Mars is generally very cold: on average it’s around −63 °C (−81 °F), but it can swing from roughly 20 °C (68 °F) on a mild afternoon near the equator down to about −153 °C (−225 °F) near the poles at night or in winter.

Quick Scoop: What is the temp on Mars?

Think of Mars as a planet of extremes rather than one single temperature.

The basic numbers

  • Average surface temperature: about −63 °C (−81 °F).
  • Warmest typical readings (equator, daytime): up to about 20–24 °C (68–75 °F).
  • Coldest typical readings (polar regions, winter/night): down to about −153 °C (−225 °F).

So Mars can feel “springlike” for a short time at your feet at noon near the equator, while still being freezing at head height because heat escapes quickly in its thin air.

Why Mars is so cold (but sometimes not)

  • Thin atmosphere : Mars’s air is too thin to hold heat, so it loses warmth to space very quickly after sunset.
  • Distance from the Sun : It orbits farther out than Earth, so it simply receives less solar energy overall.
  • Polar ice and seasons : Dry-ice (frozen carbon dioxide) caps and long winters at the poles help drive those extreme lows.

A good mental picture: a desert that can be chilly-to-pleasant at noon, then turns into deep freezer conditions once the Sun goes down.

Does Mars have changing “weather”?

Yes, Mars has seasons, daily temperature cycles, and even dust storms that affect temperatures.

  • Day–night swing: It can go from relatively mild during the day to well below freezing at night in the same spot.
  • Seasonal changes: “Summer” at the equator can bring those rare above-freezing moments, while winters, especially near the poles, drive temps down toward −153 °C.
  • Local variations: Rovers have recorded air temperatures in the shade climbing above 0 °C (32 °F), and orbiters have seen soil temps reaching into the 20–30 °C (68–86 °F) range for brief periods.

If you were standing on Mars at the equator at noon, your boots might feel like a cool spring day, but your helmet would still be at freezing, with deadly thin air all around.

Bottom note: Information gathered from public forums or data available on the internet and portrayed here.