Cairo, the sprawling capital of Egypt, sits at the head of the Nile Delta where the river fans out toward the Mediterranean, at approximately 30.04°N, 31.24°E. It has a hot desert climate (Köppen BWh) — among the most predictable of any major world capital — with a clear divide between hot, rainless summers and very mild winters, abundant sunshine of over 3,500 hours a year, and negligible rainfall, though the nearby Nile and delta add some humidity to the desert air.

Summer, from May to September, is hot, dry and intensely sunny, with July and August the hottest months — average highs around 35–37°C and warm nights, the latter often made warmer still by the city's vast urban heat island. Low humidity makes the heat more bearable than in tropical cities, but the blazing sun makes midday sightseeing at the pyramids demanding, and Cairo's notorious air pollution can make hot afternoons uncomfortable.

Winter, from December to February, is mild and pleasant by day but surprisingly cool at night, with January the coolest month — average highs around 19–20°C and lows near 9–10°C. Since Egyptian buildings rarely have heating, indoor spaces can feel cold in the evenings. Days are mostly sunny, with only the occasional cloudy spell, making the cooler months from October to April comfortably the best time to visit.

Cairo is one of the driest major cities on Earth, receiving only around 25 mm of rain in an average year — barely a handful of wet days, mostly in the winter months. Several years can pass with almost no measurable rain, though rare, sudden downpours can occasionally cause flash flooding in a city with little drainage. Live rainfall, humidity, and pressure readings for the city are shown in the panels above.

Cairo's most dramatic weather feature is the Khamsin, a hot, dry, dust-laden wind that blows off the Sahara mainly between March and May. It can drive temperatures above 40°C, slash humidity to single digits, and fill the sky with a dense yellow fog of sand that blots out the sun for a day or more at a time. Otherwise the steady north 'Etesian' wind that blows up the Nile for much of the year is what keeps the climate tolerable.

To follow any single measurement in Cairo more closely, use our live instruments: the online barometer for atmospheric pressure, the thermometer for temperature, the hygrometer for humidity, the anemometer for wind speed, the wind vane for wind direction, and the rain gauge for rainfall.