Average Weather in Riyadh Saudi Arabia
In Riyadh, the summers are long, sweltering, and arid; the winters are cool and dry; and it is mostly clear
year round. Over the course of the year, the temperature typically varies from 49°F to 110°F and is
rarely below 41°F or above 114°F.
comfortablewarmhotswelteringhotwarmJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec91%91%60%60%cl
earovercastprecipitation: 0.3 inprecipitation: 0.3 in0.0 in0.0 inmuggy: 1%muggy:
1%0%0%drydrybeach/pool score: 8.7beach/pool score: 8.71.71.7
Based on the beach/pool score, the best time of year to visit Riyadh for hot-weather activities is from
late September to early November.
Temperature:
The hot season lasts for 4.3 months, from May 14 to September 24, with an average daily high
temperature above 102°F. The hottest day of the year is July 26, with an average high of 110°F and low
of 87°F.
The cool season lasts for 3.0 months, from November 27 to February 26, with an average daily high
temperature below 76°F. The coldest day of the year is January 11, with an average low of 49°F and high
of 68°F.
Average Hourly Temperature
JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12
AMcoldcoldcoolcoolcoolcoolcomfortablewarmwarmhotswelteringcomfortable
The average hourly temperature, color coded into bands: frigid < 15°F < freezing < 32°F < very cold <
45°F < cold < 55°F < cool < 65°F < comfortable < 75°F < warm < 85°F < hot < 95°F < sweltering. The
shaded overlays indicate night and civil twilight.
Needles, California, United States (8,154 miles away) and Chingueṭṭi, Mauritania (3,751 miles) are the
far-away foreign places with temperatures most similar to Riyadh (view comparison).
Clouds
In Riyadh, the average percentage of the sky covered by clouds experiences significant seasonal
variation over the course of the year.
The clearer part of the year in Riyadh begins around August 29 and lasts for 2.5 months, ending around
November 14. On September 23, the clearest day of the year, the sky is clear, mostly clear, or partly
cloudy 91% of the time, and overcast or mostly cloudy 9% of the time.
The cloudier part of the year begins around November 14 and lasts for 9.5 months, ending around
August 29. On July 30, the cloudiest day of the year, the sky is overcast or mostly cloudy 40% of the
time, and clear, mostly clear, or partly cloudy 60% of the time.
Cloud Cover Categories
clearercloudiercloudierJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec0%100%10%90%20%80%30%70%40
%60%50%50%60%40%70%30%80%20%90%10%100%0%Sep 2391%Sep 2391%Jul 3060%Jul 3060%Nov
1476%Nov 1476%clearovercastmostly clearpartly cloudymostly cloudy
The percentage of time spent in each cloud cover band, categorized by the percentage of the sky
covered by clouds: clear < 20% < mostly clear < 40% < partly cloudy < 60% < mostly cloudy < 80% <
overcast.
Precipitation
Riyadh does not experience significant seasonal variation in the frequency of wet days (i.e., those with
greater than 0.04 inches of liquid or liquid-equivalent precipitation). The frequency ranges from 0% to
5%, with an average value of 2%.
Among wet days, we distinguish between those that experience rain alone, snow alone, or a mixture of
the two. Based on this categorization, the most common form of precipitation throughout the year is
rain alone, with a peak probability of 5% on March 13.
Rainfall
To show variation within the months and not just the monthly totals, we show the rainfall accumulated
over a sliding 31-day period centered on each day of the year. Riyadh experiences some seasonal
variation in monthly rainfall. Rain falls throughout the year in Riyadh. The most rain falls during the 31
days centered on March 12, with an average total accumulation of 0.3 inches.
The least rain falls around July 12, with an average total accumulation of 0.0 inches.
Average Monthly Rainfall
JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec0.0 in0.2 in0.4 in0.6 in0.8 in1.0 in Mar 120.3 in Mar 120.3 in
Jul 120.0 in Jul 120.0 in Nov 290.2 in Nov 290.2 in Aug 280.0 in Aug 280.0 in
The average rainfall (solid line) accumulated over the course of a sliding 31-day period centered on the
day in question, with 25th to 75th and 10th to 90th percentile bands. The thin dotted line is the
corresponding average liquid-equivalent snowfall.
Sun
The length of the day in Riyadh varies over the course of the year. In 2018, the shortest day is December
22, with 10 hours, 36 minutes of daylight; the longest day is June 21, with 13 hours, 40 minutes of
daylight.
