Al Khafjī in Winter
In winter (December, January and February), Al Khafjī sees average daytime highs around 20°C and overnight lows near 12°C, with 67 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 20°C. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 64% of the time across winter, and the air most often feels dry.
Winter is Al Khafjī's best season of the year to visit on our travel score. For the whole year in context, see Al Khafjī's year-round climate.
- Avg daytime high
- 20°C
- coldest season of the year
- Avg overnight low
- 12°C
- Rainfall
- 67 mm
- 11 wet days
- Avg wind
- 17 km/h
- Travel score
- 7.8
- best season of the year
- Months
- Dec · Jan · Feb
Temperature in Al Khafjī in Winter
Across winter, daytime highs hold fairly steady around 20°C.
A typical winter day in Al Khafjī reaches about 20°C and drops to 12°C overnight. The warmest of the three months is December, the coolest January.
How winter really feels in Al Khafjī
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.
Al Khafjī 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 | 19° / 11° | 29 | 4.2 | 10.4 | 7.4 |
| Feb | 21° / 12° | 14 | 2.7 | 11 | 8.1 |
| Mar | 25° / 16° | 16 | 2.4 | 11.8 | 8.6 |
| Apr | 31° / 21° | 6 | 1.4 | 12.7 | 5.9 |
| May | 37° / 27° | 2 | 0.2 | 13.4 | 2.1 |
| Jun | 42° / 31° | 0 | 0 | 13.8 | 0.0 |
| Jul | 43° / 32° | 0 | 0 | 13.6 | 0.0 |
| Aug | 43° / 32° | 0 | 0 | 13 | 0.0 |
| Sep | 40° / 28° | 0 | 0 | 12.2 | 0.4 |
| Oct | 35° / 24° | 2 | 0.4 | 11.3 | 3.5 |
| Nov | 27° / 18° | 29 | 3 | 10.6 | 7.8 |
| Dec | 21° / 13° | 25 | 4.1 | 10.2 | 7.9 |
Cloud cover in Winter
The sky is clear or mostly clear about 64% of the time across winter.
Chance of precipitation in Winter
Al Khafjī gets around 67 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 17 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 4.0 kWh/m².
Hazard calendar for Al Khafjī
In winter, Al Khafjī overlaps its dust season. The full year is below, with each hazard's peak months called out.
Al Khafjī sees seasonal dust haze (February–August), heaviest in May.
Is winter a good time to visit Al Khafjī?
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 Al Khafjī for general sightseeing.
What to pack for Al Khafjī in Winter
From winter's temperature range, rain chance, sun and wind — what's worth putting in the bag.
In winter, Al Khafjī sees daytime highs around 20°C and nights near 12°C. Worth packing: sun protection. About 11 days see rain.
Sea temperature near Al Khafjī in Winter
The nearest coast averages about 19°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 15 km away) is warmest in August at about 33°C and coldest in February near 17°C.
It's comfortable for a long swim from Apr 1 to Dec 27 — about 8.9 months when the water holds above 20°C.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sea temperature (°C) | 18 | 17 | 18 | 22 | 26 | 30 | 32 | 33 | 32 | 29 | 26 | 21 |
| Comfort | Cool | Cool | Cool | Refreshing | Warm | Tropical | Tropical | Tropical | Tropical | Tropical | Warm | Refreshing |
| Sea temperature (°C) | Comfort | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 18 | Cool |
| Feb | 17 | Cool |
| Mar | 18 | Cool |
| Apr | 22 | Refreshing |
| May | 26 | Warm |
| Jun | 30 | Tropical |
| Jul | 32 | Tropical |
| Aug | 33 | Tropical |
| Sep | 32 | Tropical |
| Oct | 29 | Tropical |
| Nov | 26 | Warm |
| Dec | 21 | Refreshing |
UV index in Al Khafjī in Winter
Clear-sky midday UV across winter averages around 4 — 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 Khafjī peaks around June 23 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) | 4 | 4 | 6 | 5 | 8 | 10 | 10 | 9 | 8 | 7 | 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 | 4 | Moderate |
| Feb | 4 | Moderate |
| Mar | 6 | High |
| Apr | 5 | Moderate |
| May | 8 | Very high |
| Jun | 10 | Very high |
| Jul | 10 | Very high |
| Aug | 9 | Very high |
| Sep | 8 | Very high |
| Oct | 7 | High |
| Nov | 5 | Moderate |
| Dec | 3 | Moderate |
Air quality in Al Khafjī 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 Al Khafjī is worst in July — around 67 µg/m³ PM2.5 (unhealthy), about 1.8× the cleanest month (November, 38 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) | 53 | 50 | 52 | 56 | 56 | 65 | 67 | 60 | 56 | 49 | 38 | 47 |
| Level | Poor | Poor | Poor | Unhealthy | Unhealthy | Unhealthy | Unhealthy | Unhealthy | Unhealthy | Poor | Poor | Poor |
| PM2.5 (µg/m³) | Level | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 53 | Poor |
| Feb | 50 | Poor |
| Mar | 52 | Poor |
| Apr | 56 | Unhealthy |
| May | 56 | Unhealthy |
| Jun | 65 | Unhealthy |
| Jul | 67 | Unhealthy |
| Aug | 60 | Unhealthy |
| Sep | 56 | Unhealthy |
| Oct | 49 | Poor |
| Nov | 38 | Poor |
| Dec | 47 | Poor |
Where is Al Khafjī?
Al Khafjī sits at 28.4°N, 48.5°E, 3 m above sea level, in Saudi Arabia. The nearest listed city is Al Faḩāḩīl, 80 km away.
Topography around Al Khafjī
How much the land rises and falls, and what covers it, within 3, 16 and 80 km of Al Khafjī.
Within 3 km, the terrain around Al Khafjī has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 12 m around an average of 3 m above sea level; within 16 km, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 40 m; within 80 km, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 236 m.
The land around Al Khafjī is covered by artificial surfaces (39%), bare terrain (36%) and water (25%) within 3 km, water (50%) and bare terrain (46%) within 16 km, and bare terrain (55%) and water (44%) within 80 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 Khafjī (28.4391°, 48.4913°, elevation 3 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.