Morocco in January: weather, snow and what to do
Sunny days, cold nights and snow on the Atlas: January weather region by region, the Tichka in winter, the desert, Yennayer and the quiet weeks after New Year.
By Ismail7 min read
January is a good month for Morocco if you want sunny sightseeing and quiet streets: afternoons reach about 19 °C in Marrakech and 16 to 17 °C on the edge of the Sahara, and snow covers the High Atlas. It is not a beach month, and nights are cold everywhere inland, close to freezing in the desert. Once the New Year rush is over, it is one of the quietest months of the year.
Is January a good time to visit Morocco?
Yes, for most trips that don't need a beach. The sky is usually clear, the light is low and soft, and you can walk the medinas of Marrakech and Fes all day without the heat. The desert is pleasant by day, and the snowy Atlas makes the drive south one of the most beautiful of the year.
The downsides are real, though:
- Short days. In Marrakech the sun rises at about 07:30 and sets between 17:40 and 18:05 (GMT, Morocco's time all year since September 2026).
- Cold nights. Old houses and riads are built for the summer heat, not for winter.
- Rain in the north and snow that can close mountain roads for a few hours.
- A cold sea. The Atlantic is about 17 °C off Agadir: fine for surfers in wetsuits, not for swimming.
January weather by region
Average afternoon highs, night lows and rainfall in January, from the official 1991–2020 normals published by the World Meteorological Organization (for Essaouira and Ifrane, NOAA's 1991–2020 normals):
| Place | Max | Min | Rain | Rainy days |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Marrakech | 19 °C (66 °F) | 6 °C (43 °F) | 25 mm | 5 |
| Fes | 16 °C (61 °F) | 4 °C (39 °F) | 60 mm | 8 |
| Tangier | 17 °C (62 °F) | 8 °C (47 °F) | 90 mm | 10 |
| Casablanca | 18 °C (64 °F) | 9 °C (48 °F) | 64 mm | 9 |
| Essaouira | 18 °C (65 °F) | 11 °C (52 °F) | 49 mm | 5 |
| Agadir | 21 °C (70 °F) | 8 °C (47 °F) | 32 mm | 4 |
| Ouarzazate | 17 °C (63 °F) | 2 °C (35 °F) | 6 mm | 3 |
| Errachidia (for Merzouga) | 16 °C (61 °F) | 2 °C (36 °F) | 10 mm | 3 |
| Ifrane (Middle Atlas, 1,665 m) | 9 °C (49 °F) | −1 °C (30 °F) | 126 mm | 8 |
Three things stand out. South of the Atlas, afternoons are mild but nights are the coldest, with about 15 degrees between midday and dawn. The north is the wet side: in Tangier and Fes, expect rain on one day in three or four. And the coast is the mildest place to sleep, with nights around 11 °C in Essaouira. The whole year, month by month, is in our guide to the best time to visit Morocco.
Marrakech in January
Mornings are crisp and bright, afternoons warm enough for a T-shirt in the sun, and evenings cold once the sun drops behind the rooftops. Rain falls on about five days in the month. On clear days the snowy High Atlas stands behind the city, one of the best sights of the winter. Eat dinner indoors or by a heater, and keep a warm layer for Jemaa el-Fna after dark.
Snow in the Atlas and the road to the desert
From December to March the high peaks of the High Atlas are usually white, and snow sometimes falls lower, on the passes and in villages such as Imlil, at about 1,740 metres.
The road from Marrakech to the Sahara crosses the High Atlas by the Tizi n'Tichka pass (2,260 m), and heavy snow can close it. In January 2026 it happened several times: traffic was fully halted on 3 January, snow and rockfalls closed the road again on 20 January, and a storm on 24 January shut it along with the roads to Oukaïmeden and Setti Fatma. Closures usually last hours rather than days, until the ploughs have cleared the road. The Middle Atlas, on the way from Fes to Merzouga, gets the same weather: on 24 January 2026 the authorities closed the roads into Ifrane and Azrou.
What it means for your trip: we watch the forecast and the road reports in the days before you leave, and adapt the route and the pace to the weather. On a snowy week, the simplest protection is a margin: keep half a day spare at the end of your trip, and don't book a flight home on the evening you come back from the desert.
