Abqaiq weather in May

In May, Abqaiq sees average daytime highs of 40°C and overnight lows near 26°C, with 1 mm of rain across 0.1 wet days and about 13.3 hours of daylight. It is the 5th-warmest and 7th-wettest month of the year here.

Highs climb over the month, from about 38°C in the first days to 42°C by the end. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 82% of the time in May, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 13 hours at the start of May to 13 h 30 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, May is Abqaiq's 6th-clearest and 5th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Abqaiq's year-round climate.

Daytime high
40°
5th warmest
Overnight low
26°
8th coldest
Rainfall
1 mm
0.1 wet days
Daylight
13 h 18 min
5:00 AM – 6:16 PM
Cloud cover
17%
6th clearest
Wind
15 km/h
5th windiest
Solar energy
7.69 kWh/m²
Travel score
0.4
out of 10

Abqaiq is Saudi Aramco gated community.

Founded
1940

Air quality: WHO Ambient Air Quality Database. Density & description: Wikidata (CC0), GeoNames.

Temperature in May

Average highAverage lowShaded bands: 10–90% of days

Highs climb over the month, from about 38°C in the first days to 42°C by the end.

A typical May day in Abqaiq reaches about 40°C in the afternoon and slips back to 26°C overnight — a 15°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 36°C and 44°C. Set against its neighbours, May runs about 6°C warmer than April and about 4°C cooler than June.

20°30°40°50°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
13723
23824
33824
43824
53824
63824
73925
83925
93925
103925
113925
124025
134025
144026
154026
164026
174026
184126
194126
204126
214127
224127
234227
244227
254227
264227
274227
284227
294328
304328
314328

How May really feels in Abqaiq

Once humidity and wind are folded in, May averages 31 days that feel above 32°C and 0 that feel at or below 0°C — the comfort signal a plain temperature reading hides.

Days feeling ≥ 32°C
31
23 feel dangerously hot (≥ 39°C)
Days feeling ≤ C
0
wind chill below the day's low

The story in May is heat — humidity pushes the afternoon "feels like" well above the raw temperature.

Abqaiq weather by month

How May compares with the rest of the year at a glance. May is the 5th-warmest and 7th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan21° / 10°16310.68.1
Feb24° / 12°111.711.18.8
Mar28° / 15°132.211.87.6
Apr34° / 21°51.112.63.8
May40° / 26°10.113.30.4
Jun44° / 29°0013.60.0
Jul45° / 30°0013.50.0
Aug44° / 30°0012.90.0
Sep41° / 26°0012.20.0
Oct36° / 22°00.211.42.5
Nov29° / 17°121.910.77.2
Dec23° / 12°162.510.48.7

Cloud cover in May

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 82% of the time in May.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 8% of May, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 10%. Skies tend to open up as the month goes on.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
18317
28317
38416
48416
58515
68515
78614
88614
98713
108812
118812
128812
138911
148911
159010
169010
179010
18919
19919
20919
21928
22928
23928
24928
25946
26946
27946
28946
29946
30964
31964

Chance of precipitation in May

Any precipitation

Abqaiq gets around 1 mm of rain over 0.1 wet days in May. The line is the day-by-day chance of measurable precipitation.

Day to day, the chance of measurable rain averages around 0% and peaks near 1% on the wettest days.

0%10%20%30%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
11
21
31
41
51
61
71
81
90
100
110
120
130
140
150
160
170
180
190
200
210
220
230
240
250
260
270
280
290
300
310

Humidity in May

DryComfortableHumidMuggyOppressiveMiserable

Most of May feels dry — the stacked bands show each day's mix of comfort levels, read off the dew point.

By dew point, May lands in the dry band about 79% of days. It rarely turns muggy — the humid and sticky bands barely register.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)Muggy (%)
1751672
2751672
3751672
4751672
5751672
6751672
7761662
8771562
9771562
10771562
11771472
12781471
13781471
14791371
15791371
16791371
17811261
18811261
19811261
20811261
21811261
22821161
23821161
24821161
25821161
26821161
27821161
28821161
29821161
30821161
31831061

Wind in May

Winds average 15 km/h in May.

Across May, daily wind ranges from about 15 km/h on the calmest days to 16 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

05101520151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
115light breeze
215light breeze
315light breeze
415light breeze
515light breeze
615light breeze
715light breeze
815light breeze
915light breeze
1015light breeze
1115light breeze
1215light breeze
1315light breeze
1415light breeze
1515light breeze
1615light breeze
1715light breeze
1815light breeze
1915light breeze
2015light breeze
2115light breeze
2215light breeze
2316light breeze
2416light breeze
2516light breeze
2616light breeze
2716light breeze
2816light breeze
2916light breeze
3016light breeze
3116light breeze

Sunrise & sunset in May

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 13 hours at the start of May to 13 h 30 min by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days grow by about 30 minutes over May. Sunrise moves from 5:10 AM to 4:54 AM, and sunset from 6:07 PM to 6:23 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
113.05:106:07
213.05:096:08
313.05:086:08
413.05:076:09
513.05:076:10
613.15:066:10
713.15:056:11
813.15:046:11
913.15:046:12
1013.25:036:12
1113.25:026:13
1213.25:026:13
1313.25:016:14
1413.25:016:14
1513.25:006:15
1613.35:006:16
1713.34:596:16
1813.34:596:17
1913.34:586:17
2013.34:586:18
2113.34:576:18
2213.44:576:19
2313.44:566:19
2413.44:566:20
2513.44:566:20
2613.44:556:21
2713.44:556:21
2813.54:556:22
2913.54:556:22
3013.54:546:23
3113.54:546:23

Solar energy in May

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in May, about 7.69 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 4.06 kWh/m² to a high of 7.78 kWh/m² in June across the year — May's 7.69 kWh/m² sits near the top of that range.

