Climate - Tunis (Tunisia)

In Tunis, the climate is Mediterranean, with mild, rainy winters and very hot, sunny summers.
The city is the capital of Tunisia and is located in the north of the country, on the gulf of the same name.
Although the city is located on the coast, the climate is heavily influenced by the desert wind, which can bring very mild weather in winter (with highs above 20 °C or 68 °F), hot in the shoulder seasons (around 30/35 °C or 86/95 °F in April, May, October and November), and scorchingly hot in summer, with more than 40 °C (104 °F), and with peaks of 45 °C (113 °F), from June to September.
The average temperature of the coldest month (January) is 12 °C (53.5 °F), that of the hottest month (August) is 28 °C (82.5 °F). Here are the average temperatures.

Precipitation amounts to 485 millimeters (19 inches) per year and follows a Mediterranean pattern, with a maximum in autumn and winter and a minimum in summer. Here is the average rainfall.

The amount of sunshine is excellent from May to August, when clear skies prevail, while in the rest of the year, even though clear days are frequent, they alternate with periods of bad weather of a few days, in which clouds prevail. The total annual, 2,800 hours of sunshine, is still very good.

Winter is mild, and is the rainiest season, due to the passage of Atlantic or Mediterranean disturbances. However, there are periods of good weather too.
It rarely gets very cold, although there can sometimes be cold days, with highs below 10 °C (50 °F), when air masses from northern Europe manage to arrive here.
Snow in Tunis is very rare. Once every few years, during the most intense cold spells, a snowfall can be observed, but with temperatures above freezing and without accumulation. However, in January 1981, it snowed for two days, and the temperature dropped to -1 °C (30 °F). Snow whitened the city again on January 31, 1999.

Spring is initially a quite unstable season, in March and the first half of April, with some rainy and windy periods, and then gradually becomes warmer and sunnier.
The sirocco can bring significant increases in temperature. In 2006, the temperature reached 41.5 °C (106.5 °F) already in May.

Summer is hot and sunny. The rains are very rare, however, a short shower can occasionally break out.
There are periods when the daytime temperature is around 30 °C (86 °F), the humidity is high and the breeze blows from the sea, but also periods when the wind blows from the desert and the temperature reaches or exceeds 40 °C (104 °F).
The heat record is 47 °C (116.5 °F), recorded in June 2007 and July 1973. In 2007, the temperature also reached 45 °C (113 °F) in July and 44.5 °C (112 °F) in August (during different heat waves).

In autumn, temperatures are pleasant, with many sunny days, but also the first rains, which gradually become more frequent.
In September, there is still often summer-like weather, especially in the first part of the month, but in the course of the month, the first rains occur. Sometimes, the rains can be strong and concentrated in a short time.



The sea is warm enough for swimming from July to September; in June it is still a bit cool.

When to go

To visit Tunis you can choose the spring, in particular the period from mid-April to mid-May, being generally mild and sunny, and with a low period of very hot days.
You can also choose autumn, from mid-October to mid-November, but the days are a little shorter and the rains a little more frequent.
In winter, there are several mild and sunny periods, but also waves of bad weather, with rain and wind.
Summer, from June to September, is hot, sometimes too hot when the sirocco blows.
For a beach holiday, on the other hand, the situation changes, and the best time is summer.