Sirte climate — normals and trends
Sirte (Libya) has a hot desert climate (BWh) under the Köppen-Geiger classification. Its mean annual temperature is 20.3 °C and it receives 167 mm of precipitation per year.
These figures are normals computed over 86 complete calendar years, from 1940 to 2025, using ERA5 reanalysis data from the Copernicus programme.
The warmest month is August (26.7 °C on average) and the coldest is January (14.2 °C). Rainfall peaks in December.
Sirte averages 0 frost days, 21 hot days (≥ 30 °C) and 35 rainy days per year.
Sirte has warmed by +1.6 °C between 1940 and 2025, or +0.19 °C per decade. This trend is statistically significant.
The hottest day of the period reached 39.6 °C (on 10 August 2002) and the coldest 4.9 °C (on 22 December 1940).
Data from ERA5 reanalysis (Copernicus Climate Change Service), redistributed under a CC-BY 4.0 licence. Normals are recomputed whenever the archive is updated.
Climate normals · ERA5
SirteSurt
- coords
- 31.21°, 16.59°
- period
- 1940–2025 · 86 yrs
Mean daily temperature
20.3°C
Average daily high
22.7°C
Average daily low
18.1°C
Annual rainfall
167mm
Sunshine / day
11.1h
Mean relative humidity
68%
Average peak wind
26.3km/h
Seasonal range
12.5°C
Frost days (< 0 °C)
0 d/yr
Hot days (≥ 30 °C)
21 d/yr
Rainy days (≥ 1 mm)
35 d/yr
Annual snowfall
0.0 cm
Average feels-like high
22.5 °C
Average feels-like low
16.8 °C
Average peak gust
36.9 km/h
Tropical nights (≥ 20 °C)
148 d/yr
Solar radiation
19.7 MJ/m²
Has the climate changed?
One stripe per year, 1940 to 2025
+1.6 °C
since 1940
+0.2 °C per decade · r² = 0.61 · p = < 0.001
Trend fitted by linear regression (ordinary least squares) on annual means. A trend is shown only when it is statistically significant (p < 0.05).
A climograph overlays rainfall (bars) and temperature (line): the standard reading in climatology, where you can see at a glance whether the warm season is also the dry one.
Records for the period
Hottest day
39.6 °C
10 August 2002
Coldest day
4.9 °C
22 December 1940
Wettest day
59 mm
10 January 1988
Windiest day
72.0 km/h
9 December 1988
Strongest gust
113.0 km/h
5 April 1994
Hottest feels-like
41.3 °C
11 July 1997
Coldest feels-like
-4.4 °C
9 January 1981
Snowiest day
0.1 cm
14 January 1995
Sunniest day
14.0 h
25 June 1940
Normals computed over complete calendar years 1940–2025.
A specific year
Pick a year and see how it compares to normal — warmer, drier or more extreme than usual?
Across the whole year
Month by month
| High | vs. normal | Precipitation | vs. normal | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 18.2 °C | +1.8 °C | 5 mm | -33 mm |
| Feb | 17.8 °C | +0.6 °C | 10 mm | -10 mm |
| Mar | 21.4 °C | +2.8 °C | 11 mm | -3 mm |
| Apr | 21.1 °C | +0.2 °C | 4 mm | +0 mm |
| May | 25.2 °C | +1.8 °C | 1 mm | -2 mm |
| Jun | 26.6 °C | +0.5 °C | 0 mm | -0 mm |
| Jul | 29.4 °C | +1.7 °C | 0 mm | -0 mm |
| Aug | 29.7 °C | +1.0 °C | 0 mm | -0 mm |
| Sep | 28.8 °C | +0.9 °C | 1 mm | -5 mm |
| Oct | 26.5 °C | +1.0 °C | 2 mm | -15 mm |
| Nov | 23.0 °C | +1.2 °C | 7 mm | -19 mm |
| Dec | 18.9 °C | +1.1 °C | 25 mm | -14 mm |
The year's extremes
What was the weather like that day?
Your birthday, a wedding, a memorable trip: discover the actual weather for any date since 1940.
Frequently asked questions
What is the climate of Sirte?
Sirte has a hot desert climate (Köppen BWh). Over 1940-2025, the average annual temperature is 20.3 °C and it receives 167 mm of precipitation per year.
What is the hottest day ever recorded in Sirte?
The hottest day measured in Sirte between 1940 and 2025 was 10 August 2002, reaching 39.6 °C.
What is the coldest day in Sirte?
The coldest day measured in Sirte between 1940 and 2025 was 22 December 1940, at 4.9 °C.
Does it snow in Sirte?
Almost never: Sirte sees virtually no snow, with about 0 frost days per year.
Has the climate of Sirte warmed?
Yes: Sirte warmed by +1.6 °C between 1940 and 2025, a statistically significant trend.
What is the wettest day in Sirte?
The wettest day measured in Sirte between 1940 and 2025 was 10 January 1988, with 59 mm of rain in 24 hours.
What was the windiest day in Sirte?
The windiest day measured in Sirte between 1940 and 2025 was 9 December 1988, with winds reaching 72.0 km/h.
What is the warmest month in Sirte?
The warmest month in Sirte is August (26.7 °C on average); the coldest is January (14.2 °C).
How much does it rain in Sirte?
Sirte receives on average 167 mm of precipitation per year, spread over about 35 rainy days.
Is it sunny in Sirte?
Sirte gets on average 11.1 hours of sunshine per day, roughly 4,052 hours per year over 1940-2025.
What is the biggest single-day snowfall in Sirte?
The heaviest 24-hour snowfall measured in Sirte between 1940 and 2025 was 14 January 1995, with 0.1 cm.
Are there tropical nights in Sirte?
Yes: Sirte has on average 148 tropical nights per year (temperature staying above 20 °C), over 1940-2025.
What was the most extreme apparent temperature in Sirte?
In Sirte, between 1940 and 2025, the highest apparent temperature reached 41.3 °C on 11 July 1997, and the lowest was -4.4 °C on 9 January 1981.
Compare Sirte with another city
Pick a second city: its normals will be set against these, indicator by indicator.
Nearby cities
The climate around Sirte