Petra in Winter
In winter (December, January and February), Petra sees average daytime highs around 15°C and overnight lows near 5°C, with 46 mm of precipitation over about 10 wet days across the season. It is the coldest season of the year and the wettest season of the year.
Across winter, daytime highs hold fairly steady around 15°C. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 65% of the time across winter, and the air most often feels dry.
Winter is Petra's weakest season of the year to visit on our travel score. For the whole year in context, see Petra's year-round climate.
- Avg daytime high
- 15°C
- coldest season of the year
- Avg overnight low
- 5°C
- Precipitation
- 46 mm
- 10 wet days
- Avg wind
- 9 km/h
- Travel score
- 5.4
- weakest season of the year
- Months
- Dec · Jan · Feb
Temperature in Petra in Winter
Across winter, daytime highs hold fairly steady around 15°C.
A typical winter day in Petra reaches about 15°C and drops to 5°C overnight. The warmest of the three months is December, the coolest January.
How winter really feels in Petra
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.
Petra 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 | Snow days | Daylight (hours) | Travel score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 13° / 4° | 20 | 3.9 | 0.6 | 10.3 | 4.6 |
| Feb | 15° / 5° | 17 | 3.6 | 0.3 | 10.9 | 5.5 |
| Mar | 19° / 8° | 13 | 2.9 | 0.3 | 11.8 | 7.6 |
| Apr | 23° / 12° | 4 | 1.1 | 0 | 12.7 | 8.9 |
| May | 28° / 15° | 3 | 0.9 | 0 | 13.5 | 8.3 |
| Jun | 30° / 18° | 0 | 0.1 | 0 | 13.9 | 6.8 |
| Jul | 32° / 20° | 0 | 0 | 0 | 13.8 | 5.8 |
| Aug | 32° / 20° | 0 | 0.2 | 0 | 13.1 | 5.7 |
| Sep | 30° / 19° | 1 | 0.3 | 0 | 12.2 | 6.9 |
| Oct | 26° / 15° | 5 | 1.4 | 0 | 11.3 | 8.8 |
| Nov | 20° / 10° | 7 | 1.7 | 0 | 10.5 | 8.1 |
| Dec | 15° / 6° | 8 | 2.1 | 0.3 | 10.1 | 6.0 |
Cloud cover in Winter
The sky is clear or mostly clear about 65% of the time across winter.
Chance of precipitation in Winter
Petra gets around 46 mm of rain and snow over 10 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 9 km/h across winter.
Sunrise & sunset in Winter
Daylight runs from about 10 h 12 min in early December to 11 h 18 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 4.0 kWh/m².
Hazard calendar for Petra
None of Petra's seasonal hazards peak in winter. The full-year calendar below shows when the rainy season, cyclone risk and dust haze do.
Petra sees seasonal dust haze (May), heaviest in May.
Is winter a good time to visit Petra?
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 a reasonable time to visit Petra for sightseeing.
What to pack for Petra in Winter
From winter's temperature range, rain chance, sun and wind — what's worth putting in the bag.
In winter, Petra sees daytime highs around 15°C and nights near 5°C. Worth packing: a warm layer and sun protection. About 10 days see rain.
UV index in Petra in Winter
Clear-sky midday UV across winter averages around 4 — enough to warrant sun protection. The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.
Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Petra peaks around June 21 at about 12 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near January 11 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) | 4 | 4 | 8 | 8 | 11 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 11 | 8 | 6 | 4 |
| Level | Moderate | Moderate | Very high | Very high | Extreme | Extreme | Extreme | Extreme | Extreme | Very high | High | Moderate |
| UV index (midday) | Level | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 4 | Moderate |
| Feb | 4 | Moderate |
| Mar | 8 | Very high |
| Apr | 8 | Very high |
| May | 11 | Extreme |
| Jun | 12 | Extreme |
| Jul | 12 | Extreme |
| Aug | 12 | Extreme |
| Sep | 11 | Extreme |
| Oct | 8 | Very high |
| Nov | 6 | High |
| Dec | 4 | Moderate |
Air quality in Petra 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 Petra is worst in May — around 37 µg/m³ PM2.5 (poor), and holds fairly steady the rest of the year.
Modeled monthly averages (CAMS reanalysis, 2015–2024).
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PM2.5 (µg/m³) | 30 | 31 | 31 | 36 | 37 | 29 | 26 | 27 | 29 | 28 | 29 | 30 |
| Level | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Poor | Poor | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate |
| PM2.5 (µg/m³) | Level | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 30 | Moderate |
| Feb | 31 | Moderate |
| Mar | 31 | Moderate |
| Apr | 36 | Poor |
| May | 37 | Poor |
| Jun | 29 | Moderate |
| Jul | 26 | Moderate |
| Aug | 27 | Moderate |
| Sep | 29 | Moderate |
| Oct | 28 | Moderate |
| Nov | 29 | Moderate |
| Dec | 30 | Moderate |
Where is Petra?
Petra sits at 30.3°N, 35.5°E, 0 m above sea level, in Jordan. The nearest listed city is Ma'an, 28 km away.
Topography around Petra
How much the land rises and falls, and what covers it, within 3, 16 and 80 km of Petra.
Within 3 km, the terrain around Petra has large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 670 m around an average of 1,261 m above sea level; within 16 km, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,506 m; within 80 km, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 2,122 m.
The land around Petra is covered by bare terrain (70%) within 3 km, bare terrain (83%) within 16 km, and bare terrain (96%) within 80 km.
Jordan travel facts
- Travel advisory
- Level 3
- Reconsider Travel
- Power plugs
- Type B / C / D / F / G / J
- 230 V · 50 Hz
- Prices
- ≈ 42% of US
- price level, 2025
- GDP per capita
- $5,348
- 2025
- Happiness
- 4.5 / 10
- World Happiness, 2025
- Safe drinking water
- 89%
- of population, 2024
- Homicide rate
- 1
- per 100k, 2023
- Road deaths
- 17
- per 100k/yr, 2019
- Income group
- Upper middle
- World Bank
- English
- Very low
- EF EPI 426
- 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 Petra (30.321°, 35.4789°, elevation 0 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.