Riyadh climate — normals and trends
Riyadh (Saudi Arabia) has a hot desert climate (BWh) under the Köppen-Geiger classification. Its mean annual temperature is 25.4 °C and it receives 59 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 (35.2 °C on average) and the coldest is January (13.3 °C). Rainfall peaks in December.
Riyadh averages 1 frost days, 218 hot days (≥ 30 °C) and 13 rainy days per year.
Riyadh has warmed by +3.6 °C between 1940 and 2025, or +0.43 °C per decade. This trend is statistically significant.
The number of frost days there went from about 3 to 0 per year over the period.
The hottest day of the period reached 47.2 °C (on 12 July 2024) and the coldest -5.5 °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
RiyadhRiyadh Region
- coords
- 24.69°, 46.72°
- period
- 1940–2025 · 86 yrs
Mean daily temperature
25.4°C
Average daily high
32.1°C
Average daily low
18.4°C
Annual rainfall
59mm
Sunshine / day
11.2h
Mean relative humidity
28%
Average peak wind
20.4km/h
Seasonal range
21.9°C
Frost days (< 0 °C)
1 d/yr
Hot days (≥ 30 °C)
218 d/yr
Rainy days (≥ 1 mm)
13 d/yr
Annual snowfall
0.0 cm
Average feels-like high
29.4 °C
Average feels-like low
15.0 °C
Average peak gust
34.3 km/h
Tropical nights (≥ 20 °C)
175 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 = 0.77 · 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
47.2 °C
12 July 2024
Coldest day
-5.5 °C
20 January 1964
Wettest day
40 mm
30 April 2013
Windiest day
50.3 km/h
22 June 1967
Strongest gust
81.0 km/h
25 March 2003
Hottest feels-like
48.0 °C
1 August 2020
Coldest feels-like
-12.2 °C
20 January 1964
Snowiest day
0.3 cm
2 January 1973
Sunniest day
12.8 h
19 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 | 19.0 °C | -0.6 °C | 10 mm | -0 mm |
| Feb | 20.7 °C | -1.8 °C | 25 mm | +18 mm |
| Mar | 26.8 °C | -0.2 °C | 9 mm | -2 mm |
| Apr | 36.4 °C | +4.0 °C | 0 mm | -11 mm |
| May | 40.7 °C | +2.6 °C | 0 mm | -3 mm |
| Jun | 42.7 °C | +1.6 °C | 0 mm | 0 mm |
| Jul | 43.5 °C | +1.4 °C | 0 mm | -0 mm |
| Aug | 43.5 °C | +1.6 °C | 0 mm | 0 mm |
| Sep | 40.9 °C | +1.7 °C | 0 mm | 0 mm |
| Oct | 34.5 °C | +0.8 °C | 0 mm | -1 mm |
| Nov | 28.0 °C | +1.5 °C | 0 mm | -7 mm |
| Dec | 21.5 °C | +0.6 °C | 25 mm | +14 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 Riyadh?
Riyadh has a hot desert climate (Köppen BWh). Over 1940-2025, the average annual temperature is 25.4 °C and it receives 59 mm of precipitation per year.
What is the hottest day ever recorded in Riyadh?
The hottest day measured in Riyadh between 1940 and 2025 was 12 July 2024, reaching 47.2 °C.
What is the coldest day in Riyadh?
The coldest day measured in Riyadh between 1940 and 2025 was 20 January 1964, at -5.5 °C.
Does it snow in Riyadh?
Almost never: Riyadh sees virtually no snow, with about 1 frost days per year.
Has the climate of Riyadh warmed?
Yes: Riyadh warmed by +3.6 °C between 1940 and 2025, a statistically significant trend.
What is the wettest day in Riyadh?
The wettest day measured in Riyadh between 1940 and 2025 was 30 April 2013, with 40 mm of rain in 24 hours.
What was the windiest day in Riyadh?
The windiest day measured in Riyadh between 1940 and 2025 was 22 June 1967, with winds reaching 50.3 km/h.
What is the warmest month in Riyadh?
The warmest month in Riyadh is July (35.2 °C on average); the coldest is January (13.3 °C).
How much does it rain in Riyadh?
Riyadh receives on average 59 mm of precipitation per year, spread over about 13 rainy days.
Is it sunny in Riyadh?
Riyadh 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 Riyadh?
The heaviest 24-hour snowfall measured in Riyadh between 1940 and 2025 was 2 January 1973, with 0.3 cm.
Are there tropical nights in Riyadh?
Yes: Riyadh has on average 175 tropical nights per year (temperature staying above 20 °C), over 1940-2025.
What was the most extreme apparent temperature in Riyadh?
In Riyadh, between 1940 and 2025, the highest apparent temperature reached 48.0 °C on 1 August 2020, and the lowest was -12.2 °C on 20 January 1964.
Compare Riyadh with another city
Pick a second city: its normals will be set against these, indicator by indicator.
Nearby cities
The climate around Riyadh