. Where a month lacks sourced rainfall or humidity, the value is modelled from temperature range and rain frequency.
May is the best all-round month in Essaouira: 23°C highs, 8mm of precipitation and 13.6 hours of daylight, which suits hiking, cycling and reliable sunshine. The strongest three-month window is May to July.
December — 19°C highs, 55mm of precipitation over roughly 8 days and 10 hours of daylight. It is the cheapest and least crowded time to go, and it still works for hiking, cycling and low-angle light.
July is the driest month at 0mm over about 0 rain days, against 55mm in December. Across the year Essaouira records around 300mm.
Yes — conditions in Essaouira stay fairly even all year, so there is no month you need to avoid. What you plan to do matters more than when you go.
Daylight ranges from 10 hours in December to 14 hours in June, calculated from the city's latitude.