Hours of Daylight and Twilight
JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec0 hr24 hr4 hr20 hr8 hr16 hr12 hr12 hr16 hr8 hr20 hr4 hr24
hr0 hr12 hr, 7 minMar 2012 hr, 7 minMar 2013 hr, 40 minJun 2113 hr, 40 minJun 2112 hr, 8 minSep
2312 hr, 8 minSep 2310 hr, 36 minDec 2210 hr, 36 minDec 22nightnightday
The number of hours during which the Sun is visible (black line). From bottom (most yellow) to top
(most gray), the color bands indicate: full daylight, twilight (civil, nautical, and astronomical), and full
night.
The earliest sunrise is at 5:03 AM on June 10, and the latest sunrise is 1 hour, 36 minutes later at 6:39
AM on January 14. The earliest sunset is at 5:03 PM on November 29, and the latest sunset is 1 hour, 43
minutes later at 6:46 PM on July 3.
Daylight saving time (DST) is not observed in Riyadh during 2018.
Sunrise & Sunset with Twilight
JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec12 AM2 AM4 AM6 AM8 AM10 AM12 PM2 PM4 PM6 PM8
PM10 PM12 AMJun 105:03 AMJun 105:03 AM6:46 PMJul 36:46 PMJul 3Nov 295:03 PMNov 295:03
PM6:39 AMJan 146:39 AMJan
14daynightnightnightnightSolarMidnightSolarMidnightSolarNoonSunriseSunset
The solar day over the course of the year 2018. From bottom to top, the black lines are the previous
solar midnight, sunrise, solar noon, sunset, and the next solar midnight. The day, twilights (civil, nautical,
and astronomical), and night are indicated by the color bands from yellow to gray.
Humidity
We base the humidity comfort level on the dew point, as it determines whether perspiration will
evaporate from the skin, thereby cooling the body. Lower dew points feel drier and higher dew points
feel more humid. Unlike temperature, which typically varies significantly between night and day, dew
point tends to change more slowly, so while the temperature may drop at night, a muggy day is typically
followed by a muggy night.
The perceived humidity level in Riyadh, as measured by the percentage of time in which the humidity
comfort level is muggy, oppressive, or miserable, does not vary significantly over the course of the year,
remaining a virtually constant 0% throughout.
Humidity Comfort Levels
JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec0%10%20%30%40%50%60%70%80%90%100%Dec 280%Dec
280%Apr 281%Apr 281%drydryhumidhumid
The percentage of time spent at various humidity comfort levels, categorized by dew point: dry < 55°F <
comfortable < 60°F < humid < 65°F < muggy < 70°F < oppressive < 75°F < miserable.
Wind
This section discusses the wide-area hourly average wind vector (speed and direction) at 10 meters
above the ground. The wind experienced at any given location is highly dependent on local topography
and other factors, and instantaneous wind speed and direction vary more widely than hourly averages.
The average hourly wind speed in Riyadh experiences mild seasonal variation over the course of the
year.
The windier part of the year lasts for 2.9 months, from May 23 to August 18, with average wind speeds
of more than 8.7 miles per hour. The windiest day of the year is July 5, with an average hourly wind
speed of 10.0 miles per hour.
The calmer time of year lasts for 9.1 months, from August 18 to May 23. The calmest day of the year is
October 9, with an average hourly wind speed of 7.4 miles per hour.
Average Wind Speed
windyJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec0 mph2 mph4 mph6 mph8 mph10 mph12 mph14
mph16 mphJul 510.0 mphJul 510.0 mphOct 97.4 mphOct 97.4 mphMay 238.7 mphMay 238.7 mphAug
188.7 mphAug 188.7 mph
The average of mean hourly wind speeds (dark gray line), with 25th to 75th and 10th to 90th percentile
bands.
The predominant average hourly wind direction in Riyadh varies throughout the year.
The wind is most often from the east for 2.0 days, from May 20 to May 22 and for 1.3 months, from
September 1 to October 10, with a peak percentage of 45% on September 12. The wind is most often
from the north for 3.3 months, from May 22 to September 1, with a peak percentage of 75% on July 5.
The wind is most often from the south for 7.3 months, from October 10 to May 20, with a peak
percentage of 41% on January 1.
Wind Direction
SNESJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec0%100%20%80%40%60%60%40%80%20%100%0%sout
hnortheastwest
The percentage of hours in which the mean wind direction is from each of the four cardinal wind
directions (north, east, south, and west), excluding hours in which the mean wind speed is less than 1
mph. The lightly tinted areas at the boundaries are the percentage of hours spent in the implied
intermediate directions (northeast, southeast, southwest, and northwest).
