Seasons in Algeria

Algeria is the largest country on the African continent, 80% of which is occupied by the largest desert on earth - the Sahara. The length of the coastline of Algeria is quite impressive too - as much as 998 km.

Having at its disposal a rather large territory, the natural world of Algeria is very diverse, and includes: plains, deserts and semi-deserts, including sandy and stony, the highlands of Ahaggar, and also the Atlas Mountains.

The climate of Algeria in the northern part of the country is subtropical Mediterranean, in the central and southern parts of the country it’s a tropical desert.

The climate is changing from north to south. On the Mediterranean coast, the climate is more comfortable for living, it has a moderately warm, humid winter and a hot summer. And the central and southern parts of Algeria are more severe - the Sahara desert lies here, where it's very dry and very hot for almost a year, besides huge sandstorms often rise here. Features of desert areas are very sharp fluctuations in air temperatures during day and night. The climate of northern Sahara is determined by stable high-pressure cells located above the Northern Tropics.


Seasons

Contents:

March-May in Algeria

Spring in Algeria in the northern part of the country begins in early March. This is a very pleasant time, which lasts only a couple of months. Clouds are scattered in the sky, the air temperature warms up every day, the amount of precipitation decreases, and everything around starts to bloom. This is the most fertile time in the most of the country. Only sandstorms can break this idyllic nature. In April, sometimes a hot wind blows from the desert and brings so much sand and then a sandstorm begins. The air temperature, at this time, rises sharply. Such sandstorms, as a rule, are not predictable and bring a lot of inconvenience to the inhabitants of the country and tourists.

In the south of the country, in the Sahara Desert, there is no spring, as if it doesn’t happen, it sweeps in these parts with a whirlwind. Spring time lasts no more than two weeks. Already in March, the average daily temperature reaches a mark of +28 °C (82 °F) and higher, and at night it drops to + 10 °C (50 °F) and lower. In the spring, strong sandstorms are formed there more often, completely paralyzing any communication between the rare cities of the desert.

Climate from March to May

March
Max average t°: +17 °C (63 °F)
Min average t°: +10 °C (50 °F)
Water t°: +15 °C (59 °F)
Sundial in the day: 8.5 hours
Rainy days: 5 days
Precipitation: 67 mm (2.6")
April
Max average t°: +20 °C (68 °F)
Min average t°: +11 °C (52 °F)
Water t°: +16 °C (61 °F)
Sundial in the day: 10 hours
Rainy days: 3 days
Precipitation: 60 mm (2.4")
May
Max average t°: +22.5 °C (73 °F)
Min average t°: +14 °C (57 °F)
Water t°: +18 °C (64 °F)
Sundial in the day: 12 hours
Rainy days: 1 day
Precipitation: 22 mm (0.9")

(Algiers)

Holidays

1 May – First May

June-August in Algeria

Summer in Algeria, in the northern part of the country, begins in May. Already in May, it's warm and fine here and it's pretty comfortable and not too hot weather. In general, the Algerian summer is long and arid, there is practically no rain at this time of the year. On the coast of the country, the daily air temperature in July is on average + 30 °C (86 °F), often reaches +35 ~ 40 °C (82 ~ 104 °F). In August it's even hotter. On the coast of the country, such a high air temperature is relatively easy to tolerate, due to wet flows from the Mediterranean. Worse things are in the central part of the country. There is high pressure and very dry air in summer. Due to the dryness of the air, it seems that the temperatures here are even higher than there is in reality. There is no thinking or dreaming about the rain, or, at least, the clouds in the summer time.

A small relief in the country comes only in September. Quite a gracious month, when the suffocating heat passes, but, still there is a great weather, you can swim and sunbathe on the coast of the country. Every day, slowly, but surely, the air temperature is going down in the central part of the country, but  it’s still hot here - up to + 30 °C (86 °F). Summer heat is heavily transported through arid winds. Dry winds often attract sandstorms. There are often severe droughts.

Separately it is worth to mention the summer time in the south of Algeria, in the Sahara desert. Actually, it is difficult to say when the summer begins, and when it ends, because there is an only temperature difference in this desert all year round. We can say that after a short spring, in early April, here comes the summer period. The air temperature grows inexorably daily, and if April is still quite a comfortable month, with an average daily temperature of +28 °C (82 °F), then in May things are much worse.

But the worst thing is to be in the Sahara in July or August. The extreme dryness of the air, which automatically raises the air temperature by sensations, is carried very poorly, especially since the air temperature in July and August on the daytime reaches an unthinkable + 45 °C (113 °F), and sometimes even higher (!). The surface on the ground in the desert is heated to an unimaginable +65 ~ 70 °C (149 ~ 158 °F), standing barefoot is unreal, at this temperature it is easy to fry eggs! If there is a wind in the Sahara, it will not bring any relief, rather, on the contrary, moving the hot currents of air, this wind rather burns. Surprisingly, at such catastrophic temperatures of air on the daytime, it is very cool here at the night - the air temperature can drop to + 15 °C (59 °F) and lower.


