Riffa in Winter
In winter (December, January and February), Riffa sees average daytime highs around 19°C and overnight lows near 17°C, with 40 mm of rain over about 7 wet days across the season. It is the coldest season of the year and the wettest season of the year.
Over the season highs ease from about 22°C in early December to 20°C by late February. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 69% of the time across winter, and the air most often feels dry.
Winter is Riffa's 2nd-best season to visit on our travel score. For the whole year in context, see Riffa's year-round climate.
- Avg daytime high
- 19°C
- coldest season of the year
- Avg overnight low
- 17°C
- Rainfall
- 40 mm
- 7 wet days
- Avg wind
- 20 km/h
- Travel score
- 7.9
- 2nd-best season
- Months
- Dec · Jan · Feb
Temperature in Riffa in Winter
Over the season highs ease from about 22°C in early December to 20°C by late February.
A typical winter day in Riffa reaches about 19°C and drops to 17°C overnight. The warmest of the three months is December, the coolest January.
How winter really feels in Riffa
Once humidity and wind are folded in, winter brings about 0 days that feel above 32°C and 0 that feel at or below 0°C.
winter sits comfortably in between — no days that feel dangerously hot or drop to a hard freeze once humidity and wind are folded in.
Riffa weather by month
How the three winter months (December, January and February) compare with the rest of the year — the season's months are highlighted.
| Month | High / Low (°C) | Rainfall (mm) | Wet days | Daylight (hours) | Travel score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 18° / 16° | 15 | 3 | 10.5 | 7.5 |
| Feb | 19° / 17° | 10 | 1.9 | 11.1 | 7.9 |
| Mar | 22° / 20° | 10 | 1.9 | 11.8 | 8.4 |
| Apr | 26° / 23° | 3 | 0.8 | 12.6 | 8.7 |
| May | 30° / 28° | 1 | 0.1 | 13.3 | 6.8 |
| Jun | 33° / 31° | 0 | 0 | 13.6 | 4.9 |
| Jul | 35° / 33° | 0 | 0 | 13.5 | 3.8 |
| Aug | 35° / 33° | 0 | 0 | 12.9 | 3.5 |
| Sep | 34° / 31° | 0 | 0 | 12.2 | 4.5 |
| Oct | 31° / 28° | 0 | 0.2 | 11.4 | 6.6 |
| Nov | 26° / 24° | 12 | 1.6 | 10.7 | 8.7 |
| Dec | 21° / 19° | 15 | 2.3 | 10.4 | 8.2 |
Cloud cover in Winter
The sky is clear or mostly clear about 69% of the time across winter.
Chance of precipitation in Winter
Riffa gets around 40 mm of rain over 7 wet days across winter. The line is the day-by-day chance of measurable precipitation.
Humidity in Winter
Most of winter feels dry — the stacked bands show each day's mix of comfort levels, read off the dew point.
Wind in Winter
Winds average 20 km/h across winter.
Sunrise & sunset in Winter
Daylight runs from about 10 h 30 min in early December to 11 h 24 min by late February. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.
Solar energy in Winter
Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day across winter, about 4.2 kWh/m².
Hazard calendar for Riffa
In winter, Riffa overlaps its dust season. The full year is below, with each hazard's peak months called out.
Riffa sees seasonal dust haze (February–August), heaviest in May.
Is winter a good time to visit Riffa?
Our two travel scores rate winter for general sightseeing and for beach or pool weather — 0 (poor) to 10 (ideal), averaged across the three months.
winter is one of the better times to visit Riffa for general sightseeing.
What to pack for Riffa in Winter
From winter's temperature range, rain chance, sun and wind — what's worth putting in the bag.
In winter, Riffa sees daytime highs around 19°C and nights near 17°C. Worth packing: sun protection and a windbreaker. About 7 days see rain.
Sea temperature near Riffa in Winter
The nearest coast averages about 19°C across winter — the other half of the beach question. The full-year curve and swim-comfort zones are below.
The sea offshore is warmest in August at about 34°C and coldest in February near 18°C.
