Rufā‘a climate — normals and trends
Rufā‘a (Sudan) has a hot desert climate (BWh) under the Köppen-Geiger classification. Its mean annual temperature is 29.6 °C and it receives 259 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 May (33.7 °C on average) and the coldest is January (24.6 °C). Rainfall peaks in August.
Rufā‘a averages 0 frost days, 344 hot days (≥ 30 °C) and 51 rainy days per year.
Rufā‘a has warmed by +3.2 °C between 1940 and 2025, or +0.37 °C per decade. This trend is statistically significant.
The hottest day of the period reached 46.6 °C (on 3 June 2016) and the coldest 8.9 °C (on 25 December 1971).
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
Rufā‘aAl Jazirah
- coords
- 14.76°, 33.37°
- period
- 1940–2025 · 86 yrs
Mean daily temperature
29.6°C
Average daily high
36.6°C
Average daily low
23.9°C
Annual rainfall
259mm
Sunshine / day
11.2h
Mean relative humidity
35%
Average peak wind
17.9km/h
Seasonal range
9.1°C
Frost days (< 0 °C)
0 d/yr
Hot days (≥ 30 °C)
344 d/yr
Rainy days (≥ 1 mm)
51 d/yr
Annual snowfall
0.0 cm
Average feels-like high
36.9 °C
Average feels-like low
22.6 °C
Average peak gust
36.3 km/h
Tropical nights (≥ 20 °C)
301 d/yr
Solar radiation
22.7 MJ/m²
Has the climate changed?
One stripe per year, 1940 to 2025
+3.2 °C
since 1940
+0.4 °C per decade · r² = 0.67 · 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
46.6 °C
3 June 2016
Coldest day
8.9 °C
25 December 1971
Wettest day
69 mm
14 August 1950
Windiest day
43.3 km/h
14 June 1967
Strongest gust
78.5 km/h
14 June 1967
Hottest feels-like
48.6 °C
12 October 1951
Coldest feels-like
3.9 °C
4 January 1992
Sunniest day
12.4 h
13 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 | 33.8 °C | +1.5 °C | 0 mm | 0 mm |
| Feb | 36.4 °C | +2.1 °C | 0 mm | 0 mm |
| Mar | 38.2 °C | +0.6 °C | 0 mm | -0 mm |
| Apr | 42.4 °C | +1.9 °C | 1 mm | -1 mm |
| May | 42.7 °C | +1.9 °C | 2 mm | -21 mm |
| Jun | 42.3 °C | +2.8 °C | 0 mm | -24 mm |
| Jul | 38.0 °C | +1.6 °C | 21 mm | -40 mm |
| Aug | 35.7 °C | +0.6 °C | 61 mm | -8 mm |
| Sep | 38.6 °C | +2.1 °C | 16 mm | -28 mm |
| Oct | 39.2 °C | +1.6 °C | 4 mm | -27 mm |
| Nov | 38.1 °C | +2.2 °C | 0 mm | -4 mm |
| Dec | 34.3 °C | +1.2 °C | 0 mm | -0 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 Rufā‘a?
Rufā‘a has a hot desert climate (Köppen BWh). Over 1940-2025, the average annual temperature is 29.6 °C and it receives 259 mm of precipitation per year.
What is the hottest day ever recorded in Rufā‘a?
The hottest day measured in Rufā‘a between 1940 and 2025 was 3 June 2016, reaching 46.6 °C.
What is the coldest day in Rufā‘a?
The coldest day measured in Rufā‘a between 1940 and 2025 was 25 December 1971, at 8.9 °C.
Does it snow in Rufā‘a?
Almost never: Rufā‘a sees virtually no snow, with about 0 frost days per year.
Has the climate of Rufā‘a warmed?
Yes: Rufā‘a warmed by +3.2 °C between 1940 and 2025, a statistically significant trend.
What is the wettest day in Rufā‘a?
The wettest day measured in Rufā‘a between 1940 and 2025 was 14 August 1950, with 69 mm of rain in 24 hours.
What was the windiest day in Rufā‘a?
The windiest day measured in Rufā‘a between 1940 and 2025 was 14 June 1967, with winds reaching 43.3 km/h.
What is the warmest month in Rufā‘a?
The warmest month in Rufā‘a is May (33.7 °C on average); the coldest is January (24.6 °C).
How much does it rain in Rufā‘a?
Rufā‘a receives on average 259 mm of precipitation per year, spread over about 51 rainy days.
Is it sunny in Rufā‘a?
Rufā‘a gets on average 11.2 hours of sunshine per day, roughly 4,088 hours per year over 1940-2025.
Are there tropical nights in Rufā‘a?
Yes: Rufā‘a has on average 301 tropical nights per year (temperature staying above 20 °C), over 1940-2025.
What was the most extreme apparent temperature in Rufā‘a?
In Rufā‘a, between 1940 and 2025, the highest apparent temperature reached 48.6 °C on 12 October 1951, and the lowest was 3.9 °C on 4 January 1992.
Compare Rufā‘a with another city
Pick a second city: its normals will be set against these, indicator by indicator.
Nearby cities
The climate around Rufā‘a