Egypt, almost twice the size of France, is situated in northeastern Africa. It has long coastlines on the Mediterranean and on the Red Sea. A small part of the country, the Sinai desert, lies east of the Suez Canal and is, strictly speaking, in Asia.
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Egypt has land boundaries with Libya on the west, with the Sudan on the south, and a shorter boundary with Israel on the east.
Egypt is one of the hottest and sunniest countries in the world. With the exception of a strip about 80 km/50 mi wide along the Mediterranean coast, Egypt has a desert climate, being entirely within the Sahara.
The majority of Egypt's settlements are based around the fertile Nile floodplain and delta. Several other large settlements, including Siwa, are located in desert oases. Most of the rest of Egypt consists of sparsely populated desert, including a section of the Sahara, and the rocky and arid Sinai Peninsula. Egypt shares international borders with Libya, Sudan and Israel.
The Sahara Desert is the largest desert in the world and is about the size of the United States. This desert covers ninety percent of Egypt and only has small settlements known as oasis near underground springs. The desert heat and blowing winds make the desert a natural barrier to protect Egypt from invasion. This protection allowed the Egyptians to focus their wealth on their many construction projects instead of building defensive structures.
The natural barrier of the huge Sahara Desert and the waters of the Famous Rivers#Nile River made Egypt an ideal location for people to live. The geography of Egypt made it possible for the ancient people of this region to flourish and develop a civilization which still marvels the entire world.
Apart from along the Mediterranean coast Egypt's climate isnearly entirely desert. The winter period (Nov-Mar) on the Mediterranean coast can be variable although it is usually warm and sunny, summers are hot but temperatures are tempered by strong sea breezes. In the south summer temperatures can be intense, however, the low humidity makes the heat more bearable and winters are dry and sunny.
Egypt is largely a desert, an extension of the great Sahara that bands North Africa. Save for the thin strip of watered land along the Nile River, very little could survive here. As the ancient Greek philosopher Herodotus stated: "Egypt is the gift of the Nile".
Generally, the summers are hot and dry and the winters, moderate. November through March are definitely the most comfortable months for travel in Egypt. There is almost no rain in the Nile valley, so you won't need wet weather gear!
The climate, however, does vary a little bit depending on where you are in the country. On the north coast along the Mediteranean Sea, a thin strip of land stretching from the sea to 50 km southwards receives some of the most heavy rain in the country during winter months. Thunderstorms along with heavy rain showers that often last several hours are not uncommon here such as in Alexandria, Marsa Matruh and all other costal areas, and even the Delta. In some years the rainstorms can last for a whole day or so, though the rain tends to be less heavy. Hail is also not uncommon, especially out in the desert where the weather is usually colder and allows for ice to fall and even frost to form on non-rainy days.
Most of Egypt is subtropical area, but the southern part of Upper Egypt is tropical. Northern winds temper the climate along the Mediterranean, but the interior areas are very hot. The temperature sinks quickly after sunset because of the high radiation rate under cloudless skies.
In the Sinai Mountains and also the Red Sea mountains, which stretch along the east side of the country along the shore of the Red Sea, there is generally more rain as rain clouds tend to develop when warm air evaporates and rises as it moves across higher terrain. Floods in these areas are a common weather phenomenon as so much rain can fall in a very short amount of time (often a day or two), with thunder and lightning as well. Because of the desert and lack of abundant vegetation, the water from the rain quickly falls down across the hills and mountains and floods local areas. In fact, every year there are stories in the local newspapers about flashfloods in areas of the Sinai and also in Upper Egypt (southern Egypt) such as in Assiut, Luxor, Aswan, Sohag, etc. These floods, however, only generally happen two or three times a year, and often do not happen at all in some years, depending on the weather. When they happen though, it is often in early times of the season such as in September, October or late winter such as February or March (often the rainiest season in Egypt). Thus, one should be careful when venturing out into the desert or camping in certain areas as water can suddenly rush down from the nearby mountains and hills. It can sometimes carry a quite strong current that has been known to break down homes of rural people who build their homes from mud, bricks, and other weak materials. It is not surprising to hear that some people drown in the floods, which is strange for a desert country that doesn't receive much precipitation.
Also, in higher elevations such as on top of the Sinai mountains, temperates can drop much more than the surrounding areas, allowing for snowfall in winter months, since temperatures can drop down to below freezing, as well as formation of frost even in the low lying desert areas where the temperatures are generally several degrees colder than in the cities.
December and January are usually the coldest months of the year, although it is normally warmer the further south you go and within the bigger cities.
Visitors should be aware that most houses and apartments in Cairo and Egypt do not have central heating like countries with colder climates as the main weather concern in Egypt is the heat. Therefore, even though the weather might not be so cold for the Western traveller, inside the apartment it might be even colder as the temperature inside homes is generally a few or several degrees colder than out in the street.
Listed below are the average seasonal temperatures for the Egypt regions and cities
| Month | Type |
Cairo Min/Max |
Alexandria Min/Max |
Luxor Min/Max |
Aswan Min/Max |
Hurghada Air/Water Average |
Sharm El Sheikh Air/Water Average |
| Jan | C F |
8.6/19.1 47/66 |
9.3/18.3 49/65 |
5.4/23 42/74 |
8/23.8 46/75 |
24/18 75/64 |
24/18 75/64 |
| Feb | C F |
9.3/21 48/69 |
9.7/19.2 49/67 |
6.8/25.4 44/78 |
9.4/26.1 49/79 |
25/18 77/64 |
25/18 77/64 |
| March | C F |
11.2/23.7 52/75 |
11.3/21 52/70 |
10.7/29 51/84 |
12.6/30.4 54/86 |
26/20 79/68 |
26/20 79/68 |
| April | C F |
13.9/28.2 56/83 |
14.5/23.6 58/75 |
15.7/35 60/95 |
17.5/36 63/97 |
31/25 88/77 |
31/25 88/77 |
| May | C F |
17.4/32.4 63/90 |
16.7/26.5 62/80 |
20.7/39.3 69/103 |
21.1/38.5 71/101 |
35/26 95/79 |
35/26 95/79 |
| June | C F |
19.9/34.5 68/95 |
20.4/28.2 69/83 |
22.6/41 72/107 |
24.2/42.1 76/108 |
37/28 99/82 |
37/28 99/82 |
| July | C F |
21.5/35.4 71/96 |
22.7/29.6 73/86 |
23.6/40.8 74/106 |
24.5/42 76/108 |
40/28 107/82 |
40/28 107/82 |
| Aug | C F |
21.6/34.8 71/95 |
22.9/30.4 73/87 |
23.5/41 74/107 |
24.7/41.3 76/107 |
42/29 108/84 |
42/29 108/84 |
| Sept | C F |
19.9/23.3 68/89 |
21.3/29.4 71/85 |
21.5/38.5 71/101 |
22.2/39.6 72/103 |
38/27 100/81 |
38/27 100/81 |
| Oct | C F |
17.8/29.8 64/86 |
17.9/27.7 64/82 |
17.8/35.1 64/95 |
19.3/36.6 66/99 |
32/25 90/77 |
32/25 90/77 |
| Nov | C F |
12.1/24.1 54/75 |
14.8/24.4 59/76 |
12.3/29.6 54/85 |
14.5/30.2 58/86 |
26/23 79/73 |
26/23 79/73 |
| Dec | C F |
10.4/20.7 51/69 |
11.2/20.4 52/69 |
7.7/24.8 45/76 |
9.9/20.5 50/69 |
26/19 79/66 |
26/19 79/66 |
Clothing: Lightweights or tropical during summer with warmer clothes for winter and cooler evenings.