Best Time of Year to Visit
To characterize how pleasant the weather is in Riyadh throughout the year, we compute two travel
scores.
The tourism score favors clear, rainless days with perceived temperatures between 65°F and 80°F. Based
on this score, the best times of year to visit Riyadh for general outdoor tourist activities are from early
February to early April and from late October to early December, with a peak score in the second week
of November.
Tourism Score
best timebest timeJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec02468108.18.12.82.87.97.96.46.4
precipitationprecipitationcloudscloudstemperaturetemperaturetourism score
The tourism score (filled area), and its constituents: the temperature score (red line), the cloud cover
score (blue line), and the precipitation score (green line).
The beach/pool score favors clear, rainless days with perceived temperatures between 75°F and 90°F.
Based on this score, the best time of year to visit Riyadh for hot-weather activities is from late
September to early November, with a peak score in the second week of October.
Beach/Pool Score
best timeJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec02468108.78.71.71.77.87.84.54.5
precipitationprecipitationcloudscloudstemperaturetemperaturebeach/pool score
The beach/pool score (filled area), and its constituents: the temperature score (red line), the cloud cover
score (blue line), and the precipitation score (green line).
Methodology
For each hour between 8:00 AM and 9:00 PM of each day in the analysis period (1980 to 2016),
independent scores are computed for perceived temperature, cloud cover, and total precipitation.
Those scores are combined into a single hourly composite score, which is then aggregated into days,
averaged over all the years in the analysis period, and smoothed.
Our cloud cover score is 10 for fully clear skies, falling linearly to 9 for mostly clear skies, and to 1 for
fully overcast skies.
Our precipitation score, which is based on the three-hour precipitation centered on the hour in
question, is 10 for no precipitation, falling linearly to 9 for trace precipitation, and to 0 for 0.04 inches of
precipitation or more.
Our tourism temperature score is 0 for perceived temperatures below 50°F, rising linearly to 9 for 65°F,
to 10 for 75°F, falling linearly to 9 for 80°F, and to 1 for 90°F or hotter.
Our beach/pool temperature score is 0 for perceived temperatures below 65°F, rising linearly to 9 for
75°F, to 10 for 82°F, falling linearly to 9 for 90°F, and to 1 for 100°F or hotter.
Growing Season
Definitions of the growing season vary throughout the world, but for the purposes of this report, we
define it as the longest continuous period of non-freezing temperatures (≥ 32°F) in the year (the
calendar year in the Northern Hemisphere, or from July 1 until June 30 in the Southern Hemisphere).
Temperatures in Riyadh are sufficiently warm year round that it is not entirely meaningful to discuss the
growing season in these terms. We nevertheless include the chart below as an illustration of the
distribution of temperatures experienced throughout the year.
Time Spent in Various Temperature Bands and the Growing Season
JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec0%100%10%90%20%80%30%70%40%60%50%50%60%40%7
0%30%80%20%90%10%100%0%100%Feb 2100%Feb 299%Jan 999%Jan 9Jul 11100%Jul
11100%coldcoolhotswelteringwarmcomfortablevery cold
The percentage of time spent in various temperature bands: frigid < 15°F < freezing < 32°F < very cold <
45°F < cold < 55°F < cool < 65°F < comfortable < 75°F < warm < 85°F < hot < 95°F < sweltering. The black
line is the percentage chance that a given day is within the growing season.
Growing degree days are a measure of yearly heat accumulation used to predict plant and animal
development, and defined as the integral of warmth above a base temperature, discarding any excess
above a maximum temperature. In this report, we use a base of 50°F and a cap of 86°F.
Growing Degree Days
JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec0°F1,000°F2,000°F3,000°F4,000°F5,000°F6,000°F7,000°F8,00
0°F9,000°FJan 1190°FJan 1190°FMar 13900°FMar 13900°FApr 191,800°FApr 191,800°FDec 319,497°FDec
319,497°F
The average growing degree days accumulated over the course of the year, with 25th to 75th and 10th
to 90th percentile bands.
Solar Energy
This section discusses the total daily incident shortwave solar energy reaching the surface of the ground
over a wide area, taking full account of seasonal variations in the length of the day, the elevation of the
Sun above the horizon, and absorption by clouds and other atmospheric constituents. Shortwave
radiation includes visible light and ultraviolet radiation.
