Best time to visit Saudi Arabia

Saudi Arabia in this dataset covers 5 cities with distinct NASA POWER grid cells (plus nearby cities that share a cell). Annual rainfall among those cities runs from 21 mm in Madinah to 46 mm in Dammam. The monthly-average temperature swing is 10.9–21.3°C depending on the city.

Every city we list in Saudi Arabia falls in a desert climate with almost no rain.

Regional contrasts in Saudi Arabia

The hottest peak in the sample is Dammam in July (36.5°C). The coldest monthly average is Riyadh in January (14.7°C). Dammam takes the most rain (46 mm a year, wettest in November); Madinah takes the least (21 mm).

Warmest-month averages in the set range from 34.9°C to 36.5°C. Use the city pages for the month-by-month table; this page is the contrast between places.

Best months by region

Drier cities: typical hottest-month average 35.5°C and about 26 mm of rain a year. Best-scoring months — Madinah (February, March, and November); Riyadh (February, March, and November).

In-between rainfall: typical hottest-month average 35.3°C and about 37 mm of rain a year. Best-scoring months — Makkah (December, January, and February); Jeddah (December, January, and February).

Wetter cities: typical hottest-month average 36.5°C and about 46 mm of rain a year. Best-scoring months — Dammam (February, March, and December).

Dammam in Saudi Arabia

Dammam sits at 26.43°, 50.10°. It is a desert climate with almost no rain. July is the warmest month at 36.5°C (high 42.0°C); January is the coolest at 17.1°C (low 13.1°C). The gap between those monthly averages is 19.4°C.

The year is dry: only 46 mm, with November the least-dry month at 12 mm. The three highest-scoring months for a visit are February, March, and December. That ranking uses the same 22°C / low-rain / 60% humidity score as the city pages. Population in the GeoNames record is 1,252,523. The wettest month is November (12 mm, 2 days with at least 1 mm); the driest is June (0 mm).

Jeddah in Saudi Arabia

Jeddah sits at 21.49°, 39.19°. It is a desert climate with almost no rain. August is the warmest month at 35.0°C (high 40.7°C); January is the coolest at 24.1°C (low 19.0°C). The gap between those monthly averages is 10.9°C.

The year is dry: only 38 mm, with November the least-dry month at 12 mm. The three highest-scoring months for a visit are December, January, and February. That ranking uses the same 22°C / low-rain / 60% humidity score as the city pages. Population in the GeoNames record is 4,697,000. The wettest month is November (12 mm, 1 days with at least 1 mm); the driest is July (0 mm).

Madinah in Saudi Arabia

Madinah sits at 24.47°, 39.61°. It is a desert climate with almost no rain. August is the warmest month at 34.9°C (high 43.5°C); January is the coolest at 16.8°C (low 8.8°C). The gap between those monthly averages is 18.1°C.

The year is dry: only 21 mm, with November the least-dry month at 6 mm. The three highest-scoring months for a visit are February, March, and November. That ranking uses the same 22°C / low-rain / 60% humidity score as the city pages. Population in the GeoNames record is 1,300,000. The wettest month is November (6 mm, 1 days with at least 1 mm); the driest is June (0 mm).

Makkah in Saudi Arabia

Makkah sits at 21.43°, 39.83°. It is a desert climate with almost no rain. June is the warmest month at 35.5°C (high 43.2°C); January is the coolest at 22.1°C (low 15.6°C). The gap between those monthly averages is 13.4°C.

The year is dry: only 37 mm, with November the least-dry month at 9 mm. The three highest-scoring months for a visit are December, January, and February. That ranking uses the same 22°C / low-rain / 60% humidity score as the city pages. Population in the GeoNames record is 1,578,722. The wettest month is November (9 mm, 1 days with at least 1 mm); the driest is August (0 mm).

Riyadh in Saudi Arabia

Riyadh sits at 24.69°, 46.72°. It is a desert climate with almost no rain. July is the warmest month at 36.0°C (high 44.0°C); January is the coolest at 14.7°C (low 7.5°C). The gap between those monthly averages is 21.3°C.

The year is dry: only 31 mm, with November the least-dry month at 7 mm. The three highest-scoring months for a visit are February, March, and November. That ranking uses the same 22°C / low-rain / 60% humidity score as the city pages. Population in the GeoNames record is 4,205,961. The wettest month is November (7 mm, 1 days with at least 1 mm); the driest is June (0 mm).