Het weer in Marrakesh (Marrakech) in augustus

Morocco forum threads describe August as uncomfortably hot in Marrakech and the lowlands, which is exactly why posters recommend Oukaïmeden - Africa's highest ski resort at 2650m - as a genuine escape from that heat, even in high summer with no snow on the ground. Days at altitude stay noticeably cooler than the plains below, and nights can turn genuinely cold, something posters said catches people off guard who only packed for lowland Morocco heat. In summer the resort area is used by transhumance shepherds rather than skiers, with rock engravings, mountain views toward Marrakech, and access to Tizi n'Addi among the draws for a day trip up from the city.

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.

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.