When to go

Elsewhere in the guide

The wind, the lagoons and which spot suits you →The Red Sea with children, by age →Learning to dive, and how to choose a centre →What this coast is actually good at, ranked →

Every month on this coast, with the judgement a climate table leaves out. The sea lags the air by about a month, which is why November is warmer in the water than May and why February — not January — is the coldest swim of the year. Last reviewed 26 July 2026.

The short answer

October is the best month on almost every measure. September and November are close behind and cheaper. August is the worst value of the year — highest prices, biggest crowds and the hardest conditions at the same time. Early December is the bargain nobody talks about.

The year at a glance

Typical daytime high, night-time low and sea temperature for each month on the Red Sea coast.
Month	Air, day	Air, night	Sea	Crowds	Value
January	21–23°C	11–13°C	around 22°C	Quiet†	Best
February	22–24°C	12–14°C	around 21–22°C	Quiet†	Best
March	25–27°C	14–16°C	around 22°C	Steady†	Good
April	29–31°C	17–19°C	around 24°C	Busy	Fair
May	32–34°C	21–23°C	around 26°C	Steady	Good
June	34–36°C	23–25°C	around 28°C	Steady	Fair
July	35–37°C	25–27°C	around 29°C	Busy	Worst
August	35–37°C	25–27°C	around 30°C	Peak	Worst
September	33–35°C	23–25°C	around 29°C	Quiet†	Good
October	30–32°C	20–22°C	around 28°C	Steady	Fair
November	26–28°C	16–18°C	around 25–26°C	Quiet	Good
December	22–24°C	13–15°C	around 23–24°C	Quiet†	Best

Months marked † change character partway through: crowd and price here follow school holidays and fixed dates rather than the season, so the label describes the larger part of the month and the month page says what flips it.

January

Air 21–23°C · Sea around 22°C

The coldest month, which on this coast still means short sleeves at midday — and the sea is warmer than most European summers.

February

Air 22–24°C · Sea around 21–22°C

The sea’s coldest point of the year, and the land at its most agreeable. A good month to be here and a poor one to be in the water for long.

March

Air 25–27°C · Sea around 22°C

Spring arrives, the land warms fast and the sea has not caught up yet. One of the best-value months on the coast.

April

Air 29–31°C · Sea around 24°C

Arguably the best all-round month: hot enough to want the sea, warm enough to swim in it, not yet hot enough to hide from the afternoon.

May

Air 32–34°C · Sea around 26°C

Properly hot, with the sea finally warm. The last comfortable month before summer stops being a description and becomes a problem.

June

Air 34–36°C · Sea around 28°C

Summer proper. Very hot, very bright, and the sea is bathwater — which is either the point or the problem.

July

Air 35–37°C · Sea around 29°C

One of the two hardest months. Cheap flights, hot everything, and a sea too warm to cool you down.

August

Air 35–37°C · Sea around 30°C

The hottest sea of the year and the hardest month to be outside in. Come for the water, plan for the heat.

September

Air 33–35°C · Sea around 29°C

August’s sea without August’s crowds or prices. One of the most underrated months on this coast.

October

Air 30–32°C · Sea around 28°C

The best month of the year, on most measures: warm sea, comfortable air, manageable crowds, and the coast at its most pleasant.

November

Air 26–28°C · Sea around 25–26°C

Warm sea, mild air, thinning crowds. The connoisseur’s month, and better than May despite the calendar suggesting otherwise.

December

Air 22–24°C · Sea around 23–24°C

Mild winter sun, a still-swimmable sea, and two entirely different halves separated by Christmas.

Figures are typical Hurghada values. The far south around Marsa Alam runs a couple of degrees warmer year-round; El Gouna and Soma Bay are windier than the sheltered bays.

Deciding where as well as when?

The eight towns on this coast are genuinely different from each other — compare them here, or read what is on across the year.