Marrakesh (Marrakech) weather in January
January in Marrakesh: nice, dry, with clean air — an excellent time to visit.
Updated September 2026 · climate normals from ERA5 reanalysis
#6 of 12 months in Marrakesh · #394 of 1413 destinations to visit in January · comfort 83/100 (tier A)
- Days
- 21°C
- Nights
- 6°C
- Wet days
- 3
- Sun
- 9.1 h
- Humidity
- 61%
- Daylight
- 10 h

What January is like in Marrakesh
Cold nights and bright dry days. The Atlas is under snow and visible from the roof terraces, and riads without heating feel it.
shoulder
confidence: high
Traveller notes on Marrakesh in January
Regulars describe genuine year-to-year swings this month, some visits landing nice and warmish with only lightly cold nights, others hitting a stretch close to freezing every day with a couple of days of actual freezing rain thrown in. Our row backs that mild-by-day, cold-by-night read, 21C over 6.3C nights feeling 3C, with rain light at 18.6mm across 3.2 days and humidity at 61 percent. Regulars are consistent this counts as the coldest stretch of the year here, layers and a raincoat the standard advice given how much the day-to-night and altitude-driven swings can vary. Riads without central heating can feel genuinely cold after dark, worth checking before booking. The record: 9.1 hours of sun, a 12.1 kph wind and AQI 40.
Other months in Marrakesh
The December question on this board is never the daytime, it is the night and the building. Regulars warn that many riads have no heating at all, so the coldest hours are the ones spent indoors - ask before booking, and reversible air conditioning beats waiting for somebody to come and light a fire. Our row shows why: 22C by day against only 7.8C at night, and the feels-like columns widen the gap further, 19C against 5C. Days can be mild enough for a t-shirt or cold enough for a jacket, and a wet spell is possible at 29.3mm across 5.1 days. Layers, a waterproof, and something warm to sleep in. The record: humidity 67 percent, 8.6 hours of sun and AQI 39.
Regulars quote a line about Morocco that explains February better than any figure: a cold country with a hot sun. The nights drop hard - our row has 8.3C feeling like 5C, and visitors report 3 to 5C - while the days, with more than three hundred days of sun a year behind them, warm to something pleasant by midday. Their 18 to 24C brackets our 22.7C average high. The practical advice follows: pack layers, check the hotel heats its rooms and its public spaces, and expect the pool drained or too cold to use. February can also be a wet month or a cold one throughout, at 33.9mm across 5.4 days. The record: humidity 59 percent, 9.6 hours of sun and AQI 42.
November in Marrakech is a good month with a catch the forum repeats without variation: whatever the day does, the night will be cold. Their daytime figures of 18 to 24C sit just under our row's 25.1C average high, and their evening figures of 10 to 12C are our 11.2C almost exactly - which in practice means a jacket after dark and the end of eating outside. The days themselves are unpredictable year to year, one visitor reporting 12 to 18C and another 26 to 36C in the same month, and a third getting sunbathing weather most days with rain one afternoon and several evenings. Our row's 21mm across 4.3 days is the modest version. The record: humidity 58 percent, 9 hours of sun and AQI 40.
March is a month the Marrakech forum likes without reservation - mostly sunny, rain unlikely, mid-to-late 20s by day - with one repeated warning: the early mornings and the evenings are a different climate, and visitors keep being surprised by how sharply the night drops. The packing consensus is thin layers, not bulk: t-shirts, a jumper, a thin fleece, a thin waterproof shell, a scarf, and a jacket specifically for the evening, carried in a daypack so you can shed it all by mid-morning. A jumper or coat for after dark is treated as non-negotiable. The record bears out the swing: 24.1C days against 10.5C nights, 7.8 precipitation days and 41.9mm, humidity near 62 percent, 10.4 hours of sun, AQI 37.
Add your own note from Marrakesh's card on the map.
Marrakesh climate normals — January
Monthly averages from ERA5 reanalysis. AQI is the mean US Air Quality Index for the month.
Crowds in Marrakesh in January
How busy the place itself is — school and mass holidays, the months an editor tagged, and how sought-after the weather makes them. Never part of the comfort score.
Busybetween the peaks, Marrakech Marathon, Mid-year holiday in Morocco
Peak crowdsBusyShoulder seasonQuiet
Best months for Marrakesh's weather
Ranked by this destination's own climate comfort score across the year — a different thing from how busy it gets (see Crowds above).
Fair weatherMarrakesh's best weather comes in March, April and November — separate windows, not one continuous season.
Best weatherFair weatherToughest weather
What's on in Marrakesh in January
Recurring seasonal events, natural spectacles, closures and holidays — curated and sourced.
- Festival
Marrakech Marathon
24 Jan – 2 Feb · usuallySporting eventCrowdedClosuresFifteen thousand runners on a flat late-January course through the palm groves. The roads around the medina walls close for the morning. Source ↗
- Closure
Snow on the Atlas passes
1 Nov – 31 Mar · usuallyRiskTichka and Test can close at short notice after a snowfall from November through March, which cuts the road to Ouarzazate and the desert. Check before committing to a two-day loop over the mountains. Source ↗
Nearby, and something's on
Within 300 km of Marrakesh — a day trip or a short hop — with something on this month. Never part of the comfort score.
Where is Marrakesh?
Marrakesh in January — FAQ
- Is January a good time to visit Marrakesh?
- January in Marrakesh: nice, dry, with clean air — an excellent time to visit. It ranks #6 of 12 months for Marrakesh on SeasonMap's comfort score (83/100).
- What is the weather like in Marrakesh in January?
- In January, Marrakesh averages a daily high of 21°C and a low of 6.3°C, with about 18.6 mm of rain over roughly 3.2 rainy days.
- What is the air quality in Marrakesh in January?
- Marrakesh has a mean US Air Quality Index of about 40 in January.
Within 300 km: Taghazout's The points work around 1 Oct – 15 Apr.