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Best Time for the The Atlas & the Sahara
Sweet spot: January, February, December — computed from NASA POWER climate normals across the route's overnight towns, balancing temperature, rainfall and daylight.
Shoulder seasons keep the Tizi n'Tichka pass open and Erg Chebbi bearable — dunes at dawn are cold either way.
45°C+ at the dunes — desert camps thin out; if you go, travel pre-dawn and treat midday as siesta.
| Month | Temp | Rain | Daylight | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | -6.8–23.7°C | 18 mm | 10.2 h | ❄ |
| February | -5.9–26.1°C | 18 mm | 10.9 h | ❄ |
| March | -3.0–30.5°C | 28 mm | 11.8 h | ❄ |
| April | 0.2–32.8°C | 17 mm | 12.8 h | ❄ |
| May | 2.6–36.3°C | 13 mm | 13.6 h | ❄ |
| June | 8.2–40.1°C | 5 mm | 14.0 h | |
| July | 12.5–41.2°C | 6 mm | 13.8 h | |
| August | 13.2–40.5°C | 10 mm | 13.1 h | |
| September | 8.8–37.9°C | 19 mm | 12.2 h | |
| October | 1.6–34.8°C | 20 mm | 11.2 h | ❄ |
| November | -2.1–28.0°C | 30 mm | 10.4 h | ❄ |
| December | -4.5–24.5°C | 18 mm | 10.0 h | ❄ |