Climate and Average Weather Year Round in Laayoune Plage Western Sahara

In Laayoune Plage, the summers are short, warm, humid, and arid; the winters are short, comfortable, and dry; and it is windy and mostly clear year round. Over the course of the year, the temperature typically varies from 57°F to 84°F and is rarely below 53°F or above 90°F.

Based on the beach/pool score, the best time of year to visit Laayoune Plage for hot-weather activities is from mid June to late September.

The warm season lasts for 2.9 months, from July 10 to October 6, with an average daily high temperature above 81°F. The hottest month of the year in Laayoune Plage is August, with an average high of 83°F and low of 70°F.

The cool season lasts for 2.8 months, from December 10 to March 5, with an average daily high temperature below 73°F. The coldest month of the year in Laayoune Plage is January, with an average low of 58°F and high of 71°F.

In Laayoune Plage, the average percentage of the sky covered by clouds experiences significant seasonal variation over the course of the year.

The clearer part of the year in Laayoune Plage begins around May 27 and lasts for 3.4 months, ending around September 9.

The clearest month of the year in Laayoune Plage is July, during which on average the sky is clear, mostly clear, or partly cloudy 97% of the time.

The cloudier part of the year begins around September 9 and lasts for 8.5 months, ending around May 27.

The cloudiest month of the year in Laayoune Plage is November, during which on average the sky is overcast or mostly cloudy 36% of the time.

Laayoune Plage does not experience significant seasonal variation in the frequency of wet days (i.e., those with greater than 0.04 inches of liquid or liquid-equivalent precipitation). The frequency ranges from 0% to 7%, with an average value of 3%.

Among wet days, we distinguish between those that experience rain alone, snow alone, or a mixture of the two. The month with the most days of rain alone in Laayoune Plage is December, with an average of 1.9 days. Based on this categorization, the most common form of precipitation throughout the year is rain alone, with a peak probability of 7% on December 4.

Rainfall

To show variation within the months and not just the monthly totals, we show the rainfall accumulated over a sliding 31-day period centered around each day of the year. Laayoune Plage experiences some seasonal variation in monthly rainfall.

The rainy period of the year lasts for 1.0 months, from November 16 to December 17, with a sliding 31-day rainfall of at least 0.5 inches. The month with the most rain in Laayoune Plage is December, with an average rainfall of 0.5 inches.

The rainless period of the year lasts for 11 months, from December 17 to November 16. The month with the least rain in Laayoune Plage is June, with an average rainfall of 0.0 inches.

The length of the day in Laayoune Plage varies over the course of the year. In 2024, the shortest day is December 21, with 10 hours, 26 minutes of daylight; the longest day is June 20, with 13 hours, 51 minutes of daylight.

The earliest sunrise is at 6:31 AM on April 13, and the latest sunrise is 2 hours, 13 minutes later at 8:44 AM on January 12. The earliest sunset is at 6:59 PM on November 29, and the latest sunset is 1 hour, 53 minutes later at 8:52 PM on July 1.

Daylight saving time (DST) is observed in Laayoune Plage during 2024, starting in the spring on March 10, lasting 1.1 months, and ending in the fall on April 14.

The figure below presents a compact representation of key lunar data for 2024. The horizontal axis is the day, the vertical axis is the hour of the day, and the colored areas indicate when the moon is above the horizon. The vertical gray bars (new Moons) and blue bars (full Moons) indicate key Moon phases.

We base the humidity comfort level on the dew point, as it determines whether perspiration will evaporate from the skin, thereby cooling the body. Lower dew points feel drier and higher dew points feel more humid. Unlike temperature, which typically varies significantly between night and day, dew point tends to change more slowly, so while the temperature may drop at night, a muggy day is typically followed by a muggy night.

Laayoune Plage experiences extreme seasonal variation in the perceived humidity.

The muggier period of the year lasts for 4.2 months, from June 28 to November 4, during which time the comfort level is muggy, oppressive, or miserable at least 14% of the time. The month with the most muggy days in Laayoune Plage is August, with 16.8 days that are muggy or worse.

The month with the fewest muggy days in Laayoune Plage is February, with 0.0 days that are muggy or worse.

This section discusses the wide-area hourly average wind vector (speed and direction) at 10 meters above the ground. The wind experienced at any given location is highly dependent on local topography and other factors, and instantaneous wind speed and direction vary more widely than hourly averages.

The average hourly wind speed in Laayoune Plage experiences significant seasonal variation over the course of the year.

The windier part of the year lasts for 3.6 months, from May 22 to September 8, with average wind speeds of more than 13.9 miles per hour. The windiest month of the year in Laayoune Plage is July, with an average hourly wind speed of 16.5 miles per hour.

