The city is located on the east coast of Tunisia, in the northern part of the Gulf of Gabès, and a short distance from the Kerkennah islands.
Owing to the proximity to the Sahara, heat waves are possible all year round, but especially in summer, with hot, dry winds able to bring sand and dust.
Although winter is mild, there can sometimes be cold periods, during which the temperature can drop to around 0 °C (32 °F) at night and remain at around 10 °C (50 °F) during the day.
In summer, during invasions of hot air from the desert, which have become more frequent in recent years, the temperature can exceed 40 °C (104 °F). The record heat is 48 °C (118.5 °F), set in June 2003. In July 2023 it reached 46.5 °C (115.7 °F), and the average maximum was 36.6 °C (97.9 °F).
. Here are the average temperatures.
January, the coldest month of the year, is generally a mild month. The average temperature is of
12 °C, with a minimum of
6.4 °C and a maximum of
17.5 °C.
On the coldest nights of the month, the temperature usually drops to around
-0.5 °C.
On the warmest days of the month, the temperature usually reaches around
22.5 °C. However, it reached
26.1 °C in January 2018.
Precipitation amounts to
20 mm, distributed over 5 days.
The day lasts on average 10 hours and 5 minutes.
There are on average 6.5 hours of sunshine per day. So, the sun shines 63% of the time.
The average humidity is 67%.
The average wind speed is of
12.3 kph.
The average sea temperature is of
16.1 °C. Therefore, the sea is cold for swimming.
February is generally a mild month. The average temperature is of
12.6 °C, with a minimum of
7.1 °C and a maximum of
18.2 °C.
On the coldest nights of the month, the temperature usually drops to around
1.5 °C.
On the warmest days of the month, the temperature usually reaches around
24 °C. However, it reached
32.7 °C in February 2010.
Precipitation amounts to
20 mm, distributed over 4 days.
The day lasts on average 11 hours and 0 minutes.
There are on average 7 hours of sunshine per day. So, the sun shines 65% of the time.
The average humidity is 64%.
The average wind speed is of
13.3 kph.
The average sea temperature is of
15 °C. Therefore, the sea is cold for swimming.
March is generally a very mild month. The average temperature is of
15 °C, with a minimum of
9.5 °C and a maximum of
20.5 °C.
On the coldest nights of the month, the temperature usually drops to around
4 °C.
On the warmest days of the month, the temperature usually reaches around
28 °C. However, it reached
36.9 °C in March 2001.
Precipitation amounts to
25 mm, distributed over 4 days.
The day lasts on average 12 hours and 0 minutes.
There are on average 7.5 hours of sunshine per day. So, the sun shines 64% of the time.
The average humidity is 64%.
The average wind speed is of
14 kph.
The average sea temperature is of
15.6 °C. Therefore, the sea is cold for swimming.
April is generally a very mild month. The average temperature is of
17.7 °C, with a minimum of
12.6 °C and a maximum of
22.8 °C.
On the coldest nights of the month, the temperature usually drops to around
7 °C.
On the warmest days of the month, the temperature usually reaches around
30 °C. However, it reached
34 °C in April 1999.
Precipitation amounts to
20 mm, distributed over 4 days.
The day lasts on average 13 hours and 5 minutes.
There are on average 8.5 hours of sunshine per day. So, the sun shines 66% of the time.
The average humidity is 63%.
The average wind speed is of
14.9 kph.
The average sea temperature is of
17.3 °C. Therefore, the sea is cold for swimming.
May is generally a warm month. The average temperature is of
21.3 °C, with a minimum of
16.2 °C and a maximum of
26.3 °C.
On the coldest nights of the month, the temperature usually drops to around
11.5 °C.
On the warmest days of the month, the temperature usually reaches around
34 °C. However, it reached
41.3 °C in May 2006.
Precipitation amounts to
13 mm, distributed over 3 days.
The day lasts on average 14 hours and 0 minutes.
There are on average 10 hours of sunshine per day. So, the sun shines 71% of the time.
The average humidity is 60%.
The average wind speed is of
14.7 kph.
The average sea temperature is of
20 °C. Therefore, the sea is very cool for swimming.
June is generally a warm to hot month. The average temperature is of
25 °C, with a minimum of
19.8 °C and a maximum of
30.2 °C.
On the coldest nights of the month, the temperature usually drops to around
15 °C.
On the warmest days of the month, the temperature usually reaches around
38.5 °C. However, it reached
48 °C in June 2003.
Precipitation amounts to only
5.7 mm, and all occurs in one day.
The day lasts on average 14 hours and 30 minutes. So the days are long. June 21, the summer solstice, is the longest day of the year in the Northern Hemisphere.