In the mountains:
- Imlil under snow is beautiful, and our day trip to Imlil and the Atlas Mountains works in winter: bring warm clothes and shoes with a good grip.
- Toubkal becomes a winter ascent, with crampons, an ice axe and some experience: our guide to climbing Mount Toubkal explains what changes.
- Skiing at Oukaïmeden depends on natural snow, and the resort is being rebuilt with a new chairlift (completion planned for about the end of 2027). Whether lifts will run in winter 2026–27 has not been announced, so check before you pack skis. After a fresh snowfall the road up can jam for kilometres with Moroccans coming to see the snow, as it did in January 2025.
Spanish passport holders: Spain still advises against travel to Al Haouz province, which includes Imlil, Toubkal, Oukaïmeden and part of the Agafay desert, so check that advice and your travel insurance.
The Sahara in January
The desert is at its calmest. Days at Merzouga are sunny and around 16 to 20 °C, nights are usually clear, and fewer travellers make the trip than in October or at Easter. The sun sets at about 17:35 in mid-January, so plan to reach the dunes by mid-afternoon for the camel ride.
Nights are the challenge: about 2 °C on average at Errachidia, and below freezing on some clear nights (the record January low there is −8 °C). Every camp gives thick blankets, and some, especially the luxury desert camps of Merzouga, add heaters in the tents. Our season-by-season guide to the Sahara compares January with the rest of the year.
Holidays and events in January 2027
- Friday 1 January: New Year's Day, a public holiday and the end of the festive peak.
- Monday 11 January: anniversary of the Proclamation of Independence of 1944, a public holiday; banks and offices close.
- Thursday 14 January: Yennayer, the Amazigh New Year, a paid public holiday since 2024, which opens the Amazigh year 2977. Families share a special meal, and towns of the Souss hold concerts and dances: our calendar of festivals in Morocco tells you more.
- 24 to 31 January: mid-year holidays in Moroccan schools.
- Sunday 31 January: the 37th Marrakech International Marathon and half marathon, starting at 07:45 and 09:15 from Avenue de la Menara. More than 15,000 runners took part in 2026, so book early if you want a room that weekend.
Crowds and prices
The nights around 31 December are the busiest of the winter: riads in Marrakech and desert camps fill weeks ahead, at their highest rates. Christmas and New Year themselves are covered in our guide to Morocco in December.
Then the European school holidays end (on Monday 4 January 2027 in France, between 2 and 12 January in Germany) and January becomes one of the quietest months of the year in Marrakech and the desert. Rooms and camps are easier to find, even at short notice, and the medinas feel calmer. Hotel price trackers rank January among the cheapest months for Marrakech hotels, after a December that is among the dearest.
January is also the last full month before Ramadan, which is expected to start around 8 February 2027: what that changes is in our guide to Morocco in February.
What to pack
- Warm layers: a jumper or fleece for the evenings in the cities.
- A down jacket, a hat and gloves for the desert and the mountains.
- A waterproof jacket and shoes with a good grip for Fes, Chefchaouen and the north.
- Something warm to sleep in. Riads are built around open courtyards and are not always heated: ask for a room with heating when you book.
- Sunglasses and sun cream: the winter sun is strong, especially on snow.
What goes in the small bag for the camp is in our packing list for a desert tour.
Our January trip ideas
- Marrakech with an evening in the desert: a few days in the medina, then an evening in the Agafay desert with the snowy Atlas on the horizon at sunset. Dress warmly for dinner outside.
- The Sahara: our 3-day Merzouga desert tour crosses the Tichka, often snowy in January, follows the gorges and spends a night in a camp at Erg Chebbi. In January, a comfortable or luxury camp with a private bathroom makes the night much easier.
- The ocean: Essaouira has the mildest nights in the table above. Our day trip to Essaouira takes the argan road to the medina and the port, with grilled fish for lunch.
- Snowy villages: a day in Imlil, with a walk among Berber villages and lunch at our guide's home.
If your dates include New Year, write to us on WhatsApp as early as you can: the riads and camps people want go first. For the rest of the month there is far more choice.