Tripoli climate
Tripoli (Libya) has a hot semi-arid climate (Köppen BSh). The average temperature over the year is 21 °C70 °F, and about 254 mm10 in of precipitation falls in an average year.
Temperature by month
Precipitation by month
Tripoli climate table
| Month | High °C°F | Low °C°F | Mean °C°F | Precip. mmin |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 1661 | 1355 | 1558 | 441.7 |
| Feb | 1662 | 1254 | 1458 | 381.5 |
| Mar | 1865 | 1356 | 1661 | 200.8 |
| Apr | 2170 | 1560 | 1865 | 80.3 |
| May | 2475 | 1865 | 2170 | 50.2 |
| Jun | 2781 | 2171 | 2476 | 20.1 |
| Jul | 3086 | 2476 | 2781 | 00.0 |
| Aug | 3087 | 2678 | 2882 | 10.0 |
| Sep | 2985 | 2576 | 2781 | 210.8 |
| Oct | 2680 | 2272 | 2476 | 291.2 |
| Nov | 2272 | 1865 | 2068 | 351.4 |
| Dec | 1864 | 1559 | 1661 | 512.0 |
| Year | 3087 | 1254 | 2170 | 25410 |
“Year” row: highest monthly high, lowest monthly low, annual mean and annual total.
| Month | Humid. | Cloud | Solar | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 69% | 39% | 3.2 | 10:12 |
| Feb | 69% | 39% | 4.1 | 10:58 |
| Mar | 69% | 35% | 5.3 | 11:53 |
| Apr | 69% | 33% | 6.4 | 12:57 |
| May | 68% | 30% | 7.3 | 13:50 |
| Jun | 67% | 18% | 7.9 | 14:18 |
| Jul | 66% | 8% | 8.0 | 14:07 |
| Aug | 66% | 10% | 7.3 | 13:21 |
| Sep | 66% | 22% | 5.9 | 12:19 |
| Oct | 66% | 31% | 4.5 | 11:18 |
| Nov | 64% | 37% | 3.5 | 10:25 |
| Dec | 67% | 43% | 2.8 | 9:59 |
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 Tripoli is like
The warmest month is August, with an average high of 30 °C87 °F and a low of 26 °C78 °F. The coldest is February, when highs average 16 °C62 °F and lows 12 °C54 °F. There is a clear seasonal cycle, with 13.7 °C24.7 °F between the average temperature of the warmest and the coolest month.
It is dry, with about 254 mm10 in of precipitation per year. The wettest three-month stretch is December–February, which brings 52% of the annual total. Months with less than 20 mm0.8 in on average: March–August. The wettest month is December (51 mm2.0 in), the driest is July (0 mm0.0 in).
Relative humidity ranges from 64% in November to 69% in March. The clearest skies (lowest average cloud amount, 8%) are typical of July. Average wind speed near the ground ranges from 12 km/h (8 mph) in July to 18 km/h (11 mph) in January. Daylight lasts from about 10.0 hours in December to 14.3 hours in June.
Best time to visit Tripoli
Based on these averages, the most comfortable months for sightseeing and outdoor activities are March–July and September–November. Average highs then reach 18 °C65 °F to 30 °C86 °F. Precipitation is 0 mm0.0 in to 35 mm1.4 in per month.
Comfort score: months are ranked by how close they come to an ideal. That means 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 Tripoli
- Winter (December–February) — highs 1661 to 18 °C64 °F, lows 1254 to 15 °C59 °F, about 44 mm1.7 in of precipitation a month. Pack long sleeves, a sweater and a medium jacket.
- Spring (March–May) — highs 1865 to 24 °C75 °F, lows 1356 to 18 °C65 °F, about 11 mm0.4 in of precipitation a month. Pack light layers — T-shirts plus a light sweater or jacket.
- Summer (June–August) — highs 2781 to 30 °C87 °F, lows 2171 to 26 °C78 °F, about 1 mm0.0 in of precipitation a month. Pack light summer clothes such as T-shirts, shorts or light dresses.
- Autumn (September–November) — highs 2272 to 29 °C85 °F, lows 1865 to 25 °C76 °F, about 29 mm1.1 in of precipitation a month. Pack light summer clothes such as T-shirts, shorts or light dresses.
How Tripoli compares
World Climates covers 13 places in Libya. By annual mean temperature, Tripoli is the 5th warmest of them. By annual precipitation, it is the 5th wettest. See all of them on the Libya climate page.
Some places in other countries have a very similar pattern of temperature and rainfall. The closest matches are Limassol (Cyprus, BSh), Beirut (Lebanon, Csa) and Tripoli (Lebanon, Csa).
The same NASA POWER grid cell also contains Janzur (pop. 154,389) and Tajura (pop. 100,000). Their long-term averages in this dataset are essentially the same as for Tripoli, so they do not have separate pages.
Nearby places
- Climate in Qasr Bin Ghashir 23 km · 21 °C71 °F · 280 mm11 in
- Climate in Az Zawiyah 45 km · 21 °C69 °F · 221 mm8.7 in
- Climate in Al Jumayl 105 km · 21 °C69 °F · 192 mm7.6 in
- Climate in Zliten 137 km · 21 °C70 °F · 250 mm9.9 in
- Climate in Misratah 187 km · 21 °C70 °F · 272 mm11 in
- Climate in Sfax 305 km · 20 °C69 °F · 237 mm9.3 in
- Climate in Sakiet ed Daier 305 km · 20 °C68 °F · 301 mm12 in
- Climate in Gabès 307 km · 21 °C69 °F · 172 mm6.8 in
Frequently asked questions
What is the warmest month in Tripoli?
August is the warmest month in Tripoli. Its average high is 30 °C (87 °F) and its average low is 26 °C (78 °F).
What is the coldest month in Tripoli?
February is the coldest month. Its average high is 16 °C (62 °F) and its average low is 12 °C (54 °F).
When does it rain the most in Tripoli?
December is the wettest month with about 51 mm (2.0 in) of precipitation. July is the driest with about 0 mm (0.0 in).
What is the best time to visit Tripoli?
Judging by long-term averages, the most comfortable months are March–July 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. The gaps are largest 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.