Najaf climate — normals and trends
Najaf (Iraq) has a hot desert climate (BWh) under the Köppen-Geiger classification. Its mean annual temperature is 24.0 °C and it receives 84 mm of precipitation per year.
These figures are normals computed over 86 complete calendar years, from 1940 to 2025, using ERA5 reanalysis data from the Copernicus programme.
The warmest month is July (36.1 °C on average) and the coldest is January (10.3 °C). Rainfall peaks in December.
Najaf averages 3 frost days, 201 hot days (≥ 30 °C) and 17 rainy days per year.
Najaf has warmed by +2.7 °C between 1940 and 2025, or +0.32 °C per decade. This trend is statistically significant.
The number of frost days there went from about 6 to 0 per year over the period.
The hottest day of the period reached 51.8 °C (on 10 August 2003) and the coldest -6.8 °C (on 8 January 1942).
Data from ERA5 reanalysis (Copernicus Climate Change Service), redistributed under a CC-BY 4.0 licence. Normals are recomputed whenever the archive is updated.
Climate normals · ERA5
NajafNajaf
- coords
- 32.03°, 44.35°
- period
- 1940–2025 · 86 yrs
Mean daily temperature
24.0°C
Average daily high
31.1°C
Average daily low
17.4°C
Annual rainfall
84mm
Sunshine / day
11.3h
Mean relative humidity
38%
Average peak wind
19.7km/h
Seasonal range
25.8°C
Frost days (< 0 °C)
3 d/yr
Hot days (≥ 30 °C)
201 d/yr
Rainy days (≥ 1 mm)
17 d/yr
Annual snowfall
0.0 cm
Average feels-like high
28.8 °C
Average feels-like low
14.6 °C
Average peak gust
35.2 km/h
Tropical nights (≥ 20 °C)
164 d/yr
Solar radiation
20.9 MJ/m²
Has the climate changed?
One stripe per year, 1940 to 2025
+2.7 °C
since 1940
+0.3 °C per decade · r² = 0.53 · p = < 0.001
Trend fitted by linear regression (ordinary least squares) on annual means. A trend is shown only when it is statistically significant (p < 0.05).
A climograph overlays rainfall (bars) and temperature (line): the standard reading in climatology, where you can see at a glance whether the warm season is also the dry one.
Records for the period
Hottest day
51.8 °C
10 August 2003
Coldest day
-6.8 °C
8 January 1942
Wettest day
36 mm
4 November 2018
Windiest day
53.6 km/h
17 April 1964
Strongest gust
97.6 km/h
17 April 1964
Hottest feels-like
53.2 °C
26 July 2020
Coldest feels-like
-11.8 °C
8 January 1942
Snowiest day
1.5 cm
13 February 1971
Sunniest day
14.0 h
31 May 1940
Normals computed over complete calendar years 1940–2025.
A specific year
Pick a year and see how it compares to normal — warmer, drier or more extreme than usual?
Across the whole year
Month by month
| High | vs. normal | Precipitation | vs. normal | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 17.8 °C | +1.4 °C | 8 mm | -8 mm |
| Feb | 17.1 °C | -2.3 °C | 5 mm | -7 mm |
| Mar | 25.0 °C | +0.6 °C | 26 mm | +13 mm |
| Apr | 32.6 °C | +1.7 °C | 2 mm | -7 mm |
| May | 39.6 °C | +2.4 °C | 2 mm | -2 mm |
| Jun | 43.4 °C | +1.9 °C | 0 mm | -0 mm |
| Jul | 45.0 °C | +1.4 °C | 0 mm | 0 mm |
| Aug | 45.4 °C | +1.7 °C | 0 mm | 0 mm |
| Sep | 40.7 °C | +0.3 °C | 0 mm | -0 mm |
| Oct | 34.5 °C | +0.7 °C | 0 mm | -2 mm |
| Nov | 27.2 °C | +2.8 °C | 2 mm | -10 mm |
| Dec | 18.6 °C | +0.8 °C | 48 mm | +32 mm |
The year's extremes
What was the weather like that day?
Your birthday, a wedding, a memorable trip: discover the actual weather for any date since 1940.
Frequently asked questions
What is the climate of Najaf?
Najaf has a hot desert climate (Köppen BWh). Over 1940-2025, the average annual temperature is 24.0 °C and it receives 84 mm of precipitation per year.
What is the hottest day ever recorded in Najaf?
The hottest day measured in Najaf between 1940 and 2025 was 10 August 2003, reaching 51.8 °C.
What is the coldest day in Najaf?
The coldest day measured in Najaf between 1940 and 2025 was 8 January 1942, at -6.8 °C.
Does it snow in Najaf?
Almost never: Najaf sees virtually no snow, with about 3 frost days per year.
Has the climate of Najaf warmed?
Yes: Najaf warmed by +2.7 °C between 1940 and 2025, a statistically significant trend.
What is the wettest day in Najaf?
The wettest day measured in Najaf between 1940 and 2025 was 4 November 2018, with 36 mm of rain in 24 hours.
What was the windiest day in Najaf?
The windiest day measured in Najaf between 1940 and 2025 was 17 April 1964, with winds reaching 53.6 km/h.
What is the warmest month in Najaf?
The warmest month in Najaf is July (36.1 °C on average); the coldest is January (10.3 °C).
How much does it rain in Najaf?
Najaf receives on average 84 mm of precipitation per year, spread over about 17 rainy days.
Is it sunny in Najaf?
Najaf gets on average 11.3 hours of sunshine per day, roughly 4,125 hours per year over 1940-2025.
What is the biggest single-day snowfall in Najaf?
The heaviest 24-hour snowfall measured in Najaf between 1940 and 2025 was 13 February 1971, with 1.5 cm.
Are there tropical nights in Najaf?
Yes: Najaf has on average 164 tropical nights per year (temperature staying above 20 °C), over 1940-2025.
What was the most extreme apparent temperature in Najaf?
In Najaf, between 1940 and 2025, the highest apparent temperature reached 53.2 °C on 26 July 2020, and the lowest was -11.8 °C on 8 January 1942.
Compare Najaf with another city
Pick a second city: its normals will be set against these, indicator by indicator.
Nearby cities
The climate around Najaf