When to Visit Tangier

Tangier sits at a geographical crossroads that gives it a climate unlike any other Moroccan city. Positioned where the Atlantic meets the Mediterranean at the Strait of Gibraltar, it catches weather systems from both directions, which means it tends to be cooler, cloudier, and considerably wetter than Marrakech or Fez. If you're expecting the bone-dry, sun-blasted Morocco of popular imagination, Tangier will likely surprise you. The year divides fairly cleanly into a wet season and a dry one. November through March accounts for the bulk of the rainfall; November alone typically delivers around 135mm, December close to 130mm, with temperatures that hover in the mild rather than cold range, rarely dropping below 8°C (47°F) at night. These months have a distinctly northwestern European feel: grey skies, Atlantic gusts, rain that can arrive in proper squalls. Tangier almost never sees frost. A good winter day, and there are many, can be lovely, with the kind of crisp, clear light that makes the Strait look its most cinematic. From June through September the rain all but disappears, with July and August averaging under 3mm for the month. Temperatures peak at around 28°C (82°F) in those two months, which by global standards is quite moderate for a beach city in high summer. The Atlantic keeps things from getting oppressive; you're unlikely to encounter the forty-degree heat of the Moroccan interior. What Tangier does get in summer is a steady breeze off the water, which makes the outdoor cafes in the Kasbah and the medina streets reasonably comfortable even at midday. Humidity holds around 70 percent year-round. Worth noting. It gives summer days a mildly muggy edge and winter days that particular damp chill that seeps into old stone buildings.