Madīnat Khalīfah in Winter
In winter (December, January and February), Madīnat Khalīfah sees average daytime highs around 23°C and overnight lows near 16°C, with 37 mm of rain over about 6 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 23°C. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 72% of the time across winter, and the air most often feels dry.
Winter is Madīnat Khalīfah's best season of the year to visit on our travel score. For the whole year in context, see Madīnat Khalīfah's year-round climate.
- Avg daytime high
- 23°C
- coldest season of the year
- Avg overnight low
- 16°C
- Rainfall
- 37 mm
- 6 wet days
- Avg wind
- 17 km/h
- Travel score
- 8.7
- best season of the year
- Months
- Dec · Jan · Feb
Temperature in Madīnat Khalīfah in Winter
Across winter, daytime highs hold fairly steady around 23°C.
A typical winter day in Madīnat Khalīfah reaches about 23°C and drops to 16°C overnight. The warmest of the three months is December, the coolest January.
How winter really feels in Madīnat Khalīfah
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.
Madīnat Khalīfah 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 | 22° / 15° | 11 | 2.2 | 10.6 | 8.3 |
| Feb | 23° / 15° | 11 | 1.6 | 11.1 | 8.9 |
| Mar | 26° / 18° | 12 | 2 | 11.8 | 8.4 |
| Apr | 32° / 22° | 4 | 0.8 | 12.6 | 5.5 |
| May | 37° / 27° | 0 | 0.1 | 13.2 | 2.2 |
| Jun | 39° / 29° | 0 | 0 | 13.5 | 0.4 |
| Jul | 40° / 31° | 0 | 0.1 | 13.4 | 0.0 |
| Aug | 40° / 31° | 0 | 0 | 12.9 | 0.1 |
| Sep | 38° / 29° | 0 | 0 | 12.2 | 1.3 |
| Oct | 35° / 25° | 1 | 0.1 | 11.4 | 3.8 |
| Nov | 29° / 21° | 7 | 1.2 | 10.8 | 7.4 |
| Dec | 24° / 17° | 14 | 1.9 | 10.5 | 8.8 |
Cloud cover in Winter
The sky is clear or mostly clear about 72% of the time across winter.
Chance of precipitation in Winter
Madīnat Khalīfah gets around 37 mm of rain over 6 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 17 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 4.5 kWh/m².
Hazard calendar for Madīnat Khalīfah
In winter, Madīnat Khalīfah overlaps its cyclone season. The full year is below, with each hazard's peak months called out.
Madīnat Khalīfah sits in the North Indian Ocean cyclone zone; the season peaks May and October–November.
Madīnat Khalīfah sees seasonal dust haze (March–August), heaviest in May.
Is winter a good time to visit Madīnat Khalīfah?
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 Madīnat Khalīfah for general sightseeing. The water and warmth also suit a beach or pool day.
What to pack for Madīnat Khalīfah in Winter
From winter's temperature range, rain chance, sun and wind — what's worth putting in the bag.
In winter, Madīnat Khalīfah sees daytime highs around 23°C and nights near 16°C. Worth packing: light clothes and sun protection. About 6 days see rain.
Sea temperature near Madīnat Khalīfah in Winter
The nearest coast averages about 21°C across winter — the other half of the beach question. The full-year curve and swim-comfort zones are below.
The sea at the nearest coast (about 16 km away) is warmest in August at about 34°C and coldest in February near 19°C.
It's comfortable for a long swim from Feb 27 to Jan 20 — about 10.8 months when the water holds above 20°C.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sea temperature (°C) | 20 | 19 | 21 | 24 | 28 | 30 | 33 | 34 | 33 | 31 | 27 | 23 |
| Comfort | Refreshing | Cool | Refreshing | Refreshing | Warm | Tropical | Tropical | Tropical | Tropical | Tropical | Warm | Refreshing |
| Sea temperature (°C) | Comfort | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 20 | Refreshing |
| Feb | 19 | Cool |
| Mar | 21 | Refreshing |
| Apr | 24 | Refreshing |
| May | 28 | Warm |
| Jun | 30 | Tropical |
| Jul | 33 | Tropical |
| Aug | 34 | Tropical |
| Sep | 33 | Tropical |
| Oct | 31 | Tropical |
| Nov | 27 | Warm |
| Dec | 23 | Refreshing |
UV index in Madīnat Khalīfah in Winter
Clear-sky midday UV across winter averages around 6 — enough to warrant sun protection. The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.
Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Madīnat Khalīfah peaks around August 11 at about 9 (very high) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near December 17 at about 5 (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 | 8 | 7 | 8 | 8 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 7 | 8 | 6 | 4 |
| Level | High | Very high | Very high | Very high | Very high | Very high | Very high | Very high | High | Very high | High | Moderate |
| UV index (midday) | Level | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 5 | High |
| Feb | 8 | Very high |
| Mar | 7 | Very high |
| Apr | 8 | Very high |
| May | 8 | Very high |
| Jun | 9 | Very high |
| Jul | 9 | Very high |
| Aug | 9 | Very high |
| Sep | 7 | High |
| Oct | 8 | Very high |
| Nov | 6 | High |
| Dec | 4 | Moderate |
Air quality in Madīnat Khalīfah 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 Madīnat Khalīfah is worst in July — around 72 µg/m³ PM2.5 (unhealthy), about 2.6× the cleanest month (November, 28 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) | 37 | 40 | 47 | 53 | 58 | 57 | 72 | 69 | 53 | 41 | 28 | 29 |
| Level | Poor | Poor | Poor | Poor | Unhealthy | Unhealthy | Unhealthy | Unhealthy | Poor | Poor | Moderate | Moderate |
| PM2.5 (µg/m³) | Level | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 37 | Poor |
| Feb | 40 | Poor |
| Mar | 47 | Poor |
| Apr | 53 | Poor |
| May | 58 | Unhealthy |
| Jun | 57 | Unhealthy |
| Jul | 72 | Unhealthy |
| Aug | 69 | Unhealthy |
| Sep | 53 | Poor |
| Oct | 41 | Poor |
| Nov | 28 | Moderate |
| Dec | 29 | Moderate |
Where is Madīnat Khalīfah?
Madīnat Khalīfah sits at 25.3°N, 51.5°E, 19 m above sea level, in Qatar. The nearest listed city is Farīj Kulayb, 2.0 km away.
Topography around Madīnat Khalīfah
How much the land rises and falls, and what covers it, within 3, 16 and 80 km of Madīnat Khalīfah.
Within 3 km, the terrain around Madīnat Khalīfah has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 31 m around an average of 16 m above sea level; within 16 km, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 62 m; within 80 km, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 109 m.
The land around Madīnat Khalīfah is covered by artificial surfaces (84%) within 3 km, artificial surfaces (40%), bare terrain (39%) and water (20%) within 16 km, and bare terrain (52%) and water (44%) within 80 km.
Qatar travel facts
- Travel advisory
- Level 3
- Reconsider Travel
- Power plugs
- Type D / F / G / L
- 240 V · 50 Hz
- Prices
- ≈ 56% of US
- price level, 2025
- GDP per capita
- $72,525
- 2025
- Happiness
- 6.4 / 10
- World Happiness, 2018
- Safe drinking water
- 95%
- of population, 2024
- Homicide rate
- 0.1
- per 100k, 2022
- Road deaths
- 7.3
- per 100k/yr, 2019
- Income group
- High
- World Bank
- English
- Low
- EF EPI 469
- 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 Madīnat Khalīfah (25.3205°, 51.4779°, elevation 19 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.