Eilat weather in January

Petra forum threads describe December and January as the coldest months here, with typical daytime highs around 10-15C dropping to near freezing overnight - real winter given Petra's elevation, with the occasional snow event, though posters called it roughly a once-a-year occurrence that can disrupt plans for a few days when it happens. Conditions swing meaningfully day to day too, from sunny and mild one day to cold and windy the next, and real rain is a genuine possibility. Visitors who entered before dawn to catch sunrise consistently described needing hats, gloves and layered jackets early on, then stripping down to a single long-sleeve shirt once the sun climbed and the hiking warmed them up.

Forum posters describe late April in Eilat as bringing daytime highs in the low-to-mid 30sC, with a real chance of a sharav (hot desert wind) pushing temperatures toward 40C on the hottest days. Posters cite sea temperatures early in the month still on the cool side, around 21-22C, warm enough for swimming by month's end but cool enough that many snorkelers still opt for at least a 'shorty' wetsuit. Posters consistently rate April through June as the sweet spot for a Eilat visit - warm enough for the beach, not yet the full heat of summer, and still cool enough in the evenings for comfortable hiking in the surrounding desert. Posters generally rate April as close to ideal for Eilat, good beach weather paired with hiking-friendly evenings.

October is the forum's sweet spot for Eilat: the sea is still at summer temperature, about 26°C, while the air has come off the summer peak — though coming off the peak here still means an average high of 32°C, against cool nights near 19. No rain at all. For diving that combination is the entire point: warm water, bearable surface conditions. It is also after the Jewish holidays, so the town is not crowded. Late October into early November is what regulars name as the ideal window.