02468151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
17.4Intense
27.4Intense
37.4Intense
47.5Intense
57.5Intense
67.5Intense
77.5Intense
87.6Intense
97.6Intense
107.6Intense
117.6Intense
127.6Intense
137.7Intense
147.7Intense
157.7Intense
167.7Intense
177.7Intense
187.7Intense
197.8Intense
207.8Intense
217.8Intense
227.8Intense
237.8Intense
247.8Intense
257.8Intense
267.8Intense
277.8Intense
287.8Intense
297.8Intense
307.8Intense
317.8Intense
Planning a trip in May

Hazard calendar for Abqaiq

In seasonPeak

In May, Abqaiq sits inside its dust season. The full year is below, with each hazard's peak months called out.

Abqaiq sees seasonal dust haze (February–September), heaviest in May.

Dust
Jan
Feb
Mar
Apr
May
Jun
Jul
Aug
Sep
Oct
Nov
Dec

Is May a good time to visit Abqaiq?

Our two travel scores rate May for general sightseeing and for beach or pool weather — 0 (poor) to 10 (ideal).

0.4
Sightseeing
8th-best month of the year
3.0
Beach & pool
8th-best month of the year

May is a weaker month for outdoor sightseeing in Abqaiq.

What to pack for Abqaiq in May

From May's temperature range, rain chance, sun and wind — what's worth putting in the bag.

In May, Abqaiq sees daytime highs around 40°C and nights near 26°C. Pack light clothes and sun protection.

light clothessun protection

Sea temperature near Abqaiq in May

The nearest coast averages about 27°C in May — the other half of the beach question. The full-year curve and swim-comfort zones are below.

The sea at the nearest coast (about 46 km away) is warmest in August at about 33°C and coldest in February near 18°C.

It's comfortable for a long swim from Mar 18 to Dec 28 — about 9.4 months when the water holds above 20°C.

15°20°25°30°35°JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecbracingcoolrefreshingwarmtropicalcomfortable to swim
Sea temperature (°C)Comfort
Jan18Cool
Feb18Cool
Mar20Cool
Apr23Refreshing
May27Warm
Jun30Tropical
Jul32Tropical
Aug33Tropical
Sep32Tropical
Oct30Tropical
Nov26Warm
Dec21Refreshing

UV index in Abqaiq in May

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in May peaks around 9 (very high — sun protection essential). The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.

Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Abqaiq peaks around July 16 at about 10 (extreme) — 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.

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecHighVery highHighVery highExtremeVery highHighModerateJul 16UV 10Dec 18UV 4
UV index (midday)Level
Jan5High
Feb8Very high
Mar7High
Apr7High
May9Very high
Jun10Very high
Jul10Extreme
Aug10Very high
Sep9Very high
Oct8Very high
Nov6High
Dec4Moderate

Air quality in Abqaiq in May

GoodModeratePoorUnhealthyVery unhealthy

Average fine-particle pollution (PM2.5) through the year — so you can see where May falls, not just the annual average.

Air quality in Abqaiq is worst in June — around 98 µg/m³ PM2.5 (unhealthy), about 1.6× the cleanest month (November, 61 µg/m³).

Modeled monthly averages (CAMS reanalysis, 2015–2024).

0306090120JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecUnhealthyJun 2198 µg/m³Nov 1061 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan82Unhealthy
Feb80Unhealthy
Mar88Unhealthy
Apr92Unhealthy
May90Unhealthy
Jun98Unhealthy
Jul97Unhealthy
Aug85Unhealthy
Sep71Unhealthy
Oct62Unhealthy
Nov61Unhealthy
Dec73Unhealthy
Location & terrain

Where is Abqaiq?

Abqaiq sits at 25.9°N, 49.7°E, 103 m above sea level, in Saudi Arabia. The nearest listed city is Al Baţţālīyah, 56 km away.

Topography around Abqaiq

How much the land rises and falls, and what covers it, within 3, 16 and 80 km of Abqaiq.

Within 3 km, the terrain around Abqaiq has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 37 m around an average of 90 m above sea level; within 16 km, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 122 m; within 80 km, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 331 m.

The land around Abqaiq is covered by bare terrain (67%) and artificial surfaces (30%) within 3 km, bare terrain (97%) within 16 km, and bare terrain (83%) within 80 km.

3 km
37 m
16 km
122 m
80 km
331 m
treesshrubsartificial surfacesbare terrainwater
May weather nearby: Al Baţţālīyah 56 km · Al Mubarraz 59 km · Dhahran 59 km · Al Munayzilah 61 km · Al Hufūf 64 km · Aţ Ţaraf 64 km · Thuqbah 65 km · Khobar 66 km

Saudi Arabia travel facts

Travel advisory
Level 3
Reconsider Travel
Power plugs
Type G
230 V · 60 Hz
Prices
≈ 47% of US
price level, 2025
GDP per capita
$34,537
2025
Happiness
6.8 / 10
World Happiness, 2025
Homicide rate
0.9
per 100k, 2019
Road deaths
35.9
per 100k/yr, 2019
Income group
High
World Bank
English
Very low
EF EPI 404

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 Abqaiq (25.934°, 49.6688°, elevation 103 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. Sea temperatures are the NOAA OISST v2.1 1991–2020 monthly climatology (public domain), sampled at the nearest ocean point. UV index is derived from CAMS (Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service) clear-sky UV data — contains modified Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service information. Monthly air-quality (PM2.5) seasonality is from the CAMS EAC4 reanalysis (Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service), scaled to the WHO annual mean where available. Topography is sampled from the Copernicus DEM GLO-90 elevation model (© ESA/Airbus) and ESA WorldCover 2021 land cover (CC BY 4.0).