Salmiya in Winter
In winter (December, January and February), Salmiya sees average daytime highs around 19°C and overnight lows near 12°C, with 66 mm of rain over about 11 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 19°C. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 65% of the time across winter, and the air most often feels dry.
Winter is Salmiya's best season of the year to visit on our travel score. For the whole year in context, see Salmiya's year-round climate.
- Avg daytime high
- 19°C
- coldest season of the year
- Avg overnight low
- 12°C
- Rainfall
- 66 mm
- 11 wet days
- Avg wind
- 16 km/h
- Travel score
- 7.4
- best season of the year
- Months
- Dec · Jan · Feb
Temperature in Salmiya in Winter
Across winter, daytime highs hold fairly steady around 19°C.
A typical winter day in Salmiya reaches about 19°C and drops to 12°C overnight. The warmest of the three months is February, the coolest January.
How winter really feels in Salmiya
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.
Salmiya 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 | 17° / 11° | 28 | 4.3 | 10.3 | 6.8 |
| Feb | 19° / 12° | 13 | 2.6 | 10.9 | 7.8 |
| Mar | 24° / 16° | 17 | 2.5 | 11.8 | 8.6 |
| Apr | 29° / 21° | 7 | 1.4 | 12.7 | 7.0 |
| May | 35° / 27° | 2 | 0.3 | 13.4 | 3.2 |
| Jun | 40° / 31° | 0 | 0 | 13.8 | 0.4 |
| Jul | 41° / 32° | 0 | 0 | 13.7 | 0.0 |
| Aug | 41° / 32° | 0 | 0 | 13.1 | 0.0 |
| Sep | 38° / 29° | 0 | 0 | 12.2 | 1.3 |
| Oct | 33° / 24° | 2 | 0.4 | 11.3 | 4.7 |
| Nov | 25° / 18° | 30 | 3 | 10.5 | 8.2 |
| Dec | 19° / 13° | 25 | 3.9 | 10.2 | 7.5 |
Cloud cover in Winter
The sky is clear or mostly clear about 65% of the time across winter.
Chance of precipitation in Winter
Salmiya gets around 66 mm of rain over 11 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 16 km/h across winter.
Sunrise & sunset in Winter
Daylight runs from about 10 h 18 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 3.9 kWh/m².
Hazard calendar for Salmiya
In winter, Salmiya overlaps its dust season. The full year is below, with each hazard's peak months called out.
Salmiya sees seasonal dust haze (February–August), heaviest in May.
Is winter a good time to visit Salmiya?
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 Salmiya for general sightseeing.
What to pack for Salmiya in Winter
From winter's temperature range, rain chance, sun and wind — what's worth putting in the bag.
In winter, Salmiya sees daytime highs around 19°C and nights near 12°C. Worth packing: sun protection. About 11 days see rain.
Sea temperature near Salmiya in Winter
The nearest coast averages about 17°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 32°C and coldest in February near 16°C.
It's comfortable for a long swim from Mar 31 to Dec 10 — about 8.4 months when the water holds above 20°C.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sea temperature (°C) | 16 | 16 | 18 | 22 | 26 | 29 | 31 | 32 | 31 | 28 | 24 | 19 |
| Comfort | Cool | Cool | Cool | Refreshing | Warm | Tropical | Tropical | Tropical | Tropical | Tropical | Refreshing | Cool |
| Sea temperature (°C) | Comfort | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 16 | Cool |
| Feb | 16 | Cool |
| Mar | 18 | Cool |
| Apr | 22 | Refreshing |
| May | 26 | Warm |
| Jun | 29 | Tropical |
| Jul | 31 | Tropical |
| Aug | 32 | Tropical |
| Sep | 31 | Tropical |
| Oct | 28 | Tropical |
| Nov | 24 | Refreshing |
| Dec | 19 | Cool |
UV index in Salmiya in Winter
Clear-sky midday UV across winter averages around 3 — enough to warrant sun protection. The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.
Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Salmiya peaks around July 11 at about 10 (very high) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near December 23 at about 3 (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) | 3 | 4 | 6 | 4 | 7 | 10 | 10 | 9 | 8 | 6 | 5 | 3 |
| Level | Moderate | Moderate | High | Moderate | Very high | Very high | Very high | Very high | Very high | High | Moderate | Moderate |
| UV index (midday) | Level | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 3 | Moderate |
| Feb | 4 | Moderate |
| Mar | 6 | High |
| Apr | 4 | Moderate |
| May | 7 | Very high |
| Jun | 10 | Very high |
| Jul | 10 | Very high |
| Aug | 9 | Very high |
| Sep | 8 | Very high |
| Oct | 6 | High |
| Nov | 5 | Moderate |
| Dec | 3 | Moderate |
Air quality in Salmiya 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 Salmiya is worst in January — around 96 µg/m³ PM2.5 (unhealthy), 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) | 96 | 87 | 88 | 90 | 84 | 76 | 78 | 77 | 77 | 81 | 79 | 92 |
| Level | Unhealthy | Unhealthy | Unhealthy | Unhealthy | Unhealthy | Unhealthy | Unhealthy | Unhealthy | Unhealthy | Unhealthy | Unhealthy | Unhealthy |
| PM2.5 (µg/m³) | Level | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 96 | Unhealthy |
| Feb | 87 | Unhealthy |
| Mar | 88 | Unhealthy |
| Apr | 90 | Unhealthy |
| May | 84 | Unhealthy |
| Jun | 76 | Unhealthy |
| Jul | 78 | Unhealthy |
| Aug | 77 | Unhealthy |
| Sep | 77 | Unhealthy |
| Oct | 81 | Unhealthy |
| Nov | 79 | Unhealthy |
| Dec | 92 | Unhealthy |
Where is Salmiya?
Salmiya sits at 29.3°N, 48.1°E, 11 m above sea level, in Kuwait. The nearest listed city is Ar Rumaythīyah, 2.0 km away.
Topography around Salmiya
How much the land rises and falls, and what covers it, within 3, 16 and 80 km of Salmiya.
Within 3 km, the terrain around Salmiya has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 19 m around an average of 5 m above sea level; within 16 km, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 92 m; within 80 km, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 237 m.
The land around Salmiya is covered by artificial surfaces (57%) and water (40%) within 3 km, water (64%) and artificial surfaces (28%) within 16 km, and bare terrain (57%) and water (39%) within 80 km.
Kuwait travel facts
- Travel advisory
- Level 3
- Reconsider Travel
- Power plugs
- Type C / G
- 240 V · 50 Hz
- Prices
- ≈ 57% of US
- price level, 2025
- GDP per capita
- $32,312
- 2025
- Happiness
- 6.5 / 10
- World Happiness, 2025
- Safe drinking water
- 100%
- of population, 2024
- Homicide rate
- 0.2
- per 100k, 2020
- Road deaths
- 15.4
- per 100k/yr, 2019
- Income group
- High
- World Bank
- English
- Low
- EF EPI 455
- 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 Salmiya (29.3339°, 48.0761°, elevation 11 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.