‘Irqah climate — normals and trends
‘Irqah (Saudi Arabia) has a hot desert climate (BWh) under the Köppen-Geiger classification. Its mean annual temperature is 25.3 °C and it receives 72 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 (35.0 °C on average) and the coldest is January (13.2 °C). Rainfall peaks in April.
‘Irqah averages 1 frost days, 212 hot days (≥ 30 °C) and 15 rainy days per year.
‘Irqah has warmed by +3.6 °C between 1940 and 2025, or +0.42 °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 46.5 °C (on 31 July 2007) and the coldest -5.9 °C (on 20 January 1964).
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
‘IrqahRiyadh Region
- coords
- 24.68°, 46.61°
- period
- 1940–2025 · 86 yrs
Mean daily temperature
25.3°C
Average daily high
31.5°C
Average daily low
18.8°C
Annual rainfall
72mm
Sunshine / day
11.2h
Mean relative humidity
28%
Average peak wind
19.9km/h
Seasonal range
21.8°C
Frost days (< 0 °C)
1 d/yr
Hot days (≥ 30 °C)
212 d/yr
Rainy days (≥ 1 mm)
15 d/yr
Annual snowfall
0.0 cm
Average feels-like high
28.8 °C
Average feels-like low
15.5 °C
Average peak gust
34.2 km/h
Tropical nights (≥ 20 °C)
181 d/yr
Solar radiation
22.6 MJ/m²
Has the climate changed?
One stripe per year, 1940 to 2025
+3.6 °C
since 1940
+0.4 °C per decade · r² = 0.75 · 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
46.5 °C
31 July 2007
Coldest day
-5.9 °C
20 January 1964
Wettest day
54 mm
29 April 2013
Windiest day
47.7 km/h
28 February 1959
Strongest gust
78.1 km/h
25 March 2003
Hottest feels-like
46.7 °C
1 August 2020
Coldest feels-like
-12.3 °C
20 January 1964
Snowiest day
0.5 cm
2 January 1973
Sunniest day
12.7 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 | 18.6 °C | -0.4 °C | 10 mm | -3 mm |
| Feb | 20.4 °C | -1.6 °C | 32 mm | +25 mm |
| Mar | 26.4 °C | -0.1 °C | 9 mm | -4 mm |
| Apr | 36.0 °C | +4.2 °C | 0 mm | -14 mm |
| May | 40.3 °C | +2.7 °C | 0 mm | -3 mm |
| Jun | 42.2 °C | +1.7 °C | 0 mm | 0 mm |
| Jul | 42.9 °C | +1.4 °C | 0 mm | -0 mm |
| Aug | 42.8 °C | +1.5 °C | 0 mm | 0 mm |
| Sep | 40.4 °C | +1.8 °C | 0 mm | 0 mm |
| Oct | 33.9 °C | +0.8 °C | 0 mm | -1 mm |
| Nov | 27.5 °C | +1.6 °C | 0 mm | -8 mm |
| Dec | 21.0 °C | +0.6 °C | 25 mm | +12 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 ‘Irqah?
‘Irqah has a hot desert climate (Köppen BWh). Over 1940-2025, the average annual temperature is 25.3 °C and it receives 72 mm of precipitation per year.
What is the hottest day ever recorded in ‘Irqah?
The hottest day measured in ‘Irqah between 1940 and 2025 was 31 July 2007, reaching 46.5 °C.
What is the coldest day in ‘Irqah?
The coldest day measured in ‘Irqah between 1940 and 2025 was 20 January 1964, at -5.9 °C.
Does it snow in ‘Irqah?
Almost never: ‘Irqah sees virtually no snow, with about 1 frost days per year.
Has the climate of ‘Irqah warmed?
Yes: ‘Irqah warmed by +3.6 °C between 1940 and 2025, a statistically significant trend.
What is the wettest day in ‘Irqah?
The wettest day measured in ‘Irqah between 1940 and 2025 was 29 April 2013, with 54 mm of rain in 24 hours.
What was the windiest day in ‘Irqah?
The windiest day measured in ‘Irqah between 1940 and 2025 was 28 February 1959, with winds reaching 47.7 km/h.
What is the warmest month in ‘Irqah?
The warmest month in ‘Irqah is July (35.0 °C on average); the coldest is January (13.2 °C).
How much does it rain in ‘Irqah?
‘Irqah receives on average 72 mm of precipitation per year, spread over about 15 rainy days.
Is it sunny in ‘Irqah?
‘Irqah gets on average 11.2 hours of sunshine per day, roughly 4,088 hours per year over 1940-2025.
What is the biggest single-day snowfall in ‘Irqah?
The heaviest 24-hour snowfall measured in ‘Irqah between 1940 and 2025 was 2 January 1973, with 0.5 cm.
Are there tropical nights in ‘Irqah?
Yes: ‘Irqah has on average 181 tropical nights per year (temperature staying above 20 °C), over 1940-2025.
What was the most extreme apparent temperature in ‘Irqah?
In ‘Irqah, between 1940 and 2025, the highest apparent temperature reached 46.7 °C on 1 August 2020, and the lowest was -12.3 °C on 20 January 1964.
Compare ‘Irqah with another city
Pick a second city: its normals will be set against these, indicator by indicator.
Nearby cities
The climate around ‘Irqah