There are on average 11 hours of sunshine per day. So, the sun shines 77% of the time.
The average humidity is 58%.
The average wind speed is of
14.3 kph.
The average sea temperature is of
23.2 °C. Therefore, the sea can be considered barely acceptable for swimming.
July is generally a very hot month. The average temperature is of
27.6 °C, with a minimum of
22.4 °C and a maximum of
32.8 °C.
On the coldest nights of the month, the temperature usually drops to around
18.5 °C.
On the warmest days of the month, the temperature usually reaches around
39.5 °C. However, it reached
46.4 °C in July 1996.
Precipitation amounts to only
0.5 mm, distributed over 0 days.
The day lasts on average 14 hours and 10 minutes. So the days are long.
There are on average 12 hours of sunshine per day. So, the sun shines 86% of the time.
The average humidity is 58%.
The average wind speed is of
13.1 kph.
The average sea temperature is of
26.6 °C. Therefore, the sea is pleasantly warm and allows long swims.
August, the hottest month of the year, is generally a very hot month. The average temperature is of
28.3 °C, with a minimum of
23.2 °C and a maximum of
33.4 °C.
On the coldest nights of the month, the temperature usually drops to around
19.5 °C.
On the warmest days of the month, the temperature usually reaches around
40 °C. However, it reached
45.1 °C in August 2015.
Precipitation amounts to only
3.9 mm, and all occurs in one day.
The day lasts on average 13 hours and 25 minutes.
There are on average 11 hours of sunshine per day. So, the sun shines 83% of the time.
The average humidity is 60%.
The average wind speed is of
12.5 kph.
The average sea temperature is of
28.4 °C. Therefore, the sea is pleasantly warm and allows long swims.
September is generally a warm to hot month. The average temperature is of
26 °C, with a minimum of
21.5 °C and a maximum of
30.6 °C.
On the coldest nights of the month, the temperature usually drops to around
16 °C.
On the warmest days of the month, the temperature usually reaches around
36 °C. However, it reached
41.7 °C in September 2014.
Precipitation amounts to
40 mm, distributed over 4 days.
The day lasts on average 12 hours and 20 minutes.
There are on average 9 hours of sunshine per day. So, the sun shines 74% of the time.
The average humidity is 65%.
The average wind speed is of
12.9 kph.
The average sea temperature is of
27.9 °C. Therefore, the sea is pleasantly warm and allows long swims.
October is generally a warm to hot month. The average temperature is of
22.6 °C, with a minimum of
17.8 °C and a maximum of
27.4 °C.
On the coldest nights of the month, the temperature usually drops to around
12 °C.
On the warmest days of the month, the temperature usually reaches around
33.5 °C. However, it reached
38.2 °C in October 2004.
Precipitation amounts to
40 mm, distributed over 4 days.
The day lasts on average 11 hours and 20 minutes.
There are on average 8 hours of sunshine per day. So, the sun shines 69% of the time.
The average humidity is 67%.
The average wind speed is of
11.8 kph.
The average sea temperature is of
25.8 °C. Therefore, the sea is warm enough for swimming.
November is generally a very mild month. The average temperature is of
17.3 °C, with a minimum of
12 °C and a maximum of
22.6 °C.
On the coldest nights of the month, the temperature usually drops to around
6 °C.
On the warmest days of the month, the temperature usually reaches around
28.5 °C. However, it reached
34.5 °C in November 2012.
Precipitation amounts to
15 mm, distributed over 4 days.
The day lasts on average 10 hours and 20 minutes.
There are on average 7 hours of sunshine per day. So, the sun shines 68% of the time.
The average humidity is 65%.
The average wind speed is of
12.1 kph.
The average sea temperature is of
22.7 °C. Therefore, the sea can be considered barely acceptable for swimming.
December is generally a mild month. The average temperature is of
13.3 °C, with a minimum of
7.8 °C and a maximum of
18.8 °C.
On the coldest nights of the month, the temperature usually drops to around
-0.5 °C.
On the warmest days of the month, the temperature usually reaches around
23.5 °C. However, it reached
29 °C in December 2010.
Precipitation amounts to
25 mm, distributed over 5 days.
The day lasts on average 9 hours and 55 minutes. December 21, the winter solstice, is the shortest day of the year in the Northern Hemisphere.
There are on average 6.5 hours of sunshine per day. So, the sun shines 64% of the time.
The average humidity is 65%.
The average wind speed is of
12.6 kph.
The average sea temperature is of
18.9 °C. Therefore, the sea is very cool for swimming.