Raqqa climate — normals and trends
Raqqa (Syria) has a hot desert climate (BWh) under the Köppen-Geiger classification. Its mean annual temperature is 19.8 °C and it receives 184 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 (31.9 °C on average) and the coldest is January (7.1 °C). Rainfall peaks in January.
Raqqa averages 14 frost days, 157 hot days (≥ 30 °C) and 39 rainy days per year.
Raqqa has warmed by +2.0 °C between 1940 and 2025, or +0.23 °C per decade. This trend is statistically significant.
The number of frost days there went from about 20 to 8 per year over the period.
The hottest day of the period reached 47.3 °C (on 23 July 1998) and the coldest -8.0 °C (on 5 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
RaqqaRaqqa Governorate
- coords
- 35.95°, 39.01°
- period
- 1940–2025 · 86 yrs
Mean daily temperature
19.8°C
Average daily high
26.1°C
Average daily low
14.0°C
Annual rainfall
184mm
Sunshine / day
10.9h
Mean relative humidity
51%
Average peak wind
19.9km/h
Seasonal range
24.8°C
Frost days (< 0 °C)
14 d/yr
Hot days (≥ 30 °C)
157 d/yr
Rainy days (≥ 1 mm)
39 d/yr
Annual snowfall
1.8 cm
Average feels-like high
24.0 °C
Average feels-like low
11.8 °C
Average peak gust
34.9 km/h
Tropical nights (≥ 20 °C)
114 d/yr
Solar radiation
19.5 MJ/m²
Has the climate changed?
One stripe per year, 1940 to 2025
+2.0 °C
since 1940
+0.2 °C per decade · r² = 0.38 · 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
47.3 °C
23 July 1998
Coldest day
-8.0 °C
5 January 1942
Wettest day
41 mm
17 April 1944
Windiest day
64.7 km/h
19 April 1958
Strongest gust
106.2 km/h
19 April 1958
Hottest feels-like
49.4 °C
23 July 1998
Coldest feels-like
-12.3 °C
14 January 1950
Snowiest day
17.4 cm
27 February 1949
Sunniest day
13.8 h
30 June 1944
Normals computed over complete calendar years 1940–2025.
A specific year
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Across the whole year
Month by month
| High | vs. normal | Precipitation | vs. normal | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 15.9 °C | +4.0 °C | 4 mm | -29 mm |
| Feb | 13.2 °C | -1.1 °C | 25 mm | -3 mm |
| Mar | 23.4 °C | +4.5 °C | 10 mm | -19 mm |
| Apr | 26.2 °C | +1.0 °C | 13 mm | -8 mm |
| May | 33.5 °C | +2.1 °C | 3 mm | -6 mm |
| Jun | 38.1 °C | +1.7 °C | 0 mm | -1 mm |
| Jul | 41.0 °C | +1.6 °C | 0 mm | -0 mm |
| Aug | 39.9 °C | +1.0 °C | 0 mm | -0 mm |
| Sep | 35.0 °C | +0.1 °C | 0 mm | -1 mm |
| Oct | 29.2 °C | +0.8 °C | 1 mm | -10 mm |
| Nov | 24.4 °C | +4.4 °C | 4 mm | -17 mm |
| Dec | 15.0 °C | +1.4 °C | 29 mm | -3 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 Raqqa?
Raqqa has a hot desert climate (Köppen BWh). Over 1940-2025, the average annual temperature is 19.8 °C and it receives 184 mm of precipitation per year.
What is the hottest day ever recorded in Raqqa?
The hottest day measured in Raqqa between 1940 and 2025 was 23 July 1998, reaching 47.3 °C.
What is the coldest day in Raqqa?
The coldest day measured in Raqqa between 1940 and 2025 was 5 January 1942, at -8.0 °C.
Does it snow in Raqqa?
Yes. Raqqa gets on average 1.8 cm of snow per year and has around 14 frost days.
Has the climate of Raqqa warmed?
Yes: Raqqa warmed by +2.0 °C between 1940 and 2025, a statistically significant trend.
What is the wettest day in Raqqa?
The wettest day measured in Raqqa between 1940 and 2025 was 17 April 1944, with 41 mm of rain in 24 hours.
What was the windiest day in Raqqa?
The windiest day measured in Raqqa between 1940 and 2025 was 19 April 1958, with winds reaching 64.7 km/h.
What is the warmest month in Raqqa?
The warmest month in Raqqa is July (31.9 °C on average); the coldest is January (7.1 °C).
How much does it rain in Raqqa?
Raqqa receives on average 184 mm of precipitation per year, spread over about 39 rainy days.
Is it sunny in Raqqa?
Raqqa gets on average 10.9 hours of sunshine per day, roughly 3,979 hours per year over 1940-2025.
What is the biggest single-day snowfall in Raqqa?
The heaviest 24-hour snowfall measured in Raqqa between 1940 and 2025 was 27 February 1949, with 17.4 cm.
Are there tropical nights in Raqqa?
Yes: Raqqa has on average 114 tropical nights per year (temperature staying above 20 °C), over 1940-2025.
What was the most extreme apparent temperature in Raqqa?
In Raqqa, between 1940 and 2025, the highest apparent temperature reached 49.4 °C on 23 July 1998, and the lowest was -12.3 °C on 14 January 1950.
Compare Raqqa with another city
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Nearby cities
The climate around Raqqa