Sirte climate
Sirte (Libya) has a hot desert climate (Köppen BWh). The average temperature over the year is 21 °C70 °F, and about 150 mm5.9 in of precipitation falls in an average year.
Temperature by month
Precipitation by month
Sirte climate table
| Month | High °C°F | Low °C°F | Mean °C°F | Precip. mmin |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 1763 | 949 | 1356 | 301.2 |
| Feb | 1865 | 1049 | 1457 | 271.1 |
| Mar | 2271 | 1152 | 1662 | 100.4 |
| Apr | 2577 | 1457 | 1967 | 40.1 |
| May | 2983 | 1763 | 2373 | 30.1 |
| Jun | 3289 | 2068 | 2679 | 00.0 |
| Jul | 3392 | 2373 | 2882 | 00.0 |
| Aug | 3392 | 2374 | 2883 | 10.0 |
| Sep | 3290 | 2373 | 2781 | 90.4 |
| Oct | 2883 | 2068 | 2476 | 190.7 |
| Nov | 2374 | 1559 | 1967 | 150.6 |
| Dec | 1966 | 1253 | 1559 | 311.2 |
| Year | 3392 | 949 | 2170 | 1505.9 |
“Year” row: highest monthly high, lowest monthly low, annual mean and annual total.
| Month | Humid. | Cloud | Solar | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 66% | 53% | 3.0 | 10:20 |
| Feb | 64% | 51% | 3.9 | 11:02 |
| Mar | 63% | 46% | 5.0 | 11:54 |
| Apr | 59% | 44% | 6.0 | 12:54 |
| May | 57% | 42% | 6.7 | 13:44 |
| Jun | 58% | 27% | 7.3 | 14:10 |
| Jul | 60% | 18% | 7.4 | 13:59 |
| Aug | 62% | 19% | 6.7 | 13:16 |
| Sep | 60% | 31% | 5.6 | 12:19 |
| Oct | 61% | 44% | 4.3 | 11:21 |
| Nov | 60% | 50% | 3.3 | 10:31 |
| Dec | 64% | 59% | 2.7 | 10:08 |
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 Sirte is like
The warmest month is August, with an average high of 33 °C92 °F and a low of 23 °C74 °F. The coldest is January, when highs average 17 °C63 °F and lows 9 °C49 °F. There is a clear seasonal cycle, with 14.9 °C26.8 °F between the average temperature of the warmest and the coolest month.
It is very dry, with only 150 mm5.9 in of precipitation in an average year. The wettest three-month stretch is December–February, which brings 59% of the annual total. Months with less than 20 mm0.8 in on average: March–November. The wettest month is December (31 mm1.2 in), the driest is July (0 mm0.0 in).
Relative humidity ranges from 57% in May to 66% in January. The clearest skies (lowest average cloud amount, 18%) are typical of July. Average wind speed near the ground ranges from 11 km/h (7 mph) in July to 15 km/h (9 mph) in January. Daylight lasts from about 10.1 hours in December to 14.2 hours in June.
Best time to visit Sirte
Based on these averages, the most comfortable months for sightseeing and outdoor activities are February–May and October–December: average highs of 18 °C65 °F to 29 °C83 °F with 3 mm0.1 in to 31 mm1.2 in of precipitation per month.
The most challenging month is August, which is hot, with average highs of 33 °C92 °F.
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 Sirte
- Winter (December–February) — highs 1763 to 19 °C66 °F, lows 949 to 12 °C53 °F, about 29 mm1.2 in of precipitation a month. Pack light layers — T-shirts plus a light sweater or jacket.
- Spring (March–May) — highs 2271 to 29 °C83 °F, lows 1152 to 17 °C63 °F, about 6 mm0.2 in of precipitation a month. Pack light summer clothes such as T-shirts, shorts or light dresses and an extra layer for the cooler mornings and evenings.
- Summer (June–August) — highs 3289 to 33 °C92 °F, lows 2068 to 23 °C74 °F, about 0 mm0.0 in of precipitation a month. Pack very light, breathable clothing, a sun hat and plenty of water.
- Autumn (September–November) — highs 2374 to 32 °C90 °F, lows 1559 to 23 °C73 °F, about 15 mm0.6 in of precipitation a month. Pack light summer clothes such as T-shirts, shorts or light dresses.
How Sirte compares
Compared with Misratah, about 192 km to the northwest, Sirte is on average 0.3 °C0.5 °F warmer and receives 45% less precipitation (150 mm5.9 in vs 272 mm11 in). The difference is largest in May (2.1 °C3.8 °F warmer).
Of the 13 places in Libya covered by World Climates, Sirte is the 3rd warmest by annual mean temperature and the 12th wettest by annual precipitation. See all of them on the Libya climate page.
Places in other countries with the most similar temperature and rainfall pattern: Arish (Egypt, BWh), Rosetta (Egypt, BWh) and Marsa Matruh (Egypt, BWh).
Nearby places
- Misratah 192 km · 21 °C70 °F · 272 mm11 in
- Zliten 237 km · 21 °C70 °F · 250 mm9.9 in
- Benghazi 344 km · 21 °C69 °F · 220 mm8.7 in
- Ajdabiya 350 km · 21 °C70 °F · 168 mm6.6 in
- Qasr Bin Ghashir 361 km · 21 °C71 °F · 280 mm11 in
- Tripoli 371 km · 21 °C70 °F · 254 mm10 in
- Az Zawiyah 403 km · 21 °C69 °F · 221 mm8.7 in
- Al Jumayl 464 km · 21 °C69 °F · 192 mm7.6 in
Frequently asked questions
What is the warmest month in Sirte?
August is the warmest month in Sirte, with an average high of 33 °C (92 °F) and an average low of 23 °C (74 °F).
What is the coldest month in Sirte?
January is the coldest month, with an average high of 17 °C (63 °F) and an average low of 9 °C (49 °F).
When does it rain the most in Sirte?
December is the wettest month with about 31 mm (1.2 in) of precipitation; July is the driest with about 0 mm (0.0 in).
What is the best time to visit Sirte?
Judging by long-term averages, the most comfortable months are February–May and October–December.
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.
The grid cell’s average elevation is 71 m, while Sirte lies at about 17 m. Temperatures on this page were therefore adjusted by +0.4 °C0.6 °F using the standard lapse rate of 6.5 °C per 1,000 m.