The warmest place in Egypt in winter is the far south, along the Nile. From November to March Aswan averages 26.7°C by day, the highest of the 10 places compared here, with Abu Simbel and Luxor close behind. But the desert nights are cold: Luxor averages 10.2°C after dark. For a warm beach holiday, the Red Sea is the answer. Sharm el-Sheikh has the mildest nights in the table at 16.2°C, and by day it is level with Hurghada (24.8°C against 24.7°C).
So: Aswan and Luxor for warm sightseeing days, Sharm el-Sheikh or Hurghada for beach warmth that lasts into the evening; Cairo and the Mediterranean coast are noticeably cooler. Below: 10 places compared on Egypt's official climate averages, the answer month by month, and how to choose.
The Warmest Places in Egypt, November to March
These figures are the World Meteorological Organization's 1991-2020 climate normals for Egypt, the official averages for each weather station, as archived by the US National Centers for Environmental Information (WMO climate normals). There is one station per place, most of them at airports. The archive has no station for Marsa Alam, El Gouna or Dahab, so they are not in the table. "Day high" and "night low" are the average daily maximum and minimum, rain is the average total for the five months, and rainy days are days with 1 mm or more. The linked weather pages use a different source, a 10-year model average for each resort area, so their figures differ, by up to about 2.3°C, and they rank Sharm el-Sheikh and Hurghada differently (more on that below).
| Place | Area | Day high | Night low | Rain, Nov to Mar | Rainy days |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aswan | Nile Valley, far south | 26.7°C | 12.9°C | 1 mm | 0.2 |
| Abu Simbel | Lake Nasser, far south | 26.3°C | 13.4°C | 0 mm | 0.0 |
| Luxor | Nile Valley, south | 26.2°C | 10.2°C | 6 mm | 1.1 |
| Sharm el-Sheikh | Red Sea coast, South Sinai | 24.8°C | 16.2°C | 8 mm | 0.6 |
| Hurghada | Red Sea coast, mainland | 24.7°C | 14.0°C | 5 mm | 0.7 |
| Minya | Nile Valley, middle | 23.1°C | 8.1°C | 3 mm | 1.0 |
| Cairo | Nile Valley, north | 21.7°C | 12.3°C | 22 mm | 6.0 |
| Alexandria | Mediterranean coast | 20.5°C | 11.4°C | 199 mm | 25.8 |
| Port Said | Mediterranean coast, Suez Canal | 20.3°C | 13.9°C | 52 mm | 10.9 |
| Mersa Matruh | Mediterranean coast, west | 20.1°C | 11.2°C | 118 mm | 19.4 |
Three things stand out. The south is warmest by day: Aswan and Abu Simbel are within 0.4°C of each other at the top, and Luxor is 0.5°C behind Aswan. The Red Sea wins at night: Sharm el-Sheikh's nights are 6.0°C milder than Luxor's, and 2.2°C milder than Hurghada's. And the north is cooler and wetter: Alexandria averages 20.5°C by day and gets 199 mm of rain over the winter, against almost none in the south.
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The Warmest Place in Egypt, Month by Month
November: Aswan and Abu Simbel are the warmest places in the table by day, level at 29.5°C to 29.8°C. Sharm el-Sheikh has the mildest nights, at 19.6°C.
December: Aswan, Abu Simbel and Luxor are the warmest places in the table by day, level at 24.2°C to 24.5°C. Sharm el-Sheikh has the mildest nights, at 15.6°C.
January: Aswan, Abu Simbel and Luxor are the warmest places in the table by day, level at 22.8°C to 23.2°C. Sharm el-Sheikh has the mildest nights, at 13.8°C.
February: Aswan is the warmest place in the table by day, at 25.9°C. Sharm el-Sheikh has the mildest nights, at 14.6°C.
March: Aswan is the warmest place in the table by day, at 30.3°C. Sharm el-Sheikh has the mildest nights, at 17.3°C.
Places within half a degree of each other are a tie. A sheltered bay can feel warmer at midday than any of these numbers, and an open desert night colder.