It's comfortable for a long swim from Mar 12 to Dec 31 — about 9.7 months when the water holds above 20°C.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sea temperature (°C) | 19 | 18 | 20 | 24 | 28 | 31 | 32 | 34 | 33 | 30 | 26 | 21 |
| Comfort | Cool | Cool | Refreshing | Refreshing | Warm | Tropical | Tropical | Tropical | Tropical | Tropical | Warm | Refreshing |
| Sea temperature (°C) | Comfort | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 19 | Cool |
| Feb | 18 | Cool |
| Mar | 20 | Refreshing |
| Apr | 24 | Refreshing |
| May | 28 | Warm |
| Jun | 31 | Tropical |
| Jul | 32 | Tropical |
| Aug | 34 | Tropical |
| Sep | 33 | Tropical |
| Oct | 30 | Tropical |
| Nov | 26 | Warm |
| Dec | 21 | Refreshing |
UV index in Riffa in Winter
Clear-sky midday UV across winter averages around 5 — enough to warrant sun protection. The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.
Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Riffa peaks around July 17 at about 10 (very high) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near December 18 at about 4 (moderate).
The index reaches 3 or more — the level where the WHO recommends sun protection — every month of the year.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| UV index (midday) | 5 | 7 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 9 | 7 | 7 | 5 | 4 |
| Level | Moderate | High | High | High | Very high | Very high | Very high | Very high | Very high | Very high | Moderate | Moderate |
| UV index (midday) | Level | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 5 | Moderate |
| Feb | 7 | High |
| Mar | 6 | High |
| Apr | 7 | High |
| May | 8 | Very high |
| Jun | 9 | Very high |
| Jul | 10 | Very high |
| Aug | 9 | Very high |
| Sep | 7 | Very high |
| Oct | 7 | Very high |
| Nov | 5 | Moderate |
| Dec | 4 | Moderate |
Air quality in Riffa in Winter
Average fine-particle pollution (PM2.5) through the year — so you can see where winter falls, not just the annual average.
Air quality in Riffa is worst in July — around 83 µg/m³ PM2.5 (unhealthy), about 2.3× the cleanest month (November, 37 µg/m³).
Modeled monthly averages (CAMS reanalysis, 2015–2024).
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PM2.5 (µg/m³) | 50 | 49 | 56 | 66 | 67 | 69 | 83 | 80 | 58 | 48 | 37 | 44 |
| Level | Poor | Poor | Unhealthy | Unhealthy | Unhealthy | Unhealthy | Unhealthy | Unhealthy | Unhealthy | Poor | Poor | Poor |
| PM2.5 (µg/m³) | Level | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 50 | Poor |
| Feb | 49 | Poor |
| Mar | 56 | Unhealthy |
| Apr | 66 | Unhealthy |
| May | 67 | Unhealthy |
| Jun | 69 | Unhealthy |
| Jul | 83 | Unhealthy |
| Aug | 80 | Unhealthy |
| Sep | 58 | Unhealthy |
| Oct | 48 | Poor |
| Nov | 37 | Poor |
| Dec | 44 | Poor |
Where is Riffa?
Riffa sits at 26.1°N, 50.6°E, 43 m above sea level, in Bahrain. The nearest listed city is Isa Town, 5.0 km away.
Topography around Riffa
How much the land rises and falls, and what covers it, within 3, 16 and 80 km of Riffa.
Within 3 km, the terrain around Riffa has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 52 m around an average of 29 m above sea level; within 16 km, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 129 m; within 80 km, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 134 m.
The land around Riffa is covered by artificial surfaces (62%) and bare terrain (34%) within 3 km, water (42%), bare terrain (29%) and artificial surfaces (26%) within 16 km, and water (61%) and bare terrain (34%) within 80 km.
Bahrain travel facts
- Travel advisory
- Level 3
- Reconsider Travel
- Power plugs
- Type G
- 230 V · 50 Hz
- Prices
- ≈ 43% of US
- price level, 2025
- GDP per capita
- $30,597
- 2025
- Happiness
- 6.3 / 10
- World Happiness, 2025
- Safe drinking water
- 99%
- of population, 2024
- Homicide rate
- 0.2
- per 100k, 2022
- Road deaths
- 5.2
- per 100k/yr, 2019
- Income group
- High
- World Bank
- Religion
Sources: World Bank, US State Department, World Happiness Report, WHO/UNICEF, EF EPI, CIA World Factbook.
Data sources
Temperature, precipitation, cloud, humidity, wind and solar figures are a 1991–2020 climatology for Riffa (26.13°, 50.555°, elevation 43 m), computed from hourly ERA5 reanalysis — contains modified Copernicus Climate Change Service information. Sun figures are astronomical calculations, not observations. City data © GeoNames, CC BY 4.0. Map outlines from Natural Earth (public domain); interactive map © Google.