The average daily incident shortwave solar energy experiences significant seasonal variation over the
course of the year.
The brighter period of the year lasts for 3.5 months, from May 13 to August 31, with an average daily
incident shortwave energy per square meter above 7.4 kWh. The brightest day of the year is June 22,
with an average of 8.3 kWh.
The darker period of the year lasts for 2.8 months, from November 10 to February 2, with an average
daily incident shortwave energy per square meter below 5.0 kWh. The darkest day of the year is
December 11, with an average of 4.2 kWh.
Average Daily Incident Shortwave Solar Energy
brightdarkdarkJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec0 kWh1 kWh2 kWh3 kWh4 kWh5 kWh6
kWh7 kWh8 kWh9 kWhJun 228.3 kWhJun 228.3 kWhDec 114.2 kWhDec 114.2 kWhMay 137.4 kWhMay
137.4 kWhAug 317.4 kWhAug 317.4 kWhFeb 25.0 kWhFeb 25.0 kWh
The average daily shortwave solar energy reaching the ground per square meter (orange line), with 25th
to 75th and 10th to 90th percentile bands.
Topography
For the purposes of this report, the geographical coordinates of Riyadh are 24.688 deg latitude, 46.722
deg longitude, and 2,008 ft elevation.
The topography within 2 miles of Riyadh contains only modest variations in elevation, with a maximum
elevation change of 200 feet and an average elevation above sea level of 2,004 feet. Within 10 miles
contains only modest variations in elevation (617 feet). Within 50 miles contains significant variations in
elevation (2,362 feet).
The area within 2 miles of Riyadh is covered by artificial surfaces (100%), within 10 miles by artificial
surfaces (89%), and within 50 miles by bare soil (93%).
Data Sources
This report illustrates the typical weather in Riyadh, based on a statistical analysis of historical hourly
weather reports and model reconstructions from January 1, 1980 to December 31, 2016.
Temperature and Dew Point
There are 2 weather stations near enough to contribute to our estimation of the temperature and dew
point in Riyadh.
For each station, the records are corrected for the elevation difference between that station and Riyadh
according to the International Standard Atmosphere , and by the relative change present in the
MERRA-2 satellite-era reanalysis between the two locations.
The estimated value at Riyadh is computed as the weighted average of the individual contributions from
each station, with weights proportional to the inverse of the distance between Riyadh and a given
station.
The stations contributing to this reconstruction are: Riyadh Air Base (99%, 2.5 kilometers, north) and
Prince Sultan Air Base (0.6%, 99 kilometers, southeast).
Other Data
All data relating to the Sun's position (e.g., sunrise and sunset) are computed using astronomical
formulas from the book, Astronomical Tables of the Sun, Moon and Planets , by Jean Meeus.
All other weather data, including cloud cover, precipitation, wind speed and direction, and solar flux,
come from NASA's MERRA-2 Modern-Era Retrospective Analysis . This reanalysis combines a variety
of wide-area measurements in a state-of-the-art global meteorological model to reconstruct the hourly
history of weather throughout the world on a 50-kilometer grid.
Land Use data comes from the Global Land Cover SHARE database , published by the Food and
Agriculture Organization of the United Nations.
Elevation data comes from the Shuttle Radar Topography Mission (SRTM) , published by NASA's Jet
Propulsion Laboratory.
Names, locations, and time zones of places and some airports come from the GeoNames Geographical
Database .
Time zones for aiports and weather stations are provided by AskGeo.com .
Maps are © Esri, with data from National Geographic, Esri, DeLorme, NAVTEQ, UNEP-WCMC, USGS,
NASA, ESA, METI, NRCAN, GEBCO, NOAA, and iPC.
Disclaimer
The information on this site is provided as is, without any assurances as to its accuracy or suitability for
any purpose. Weather data is prone to errors, outages, and other defects. We assume no responsibility
for any decisions made on the basis of the content presented on this site.
We draw particular cautious attention to our reliance on the MERRA-2 model-based reconstructions for
a number of important data series. While having the tremendous advantages of temporal and spatial
completeness, these reconstructions: (1) are based on computer models that may have model-based
errors, (2) are coarsely sampled on a 50 km grid and are therefore unable to reconstruct the local
variations of many microclimates, and (3) have particular difficulty with the weather in some coastal
areas, especially small islands.
We further caution that our travel scores are only as good as the data that underpin them, that weather
conditions at any given location and time are unpredictable and variable, and that the definition of the
scores reflects a particular set of preferences that may not agree with those of any particular reader.
