Ad Dir‘īyah weather in May

In May, Ad Dir‘īyah sees average daytime highs of 38°C and overnight lows near 26°C, with 3 mm of rain across 0.7 wet days and about 13.2 hours of daylight. It is the 5th-warmest and 7th-wettest month of the year here.

Highs climb over the month, from about 36°C in the first days to 40°C by the end. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 76% of the time in May, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 12 h 54 min at the start of May to 13 h 24 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, May is Ad Dir‘īyah's 8th-clearest and 6th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Ad Dir‘īyah's year-round climate.

Daytime high
38°
5th warmest
Overnight low
26°
8th coldest
Rainfall
3 mm
0.7 wet days
Daylight
13 h 12 min
5:14 AM – 6:26 PM
Cloud cover
23%
8th clearest
Wind
13 km/h
6th windiest
Solar energy
7.63 kWh/m²
Travel score
1.2
out of 10

Ad Dir‘īyah is city in Saudi Arabia.

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 36°C in the first days to 40°C by the end.

A typical May day in Ad Dir‘īyah reaches about 38°C in the afternoon and slips back to 26°C overnight — a 13°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 35°C and 41°C. Set against its neighbours, May runs about 6°C warmer than April and about 3°C cooler than June.

20°30°40°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
13623
23623
33624
43624
53624
63724
73724
83724
93725
103725
113725
123825
133825
143825
153826
163826
173826
183926
193926
203926
213926
223927
233927
244027
254027
264027
274027
284027
294027
304027
314127

How May really feels in Ad Dir‘īyah

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
11 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.

Ad Dir‘īyah 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
Jan20° / 132.410.68.0
Feb23° / 11°71.611.18.8
Mar27° / 15°142.411.88.0
Apr33° / 20°173.112.64.6
May38° / 26°30.713.21.2
Jun41° / 28°0013.50.0
Jul42° / 29°0013.40.0
Aug42° / 29°0012.90.0
Sep39° / 26°0012.20.6
Oct34° / 21°10.311.44.2
Nov26° / 15°142.510.88.1
Dec21° / 11°112.110.58.4

Cloud cover in May

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 76% of the time in May.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 10% of May, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 13%. Skies tend to open up as the month goes on.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
18218
28218
38218
48218
58218
68317
78317
88317
98416
108416
118416
128416
138515
148515
158614
168614
178614
188713
198713
208713
218911
228911
238911
248911
259010
26919
27919
28928
29937
30937
31946

Chance of precipitation in May

Any precipitation

Ad Dir‘īyah gets around 3 mm of rain over 0.7 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 2% and peaks near 7% on the wettest days. The odds ease toward the end of the month.

0%10%20%30%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
17
27
37
46
56
65
75
84
94
104
113
123
133
142
152
162
172
181
191
201
211
221
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 97% of days. It rarely turns muggy — the humid and sticky bands barely register.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)Muggy (%)
192431
292431
392431
493331
593331
693331
795221
896220
996220
1096220
1196220
1298110
1398110
1498110
1598110
1698110
1799100
1899100
19100000
20100000
21100000
22100000
23100000
24100000
25100000
26100000
27100000
28100000
29100000
30100000
31100000

Wind in May

Winds average 13 km/h in May.

Across May, daily wind ranges from about 13 km/h on the calmest days to 14 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

05101520151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
114light breeze
214light breeze
314light breeze
414light breeze
514light breeze
614light breeze
714light breeze
814light breeze
914light breeze
1014light breeze
1114light breeze
1214light breeze
1314light breeze
1414light breeze
1514light breeze
1613light breeze
1713light breeze
1813light breeze
1913light breeze
2013light breeze
2113light breeze
2213light breeze
2313light breeze
2413light breeze
2513light breeze
2613light breeze
2713light breeze
2813light breeze
2913light breeze
3013light breeze
3113light breeze

Sunrise & sunset in May

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 12 h 54 min at the start of May to 13 h 24 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 5:24 AM to 5:09 AM, and sunset from 6:18 PM to 6:34 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
112.95:246:18
212.95:236:19
313.05:226:19
413.05:216:20
513.05:216:20
613.05:206:21
713.05:196:21
813.15:196:22
913.15:186:22
1013.15:176:23
1113.15:176:23
1213.15:166:24
1313.15:166:25
1413.25:156:25
1513.25:156:26
1613.25:146:26
1713.25:146:27
1813.25:136:27
1913.25:136:28
2013.35:126:28
2113.35:126:29
2213.35:126:29
2313.35:116:30
2413.35:116:30
2513.35:106:31
2613.35:106:31
2713.45:106:32
2813.45:106:32
2913.45:096:33
3013.45:096:33
3113.45:096:34

Solar energy in May

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in May, about 7.63 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 4.21 kWh/m² to a high of 7.74 kWh/m² in June across the year — May's 7.63 kWh/m² sits near the top of that range.

