January - March

Weather in the winter months in Morocco can vary considerably depending on where you`re going. From the north of the country down the coast, and into the inland areas, the temperatures will be in the low to mid 60s Fahrenheit during the day and in the mid to upper 40s at night. Note that this is the rainy season, so you will most likely encounter rain on some portion of your trip if you visit Morocco during this time of year. You will find the same conditions, more or less, whether you are traveling to Tangier, Fes, Meknes, and even Rabat and Casablanca. Lows in the mornings will rise into the low 50s in Rabat and Casablanca by the end of March.

Marrakech and Essaouira cool down in the winter months as well, but they are a tad milder, with highs in these months averaging in the upper 60s and low 70s, and lows in the upper 40s and low 50s. While you will see rain in these cities in the winter months, the number of rainy days per month averages between 2-3, compared to 5-7 in Casablanca and Rabat and as many as 10 closer to Tangier. Snow is to be expected in the higher elevations of the High Atlas range, which is bordered to the west by Marrakech and environs and to the south by Ourzazate and environs. In many parts of the country you will find lower hotel prices, as the winter is considered a lower season than spring and summer.

Holidays and Festivals:

January 1 - New Year's Day (Ras l'âm in Arabic / Le jour de l'An in French.) National holiday in Morocco.

Early January - Fes Marathon, Fes

January 11 - Proclamation of Independence (Takdim watikat al-istiqlal / Proclamation d'indépendence). One of Morocco`s `national days`, the Day of the Proclamation of Independence celebrates the day in 1944 on which the Istiqlal Party wrote their independence manifesto and sent it to France and Spain, Morocco`s two colonizers at the time. National holiday in Morocco.

Late January - Marrakech Marathon, Marrakech

Early March - Rabat Marathon, Rabat