Al Kharj climate — normals and trends
Al Kharj (Saudi Arabia) has a hot desert climate (BWh) under the Köppen-Geiger classification. Its mean annual temperature is 26.2 °C and it receives 50 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 (36.2 °C on average) and the coldest is January (14.1 °C). Rainfall peaks in December.
Al Kharj averages 1 frost days, 230 hot days (≥ 30 °C) and 11 rainy days per year.
Al Kharj has warmed by +3.5 °C between 1940 and 2025, or +0.41 °C per decade. This trend is statistically significant.
The number of frost days there went from about 2 to 0 per year over the period.
The hottest day of the period reached 48.5 °C (on 17 July 2012) and the coldest -4.5 °C (on 29 January 1950).
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
Al KharjRiyadh Region
- coords
- 24.16°, 47.33°
- period
- 1940–2025 · 86 yrs
Mean daily temperature
26.2°C
Average daily high
33.3°C
Average daily low
18.7°C
Annual rainfall
50mm
Sunshine / day
11.2h
Mean relative humidity
27%
Average peak wind
18.5km/h
Seasonal range
22.1°C
Frost days (< 0 °C)
1 d/yr
Hot days (≥ 30 °C)
230 d/yr
Rainy days (≥ 1 mm)
11 d/yr
Annual snowfall
0.0 cm
Average feels-like high
30.9 °C
Average feels-like low
15.6 °C
Average peak gust
31.3 km/h
Tropical nights (≥ 20 °C)
177 d/yr
Solar radiation
22.7 MJ/m²
Has the climate changed?
One stripe per year, 1940 to 2025
+3.5 °C
since 1940
+0.4 °C per decade · r² = 0.77 · 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
48.5 °C
17 July 2012
Coldest day
-4.5 °C
29 January 1950
Wettest day
40 mm
16 December 1964
Windiest day
46.4 km/h
28 February 1959
Strongest gust
76.3 km/h
16 March 1997
Hottest feels-like
48.7 °C
18 July 2012
Coldest feels-like
-10.4 °C
20 January 1964
Sunniest day
12.8 h
19 May 2025
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 | 20.3 °C | -0.4 °C | 7 mm | -1 mm |
| Feb | 22.2 °C | -1.4 °C | 16 mm | +10 mm |
| Mar | 28.1 °C | -0.2 °C | 16 mm | +6 mm |
| Apr | 37.7 °C | +3.9 °C | 0 mm | -8 mm |
| May | 41.9 °C | +2.4 °C | 0 mm | -1 mm |
| Jun | 43.8 °C | +1.4 °C | 0 mm | 0 mm |
| Jul | 44.8 °C | +1.3 °C | 0 mm | -0 mm |
| Aug | 44.7 °C | +1.5 °C | 0 mm | 0 mm |
| Sep | 41.9 °C | +1.6 °C | 0 mm | 0 mm |
| Oct | 35.3 °C | +0.6 °C | 0 mm | -1 mm |
| Nov | 29.0 °C | +1.4 °C | 0 mm | -5 mm |
| Dec | 22.7 °C | +0.7 °C | 25 mm | +16 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 Al Kharj?
Al Kharj has a hot desert climate (Köppen BWh). Over 1940-2025, the average annual temperature is 26.2 °C and it receives 50 mm of precipitation per year.
What is the hottest day ever recorded in Al Kharj?
The hottest day measured in Al Kharj between 1940 and 2025 was 17 July 2012, reaching 48.5 °C.
What is the coldest day in Al Kharj?
The coldest day measured in Al Kharj between 1940 and 2025 was 29 January 1950, at -4.5 °C.
Does it snow in Al Kharj?
Almost never: Al Kharj sees virtually no snow, with about 1 frost days per year.
Has the climate of Al Kharj warmed?
Yes: Al Kharj warmed by +3.5 °C between 1940 and 2025, a statistically significant trend.
What is the wettest day in Al Kharj?
The wettest day measured in Al Kharj between 1940 and 2025 was 16 December 1964, with 40 mm of rain in 24 hours.
What was the windiest day in Al Kharj?
The windiest day measured in Al Kharj between 1940 and 2025 was 28 February 1959, with winds reaching 46.4 km/h.
What is the warmest month in Al Kharj?
The warmest month in Al Kharj is July (36.2 °C on average); the coldest is January (14.1 °C).
How much does it rain in Al Kharj?
Al Kharj receives on average 50 mm of precipitation per year, spread over about 11 rainy days.
Is it sunny in Al Kharj?
Al Kharj gets on average 11.2 hours of sunshine per day, roughly 4,088 hours per year over 1940-2025.
Are there tropical nights in Al Kharj?
Yes: Al Kharj has on average 177 tropical nights per year (temperature staying above 20 °C), over 1940-2025.
What was the most extreme apparent temperature in Al Kharj?
In Al Kharj, between 1940 and 2025, the highest apparent temperature reached 48.7 °C on 18 July 2012, and the lowest was -10.4 °C on 20 January 1964.
Compare Al Kharj with another city
Pick a second city: its normals will be set against these, indicator by indicator.
Nearby cities
The climate around Al Kharj