Sfax climate
Sfax (Tunisia) has a hot desert climate (Köppen BWh). The average temperature over the year is 20 °C69 °F, and about 237 mm9.3 in of precipitation falls in an average year.
Temperature by month
Precipitation by month
Sfax climate table
| Month | High °C°F | Low °C°F | Mean °C°F | Precip. mmin |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 1660 | 1050 | 1355 | 190.8 |
| Feb | 1661 | 1050 | 1355 | 170.7 |
| Mar | 1865 | 1253 | 1559 | 301.2 |
| Apr | 2170 | 1558 | 1864 | 150.6 |
| May | 2475 | 1864 | 2170 | 110.5 |
| Jun | 2882 | 2171 | 2576 | 50.2 |
| Jul | 3188 | 2577 | 2882 | 20.1 |
| Aug | 3289 | 2678 | 2983 | 80.3 |
| Sep | 2984 | 2475 | 2780 | 321.3 |
| Oct | 2679 | 2170 | 2374 | 301.2 |
| Nov | 2170 | 1661 | 1966 | 321.3 |
| Dec | 1763 | 1253 | 1458 | 351.4 |
| Year | 3289 | 1050 | 2069 | 2379.3 |
“Year” row: highest monthly high, lowest monthly low, annual mean and annual total.
| Month | Humid. | Cloud | Solar | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 72% | 51% | 3.0 | 10:04 |
| Feb | 70% | 48% | 3.8 | 10:53 |
| Mar | 70% | 44% | 4.9 | 11:52 |
| Apr | 70% | 42% | 6.0 | 13:01 |
| May | 68% | 36% | 6.9 | 13:58 |
| Jun | 66% | 24% | 7.4 | 14:28 |
| Jul | 63% | 14% | 7.6 | 14:16 |
| Aug | 64% | 20% | 6.7 | 13:27 |
| Sep | 67% | 42% | 5.3 | 12:20 |
| Oct | 69% | 46% | 4.1 | 11:14 |
| Nov | 68% | 54% | 3.1 | 10:17 |
| Dec | 71% | 56% | 2.7 | 9:50 |
Humid. = average relative humidity at 2 m; cloud = average cloud amount; solar = average daily solar energy reaching the ground in kWh/m² (all-sky); daylight in hours:minutes, calculated for the 15th of each month.
What the climate of Sfax is like
The warmest month is August, with an average high of 32 °C89 °F and a low of 26 °C78 °F. The coldest is January, when highs average 16 °C60 °F and lows 10 °C50 °F. There is a clear seasonal cycle, with 15.9 °C28.6 °F between the average temperature of the warmest and the coolest month.
It is dry, with about 237 mm9.3 in of precipitation per year. The wettest three-month stretch is October–December, which brings 41% of the annual total. Months with less than 20 mm0.8 in on average: January and February and April–August. The wettest month is December (35 mm1.4 in), the driest is July (2 mm0.1 in).
Relative humidity ranges from 63% in July to 72% in January. The clearest skies (lowest average cloud amount, 14%) are typical of July. Average wind speed near the ground ranges from 12 km/h (8 mph) in July to 17 km/h (10 mph) in December. Daylight lasts from about 9.8 hours in December to 14.5 hours in June.
Best time to visit Sfax
Based on these averages, the most comfortable months for sightseeing and outdoor activities are March–June and September–November: average highs of 18 °C65 °F to 29 °C84 °F with 5 mm0.2 in to 32 mm1.3 in of precipitation per month.
Comfort score: months are ranked by how close they come to an average high of 21–28 °C (70–82 °F), lows above 5 °C (41 °F), little precipitation and moderate humidity. The best-ranked months of each place are recommended, even where none meets all of these. These are general rules of thumb applied to long-term averages.
What to pack for Sfax
- Winter (December–February) — highs 1660 to 17 °C63 °F, lows 1050 to 12 °C53 °F, about 24 mm0.9 in of precipitation a month. Pack long sleeves, a sweater and a medium jacket.
- Spring (March–May) — highs 1865 to 24 °C75 °F, lows 1253 to 18 °C64 °F, about 19 mm0.7 in of precipitation a month. Pack light layers — T-shirts plus a light sweater or jacket.
- Summer (June–August) — highs 2882 to 32 °C89 °F, lows 2171 to 26 °C78 °F, about 5 mm0.2 in of precipitation a month. Pack very light, breathable clothing, a sun hat and plenty of water.
- Autumn (September–November) — highs 2170 to 29 °C84 °F, lows 1661 to 24 °C75 °F, about 31 mm1.2 in of precipitation a month. Pack light summer clothes such as T-shirts, shorts or light dresses.
How Sfax compares
Compared with Tunis, about 237 km to the north, Sfax is on average 1.3 °C2.4 °F warmer and receives 58% less precipitation (237 mm9.3 in vs 561 mm22 in). The difference is largest in November (2.3 °C4.2 °F warmer).
Of the 9 places in Tunisia covered by World Climates, Sfax is the 2nd warmest by annual mean temperature and the 8th wettest by annual precipitation. See all of them on the Tunisia climate page.
Places in other countries with the most similar temperature and rainfall pattern: Cartagena (Spain, BSh), Almería (Spain, BSh) and Al Jumayl (Libya, BWh).
Nearby places
- Sakiet ed Daier 7 km · 20 °C68 °F · 301 mm12 in
- Gabès 113 km · 21 °C69 °F · 172 mm6.8 in
- Kairouan 120 km · 20 °C68 °F · 403 mm16 in
- Sousse 121 km · 20 °C67 °F · 400 mm16 in
- Hammamet 185 km · 19 °C67 °F · 460 mm18 in
- El Mourouj 225 km · 19 °C67 °F · 534 mm21 in
- Tunis 237 km · 19 °C66 °F · 561 mm22 in
- Al Jumayl 242 km · 21 °C69 °F · 192 mm7.6 in
Frequently asked questions
What is the warmest month in Sfax?
August is the warmest month in Sfax, with an average high of 32 °C (89 °F) and an average low of 26 °C (78 °F).
What is the coldest month in Sfax?
January is the coldest month, with an average high of 16 °C (60 °F) and an average low of 10 °C (50 °F).
When does it rain the most in Sfax?
December is the wettest month with about 35 mm (1.4 in) of precipitation; July is the driest with about 2 mm (0.1 in).
What is the best time to visit Sfax?
Judging by long-term averages, the most comfortable months are March–June and September–November.
About this data
All figures are 25-year averages (January 2001 – December 2025) from the NASA POWER project. Temperature, humidity, wind and precipitation come from the MERRA-2 reanalysis (precipitation is the bias-corrected MERRA-2 product), cloud and solar values from CERES satellite data. They describe a grid cell of roughly 50–70 km, not a single weather station, so they can differ from airport records — most of all on coasts, in mountains and for rainfall. Average highs and lows are the monthly mean temperature plus/minus half of the average daily temperature range. Counts of rainy days are not part of this dataset.