Climate from June to August

June
Max average t°: +26 °C (78 °F)
Min average t°: +17.5 °C (63 °F)
Water t°: +21.5 °C (71 °F)
Sundial in the day: 13.5 hours
Rainy days: 1 day
Precipitation: 12 mm (0.5")
July
Max average t°: +28.5 °C (83 °F)
Min average t°: +20 °C (68 °F)
Water t°: +24 °C (75 °F)
Sundial in the day: 13.5 hours
Rainy days: 0 days
Precipitation: 3 mm (0.1")
August
Max average t°: +29.5 °C (85 °F)
Min average t°: +21 °C (70 °F)
Water t°: +25.5 °C (78 °F)
Sundial in the day: 12.5 hours
Rainy days: 0 days
Precipitation: 5.5 mm (0.2")

(Algiers)

Holidays

15-16 June – Eid al-Fitr

5 July – Independence Day

22-23 August – Eid al-Adha

September-November in Algeria

Autumn in Algeria, in the northern part of the country, begins in early October. The first half of the month, as a rule, is sunny and quite comfortable for rest, from the middle of October the real autumn comes on the coast, the sky is clouded with low clouds, rains can pass, but this happens infrequently. In the central part of the country, there are practically no rains in October, and the air temperature here is higher, of the order of + 20 °C (68 °F) in the daytime. November continues the trend of October with a decrease in the average air temperature, on average, to + 15 °C (59 °F), the weather in November, as a rule, is not pleasant, it's pretty cloudy, and the rains are coming.

About the rain in southern Algeria, in the desert of the Sahara, nobody can have to dream even in the autumn. No rains, moreover, no clouds, and indeed - what kind of the fall are you talking about? There was no autumn and never will be, only the temperature goes to a decline, reaching a level of + 30 °C (86 °F) in November.

Precipitation in the territory of Algeria is very uneven. In the few mountains of Algeria, precipitation falls to 1200 mm per year, because of rain and snow. In the plains of the country, only 200-400 mm of precipitation fall in a year. In the northern Sahara it falls less than 50 mm per year. This is one of the driest places in the world. Precipitation falls all over the country, mainly from November to February. In the remaining months, the possibility of precipitation in Algeria is extremely small.


Climate from September to November

September
Max average t°: +27 °C (81 °F)
Min average t°: +19.5 °C (67 °F)
Water t°: +24.5 °C (76 °F)
Sundial in the day: 11 hours
Rainy days: 1 day
Precipitation: 15 mm (0.6")
October
Max average t°: +23 °C (74 °F)
Min average t°: +16 °C (60 °F)
Water t°: +23 °C (73 °F)
Sundial in the day: 9.5 hours
Rainy days: 2 days
Precipitation: 25 mm (1.0")
November
Max average t°: +19 °C (66 °F)
Min average t°: +11.5 °C (53 °F)
Water t°: +19.5 °C (67 °F)
Sundial in the day: 7 hours
Rainy days: 4 days
Precipitation: 57 mm (2.2")

(Algiers)

Holidays

12 September – Muharram

20 September – Day of Ashura

1 November– Anniversary of revolution

21 November – Birthday of the Prophet

December-February in Algeria

Winter in Algeria begins, approximately, in the beginning of December. The Algerian winter is mild and warm, with an average daily temperature in January + 12 °C (54 °F) in the northern part of the country. it is warm and rainy in winter, especially on the coast. On the mountain tops, snow falls in the winter season, there are negative air temperatures.

Winter in the south of Algeria, in the Sahara Desert is not a phenomenon. It's always hot and sunny there. The average daily air temperature in the Sahara in winter is + 25 °C (77 °F), dropping at night to 0 °C (32 °F) and often to slightly negative temperatures (!). Such large fluctuations in temperature during the day are rather poorly tolerated by the human body.

Climate from December to February

December
Max average t°: +15.5 °C (60 °F)
Min average t°: +9 °C (48 °F)
Water t°: +17 °C (63 °F)
Sundial in the day: 7 hours
Rainy days: 5 days
Precipitation: 59 mm (2.3")
January
Max average t°: +15 °C (59 °F)
Min average t°: +8 °C (47 °F)
Water t°: +16 °C (61 °F)
Sundial in the day: 7 hours
Rainy days: 5 days
Precipitation: 60 mm (2.4")
February
Max average t°: +16 °C (61 °F)
Min average t°: +8 °C (47 °F)
Water t°: +15 °C (59 °F)
Sundial in the day: 7 hours
Rainy days: 6 days
Precipitation: 67 mm (2.6")

(Algiers)

Holidays

January 1 – European New Year's Day.


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