November in Detail
| Place | Day high | Night low | Daily mean | Rain |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aswan | 29.8°C | 16.2°C | 22.7°C | 0 mm |
| Abu Simbel | 29.5°C | 16.9°C | 23.2°C | 0 mm |
| Luxor | 29.1°C | 13.4°C | 21.0°C | 1 mm |
| Sharm el-Sheikh | 27.8°C | 19.6°C | 23.5°C | 2 mm |
| Hurghada | 27.8°C | 17.7°C | 22.4°C | 2 mm |
| Minya | 26.0°C | 11.8°C | 18.4°C | 0 mm |
| Cairo | 24.9°C | 15.6°C | 20.0°C | 4 mm |
| Port Said | 24.0°C | 18.2°C | 20.8°C | 5 mm |
| Alexandria | 24.0°C | 15.1°C | 19.6°C | 37 mm |
| Mersa Matruh | 23.5°C | 14.6°C | 18.9°C | 21 mm |
November is still warm everywhere south of Cairo. The daily mean, day and night together, runs from 18.4°C in Minya to 23.5°C in Sharm el-Sheikh. On the Red Sea, Sharm el-Sheikh averages 27.8°C by day and 19.6°C at night, the warmest Red Sea month of the five. For more on the month, see Egypt weather in November.
January in Detail
| Place | Day high | Night low | Daily mean | Rain |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aswan | 23.2°C | 10.0°C | 16.3°C | 0 mm |
| Abu Simbel | 22.9°C | 10.5°C | 16.9°C | 0 mm |
| Luxor | 22.8°C | 7.1°C | 14.7°C | 3 mm |
| Sharm el-Sheikh | 22.2°C | 13.8°C | 17.8°C | 3 mm |
| Hurghada | 22.2°C | 11.6°C | 16.6°C | 1 mm |
| Minya | 20.3°C | 5.5°C | 12.5°C | 1 mm |
| Cairo | 18.9°C | 10.1°C | 14.4°C | 5 mm |
| Alexandria | 18.4°C | 9.5°C | 14.0°C | 61 mm |
| Port Said | 18.3°C | 11.6°C | 14.7°C | 16 mm |
| Mersa Matruh | 18.1°C | 9.5°C | 13.5°C | 35 mm |
January is the coolest month of the year everywhere in the table. Aswan still averages 23.2°C by day, but 10.0°C at night; Luxor drops to 7.1°C and Minya to 5.5°C. On the coast, Sharm el-Sheikh averages 22.2°C and 13.8°C. See Sharm el-Sheikh weather in January, which also has sea temperatures.
Sharm el-Sheikh or Hurghada?
By day they are a tie: Sharm el-Sheikh averages 24.8°C from November to March and Hurghada 24.7°C, never more than 0.2°C apart in any month. The difference is the evenings. Sharm el-Sheikh's nights average 16.2°C, Hurghada's 14.0°C, and the gap holds in every month of the winter. If you plan to eat outside or sit by the pool after sunset, that is the number that matters.
One caveat. The model averages on our Sharm el-Sheikh and Hurghada weather pages put the two the other way round: Sharm el-Sheikh warmer by day, and Hurghada's nights level with or slightly milder than Sharm el-Sheikh's. The two sources agree on the main point, that the resorts are close, so let the reef, the beach and the hotel decide.
| Month | Sharm el-Sheikh day | Sharm el-Sheikh night | Hurghada day | Hurghada night |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| November | 27.8°C | 19.6°C | 27.8°C | 17.7°C |
| December | 23.9°C | 15.6°C | 23.8°C | 13.4°C |
| January | 22.2°C | 13.8°C | 22.2°C | 11.6°C |
| February | 23.6°C | 14.6°C | 23.5°C | 12.4°C |
| March | 26.4°C | 17.3°C | 26.2°C | 15.1°C |
Rain is close to irrelevant on both: Sharm el-Sheikh averages 8 mm and Hurghada 5 mm over the whole winter, with fewer than one rainy day each. Read the FCDO travel advice for Egypt before you book, and check where your hotel and any excursions sit. For how Sharm el-Sheikh compares with the Canaries and long haul over the festive season, see our Christmas sun holidays guide.
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Aswan, Luxor and Abu Simbel: Warm Days, Cold Nights
The Nile Valley in the south is the warmest part of Egypt by day all winter. Aswan averages 29.8°C in November and 30.3°C in March, and even in January 23.2°C. Aswan gets about 1 mm of rain over the five months, and Abu Simbel, on Lake Nasser further south, even less. That makes winter the comfortable season for temples and tombs.
The catch is the nights. Luxor averages 10.2°C after dark over the winter and 7.1°C in January, which is colder than Cairo (10.1°C). Aswan and Abu Simbel are about 3°C milder (10.0°C and 10.5°C in January). Early starts for the Valley of the Kings or a sunrise balloon flight mean a warm layer. In Aswan, Abu Simbel and Luxor, March is warmer by day than November.
