Al Badā’i‘ al Wusţá in Winter

In winter (December, January and February), Al Badā’i‘ al Wusţá sees average daytime highs around 21°C and overnight lows near 9°C, with 31 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.

Over the season highs climb from about 23°C in early December to 25°C by late February. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 70% of the time across winter, and the air most often feels dry.

Winter is Al Badā’i‘ al Wusţá's best season of the year to visit on our travel score. For the whole year in context, see Al Badā’i‘ al Wusţá's year-round climate.

Avg daytime high
21°C
coldest season of the year
Avg overnight low
9°C
Rainfall
31 mm
6 wet days
Avg wind
14 km/h
Travel score
8.4
best season of the year
Months
Dec · Jan · Feb

Temperature in Al Badā’i‘ al Wusţá in Winter

Average highAverage lowShaded bands: 10–90% of days

Over the season highs climb from about 23°C in early December to 25°C by late February.

A typical winter day in Al Badā’i‘ al Wusţá reaches about 21°C and drops to 9°C overnight. The warmest of the three months is February, the coolest January.

10°20°30°DecJanFeb

How winter really feels in Al Badā’i‘ al Wusţá

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.

Days feeling ≥ 32°C
0
heat index over the day's high
Days feeling ≤ C
0
wind chill below the day's low

winter sits comfortably in between — no days that feel dangerously hot or drop to a hard freeze once humidity and wind are folded in.

Al Badā’i‘ al Wusţá 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.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan20° / 132.410.68.0
Feb23° / 10°51.111.18.9
Mar27° / 14°142.611.87.9
Apr33° / 19°142.712.64.5
May38° / 24°20.513.31.2
Jun42° / 26°0013.60.0
Jul43° / 27°0013.50.0
Aug43° / 27°0012.90.0
Sep41° / 25°0012.20.2
Oct35° / 20°30.411.43.4
Nov27° / 14°24310.77.8
Dec21° / 10°132.310.48.3

Cloud cover in Winter

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 70% of the time across winter.

0%25%50%75%100%DecJanFeb

Chance of precipitation in Winter

Any precipitation

Al Badā’i‘ al Wusţá gets around 31 mm of rain over 6 wet days across winter. The line is the day-by-day chance of measurable precipitation.

0%10%20%30%DecJanFeb

Humidity in Winter

DryComfortableHumidMuggyOppressiveMiserable

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

0%25%50%75%100%DecJanFeb

Wind in Winter

Winds average 14 km/h across winter.

05101520DecJanFeb

Sunrise & sunset in Winter

DaylightNight

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.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AMDecJanFeb

Solar energy in Winter

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day across winter, about 4.5 kWh/m².

0246DecJanFeb
Planning a trip in winter

Hazard calendar for Al Badā’i‘ al Wusţá

In seasonPeak

In winter, Al Badā’i‘ al Wusţá overlaps its dust season. The full year is below, with each hazard's peak months called out.

Al Badā’i‘ al Wusţá sees seasonal dust haze (February–September), heaviest in May.

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

Is winter a good time to visit Al Badā’i‘ al Wusţá?

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.

8.4
Sightseeing
1st-best month of the year
5.4
Beach & pool
3rd-best month of the year

winter is one of the better times to visit Al Badā’i‘ al Wusţá for general sightseeing.

What to pack for Al Badā’i‘ al Wusţá in Winter

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

In winter, Al Badā’i‘ al Wusţá sees daytime highs around 21°C and nights near 9°C. Worth packing: light clothes and sun protection. About 6 days see rain.

light clothessun protection

UV index in Al Badā’i‘ al Wusţá in Winter

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

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 Al Badā’i‘ al Wusţá peaks around July 17 at about 12 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near December 18 at about 5 (moderate).

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

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecHighVery highVery highExtremeVery highHighJul 17UV 12Dec 18UV 5
UV index (midday)Level
Jan6High
Feb7Very high
Mar9Very high
Apr7High
May10Extreme
Jun11Extreme
Jul12Extreme
Aug11Extreme
Sep10Very high
Oct9Very high
Nov6High
Dec5Moderate

Air quality in Al Badā’i‘ al Wusţá in Winter

GoodModeratePoorUnhealthyVery unhealthy

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

Air quality in Al Badā’i‘ al Wusţá is worst in March — around 79 µg/m³ PM2.5 (unhealthy), about 1.9× the cleanest month (July, 41 µg/m³).

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

020406080JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecUnhealthyPoorMar 2077 µg/m³Jul 2441 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan55Poor
Feb61Unhealthy
Mar79Unhealthy
Apr71Unhealthy
May70Unhealthy
Jun45Poor
Jul41Poor
Aug41Poor
Sep41Poor
Oct42Poor
Nov50Poor
Dec54Poor
Location & terrain

Where is Al Badā’i‘ al Wusţá?

Al Badā’i‘ al Wusţá sits at 26.0°N, 43.7°E, 667 m above sea level, in Saudi Arabia. The nearest listed city is Al Khabrā’, 15 km away.

Topography around Al Badā’i‘ al Wusţá

How much the land rises and falls, and what covers it, within 3, 16 and 80 km of Al Badā’i‘ al Wusţá.

Within 3 km, the terrain around Al Badā’i‘ al Wusţá has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 39 m around an average of 665 m above sea level; within 16 km, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 101 m; within 80 km, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 654 m.

The land around Al Badā’i‘ al Wusţá is covered by bare terrain (51%) and artificial surfaces (37%) within 3 km, bare terrain (85%) within 16 km, and bare terrain (92%) within 80 km.

3 km
39 m
16 km
101 m
80 km
654 m
treesshrubsgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrain
Winter weather nearby: Al Khabrā’ 15 km · Al Bukayrīyah 19 km · Riyāḑ al Khabrā’ 20 km · Ar Rass 27 km · Unaizah 29 km · Buraydah 45 km · Al Mithnab 51 km · ‘Uyūn al Jiwā’ 58 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 Al Badā’i‘ al Wusţá (25.9855°, 43.7366°, elevation 667 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.