02468151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
17.4Intense
27.4Intense
37.4Intense
47.4Intense
57.4Intense
67.5Intense
77.5Intense
87.5Intense
97.5Intense
107.5Intense
117.6Intense
127.6Intense
137.6Intense
147.6Intense
157.6Intense
167.6Intense
177.6Intense
187.7Intense
197.7Intense
207.7Intense
217.7Intense
227.7Intense
237.7Intense
247.7Intense
257.7Intense
267.7Intense
277.7Intense
287.7Intense
297.8Intense
307.8Intense
317.8Intense
Planning a trip in May

Hazard calendar for Ad Dir‘īyah

In seasonPeak

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

Ad Dir‘īyah 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 Ad Dir‘īyah?

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

1.2
Sightseeing
8th-best month of the year
4.6
Beach & pool
7th-best month of the year

May is a weaker month for outdoor sightseeing in Ad Dir‘īyah.

What to pack for Ad Dir‘īyah in May

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

In May, Ad Dir‘īyah sees daytime highs around 38°C and nights near 26°C. Pack light clothes and sun protection.

light clothessun protection

UV index in Ad Dir‘īyah in May

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in May peaks around 10 (very high — sun protection essential). The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.

Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Ad Dir‘īyah peaks around July 19 at about 11 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near December 14 at about 4 (moderate).

The index reaches 3 or more — the level where the WHO recommends sun protection — every month of the year.

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecHighVery highExtremeVery highModerateJul 19UV 11Dec 14UV 4
UV index (midday)Level
Jan6High
Feb8Very high
Mar9Very high
Apr7Very high
May10Extreme
Jun10Very high
Jul12Extreme
Aug11Extreme
Sep9Very high
Oct8Very high
Nov5Moderate
Dec4Moderate

Air quality in Ad Dir‘īyah 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 Ad Dir‘īyah is worst in March — around 93 µg/m³ PM2.5 (unhealthy), about 1.8× the cleanest month (October, 51 µg/m³).

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

0306090120JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecUnhealthyPoorUnhealthyMar 2192 µg/m³Oct 1352 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan68Unhealthy
Feb75Unhealthy
Mar93Unhealthy
Apr89Unhealthy
May85Unhealthy
Jun71Unhealthy
Jul70Unhealthy
Aug65Unhealthy
Sep54Poor
Oct51Poor
Nov59Unhealthy
Dec63Unhealthy
Location & terrain

Where is Ad Dir‘īyah?

Ad Dir‘īyah sits at 24.8°N, 46.5°E, 600 m above sea level, in Saudi Arabia. The nearest listed city is ‘Irqah, 11 km away.

ShaqraḤawṭah Banī TamīmAd Dawādimī

Topography around Ad Dir‘īyah

How much the land rises and falls, and what covers it, within 3, 16 and 80 km of Ad Dir‘īyah.

Within 3 km, the terrain around Ad Dir‘īyah has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 110 m around an average of 691 m above sea level; within 16 km, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 328 m; within 80 km, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 656 m.

The land around Ad Dir‘īyah is covered by bare terrain (72%) within 3 km, bare terrain (68%) and artificial surfaces (29%) within 16 km, and bare terrain (94%) within 80 km.

3 km
110 m
16 km
328 m
80 km
656 m
treesshrubscroplandartificial surfacesbare terrain
May weather nearby: ‘Irqah 11 km · Riyadh 20 km · Al Kharj 104 km · Ad Dilam 106 km · Rumāḩ 110 km · Shaqra 141 km · Ḥawṭah Banī Tamīm 144 km · Ad Dawādimī 219 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 Ad Dir‘īyah (24.7519°, 46.5387°, elevation 600 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. 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).