Cairo, Alexandria and the Mediterranean Coast
Cairo is mild rather than warm in winter: 21.7°C by day and 12.3°C at night, with about 6 rainy days over the five months. It is comfortable for the Pyramids and the museums, but not beach weather.
The Mediterranean coast is cooler and much wetter. Alexandria averages 20.5°C by day, Port Said 20.3°C and Mersa Matruh 20.1°C. Alexandria is the wettest place in the table, with 199 mm of rain on about 26 days from November to March, most of it in December and January. Port Said, on the sea at the mouth of the Suez Canal, has mild nights (13.9°C) but cool days.
How to Choose
- Warmest days: Aswan, 26.7°C from November to March, with Luxor close behind. Pack for cold nights.
- Red Sea resort with the mildest nights: Sharm el-Sheikh, level with Hurghada by day and 2.2°C milder at night on the station figures.
- Mildest nights: Sharm el-Sheikh, at 16.2°C.
- Driest: Abu Simbel, with 0.2 mm of rain from November to March.
- Coldest nights: Minya, in the middle Nile Valley, at 8.1°C, and 5.5°C in January.
- Avoid if you want warmth: the Mediterranean coast in December and January.
For warm places beyond Egypt, see our winter sun holidays from the UK guide, where is hot in January, and Morocco's equivalent in the warmest place in Morocco in winter. For more on Hurghada, Sharm el-Sheikh, Luxor and Cairo as trips, see 5-hour flights from the UK.
Plan It in Dream Trip
Choosing between a Red Sea week and a Nile trip usually means a pile of saved TikToks, Instagram posts and Google Maps pins. Dream Trip puts them on one map.
- Save what you find: send the reef hotels, snorkel spots, temples and restaurants you see on TikTok, Instagram and Google Maps to one map.
- Compare places: see your Sharm el-Sheikh, Hurghada and Luxor saves side by side before you book.
- Plan the days: once you have picked, let Dream Trip's AI draft a day-by-day plan on a live map, and share the trip with whoever you are going with.
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FAQ
What is the average temperature in Egypt in November?
It depends where. The daily mean in November runs from 18.4°C in Minya to 23.5°C in Sharm el-Sheikh. Day highs average 24.0°C in Alexandria, 24.9°C in Cairo, 27.8°C in Sharm el-Sheikh and 29.8°C in Aswan.
Where is the warmest place in Egypt in December?
Aswan, Abu Simbel and Luxor are the warmest places in the table by day, level at 24.2°C to 24.5°C. Sharm el-Sheikh has the mildest nights, at 15.6°C. On the Red Sea, Sharm el-Sheikh and Hurghada are level by day (23.9°C and 23.8°C), and Sharm el-Sheikh's nights are milder (15.6°C against 13.4°C).
Where is the warmest place in Egypt in January?
Aswan, Abu Simbel and Luxor are the warmest places in the table by day, level at 22.8°C to 23.2°C. Sharm el-Sheikh has the mildest nights, at 13.8°C. January is the coolest month everywhere in the table.
Where is the warmest place in Egypt in February?
Aswan is the warmest place in the table by day, at 25.9°C. Sharm el-Sheikh has the mildest nights, at 14.6°C.
Where is the warmest place in Egypt in March?
Aswan is the warmest place in the table by day, at 30.3°C. Sharm el-Sheikh has the mildest nights, at 17.3°C.
Is Sharm el-Sheikh warmer than Hurghada in winter?
On the station figures, at night yes, and by day they are level. From November to March Sharm el-Sheikh averages 24.8°C by day and 16.2°C at night, against 24.7°C and 14.0°C in Hurghada. The model averages on our weather pages rank them the other way round, so treat the two as close.
Is the Nile Valley or the Red Sea warmer in January?
The Nile Valley by day, the Red Sea at night. In January Aswan averages 23.2°C by day, Sharm el-Sheikh 22.2°C, Hurghada 22.2°C and Cairo 18.9°C. Nights average 13.8°C in Sharm el-Sheikh and 7.1°C in Luxor.
Does it rain in Egypt in winter?
Rarely, except on the Mediterranean coast. Alexandria averages 199 mm of rain from November to March and Cairo 22 mm, while Aswan, Luxor and the Red Sea resorts get 8 mm or less all winter.