The calmer time of year lasts for 8.4 months, from September 8 to May 22. The calmest month of the year in Laayoune Plage is October, with an average hourly wind speed of 11.4 miles per hour.

The predominant average hourly wind direction in Laayoune Plage varies throughout the year.

The wind is most often from the north for 11 months, from January 9 to December 15, with a peak percentage of 99% on July 6. The wind is most often from the east for 3.6 weeks, from December 15 to January 9, with a peak percentage of 43% on January 1.

Laayoune Plage is located near a large body of water (e.g., ocean, sea, or large lake). This section reports on the wide-area average surface temperature of that water.

The average water temperature experiences some seasonal variation over the course of the year.

The time of year with warmer water lasts for 2.9 months, from August 17 to November 14, with an average temperature above 69°F. The month of the year in Laayoune Plage with the warmest water is October, with an average temperature of 70°F.

The time of year with cooler water lasts for 3.5 months, from January 13 to April 28, with an average temperature below 65°F. The month of the year in Laayoune Plage with the coolest water is February, with an average temperature of 64°F.

To characterize how pleasant the weather is in Laayoune Plage throughout the year, we compute two travel scores.

The tourism score favors clear, rainless days with perceived temperatures between 65°F and 80°F. Based on this score, the best time of year to visit Laayoune Plage for general outdoor tourist activities is from mid March to mid August, with a peak score in the last week of June.

The beach/pool score favors clear, rainless days with perceived temperatures between 75°F and 90°F. Based on this score, the best time of year to visit Laayoune Plage for hot-weather activities is from mid June to late September, with a peak score in the last week of July.

Methodology

For each hour between 8:00 AM and 9:00 PM of each day in the analysis period (1980 to 2016), independent scores are computed for perceived temperature, cloud cover, and total precipitation. Those scores are combined into a single hourly composite score, which is then aggregated into days, averaged over all the years in the analysis period, and smoothed.

Our cloud cover score is 10 for fully clear skies, falling linearly to 9 for mostly clear skies, and to 1 for fully overcast skies.

Our precipitation score, which is based on the three-hour precipitation centered on the hour in question, is 10 for no precipitation, falling linearly to 9 for trace precipitation, and to 0 for 0.04 inches of precipitation or more.

Our tourism temperature score is 0 for perceived temperatures below 50°F, rising linearly to 9 for 65°F, to 10 for 75°F, falling linearly to 9 for 80°F, and to 1 for 90°F or hotter.

Our beach/pool temperature score is 0 for perceived temperatures below 65°F, rising linearly to 9 for 75°F, to 10 for 82°F, falling linearly to 9 for 90°F, and to 1 for 100°F or hotter.

Definitions of the growing season vary throughout the world, but for the purposes of this report, we define it as the longest continuous period of non-freezing temperatures (≥ 32°F) in the year (the calendar year in the Northern Hemisphere, or from July 1 until June 30 in the Southern Hemisphere).

Temperatures in Laayoune Plage are sufficiently warm year round that it is not entirely meaningful to discuss the growing season in these terms. We nevertheless include the chart below as an illustration of the distribution of temperatures experienced throughout the year.

Growing degree days are a measure of yearly heat accumulation used to predict plant and animal development, and defined as the integral of warmth above a base temperature, discarding any excess above a maximum temperature. In this report, we use a base of 50°F and a cap of 86°F.

This section discusses the total daily incident shortwave solar energy reaching the surface of the ground over a wide area, taking full account of seasonal variations in the length of the day, the elevation of the Sun above the horizon, and absorption by clouds and other atmospheric constituents. Shortwave radiation includes visible light and ultraviolet radiation.

The average daily incident shortwave solar energy experiences significant seasonal variation over the course of the year.

The brighter period of the year lasts for 4.0 months, from April 12 to August 12, with an average daily incident shortwave energy per square meter above 7.2 kWh. The brightest month of the year in Laayoune Plage is June, with an average of 8.0 kWh.

The darker period of the year lasts for 3.1 months, from November 1 to February 4, with an average daily incident shortwave energy per square meter below 4.6 kWh. The darkest month of the year in Laayoune Plage is December, with an average of 3.8 kWh.

For the purposes of this report, the geographical coordinates of Laayoune Plage are 27.096 deg latitude, -13.416 deg longitude, and 13 ft elevation.

The topography within 2 miles of Laayoune Plage is essentially flat, with a maximum elevation change of 62 feet and an average elevation above sea level of 15 feet. Within 10 miles is essentially flat (269 feet). Within 50 miles contains only modest variations in elevation (833 feet).

The area within 2 miles of Laayoune Plage is covered by bare soil (53%) and water (47%), within 10 miles by bare soil (52%) and water (48%), and within 50 miles by bare soil (51%) and water (49%).