Climate and average weather in Al Ula
In Al Ula, the summers are sweltering, dry, and clear and the winters are mild and clear.
Over the course of the year, the temperature in Al Ula typically varies from 7°C to 40°C, and is rarely below 3°C or above 43°C. August is the hottest month of the year, while January is the coldest.
Based on the travel score, the best times of year to visit Al Ula for warm-weather activities are from early January to late March and early November to late December.
- Hottest
- Aug
- 40°
- Coldest
- Jan
- 7°
- Wettest
- Jan
- 5 mm
- Driest
- Jun
- 0 mm
- Rain / yr
- 24 mm
- 5 wet days
- Daylight
- 10.3–13.7 h
- shortest–longest
- Elevation
- 692 m
- 26.6°N
- Clearest
- Jun
- 4% cloud
Al Ula is city in Saudi Arabia.
Air quality: WHO Ambient Air Quality Database. Density & description: Wikidata (CC0), GeoNames.
Al Ula weather by month, at a glance
The whole year in one picture — sky, rain, humidity, temperature and travel score. Click any band to jump to its full chart.
Each stripe is one measure across the whole year, stacked so a single day reads top to bottom. The sky band runs overcast grey on top down to clear blue at the base — more blue means sunnier — followed by the rainfall curve, the humidity band, a temperature strip that tints each stretch of the year by how warm its average high is, and the travel-score line at the foot. Scan straight down any date to read that day across every measure at once; the score climbs highest around early January to late March.
Temperature through the year
Daily average highs and lows in Al Ula, from 1991–2020 of climate data. The shaded bands show the range most days fall in — 10th to 90th percentile.
The hot season lasts 4.8 months, from May 15 to October 8, with daily high temperatures above 35°C. The hottest month of the year in Al Ula is August, with an average high of 40°C and low of 26°C.
The cool season lasts 2.9 months, from November 30 to February 24, with daily high temperatures below 24°C. The coldest month of the year in Al Ula is January, with an average low of 7°C and high of 21°C.
Days typically run about 15°C warmer than nights year-round.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Avg high (°C) | 21 | 23 | 27 | 31 | 36 | 39 | 40 | 40 | 39 | 34 | 27 | 22 |
| Avg low (°C) | 7 | 9 | 12 | 16 | 20 | 23 | 25 | 26 | 23 | 19 | 13 | 9 |
| Avg high (°C) | Avg low (°C) | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 21 | 7 |
| Feb | 23 | 9 |
| Mar | 27 | 12 |
| Apr | 31 | 16 |
| May | 36 | 20 |
| Jun | 39 | 23 |
| Jul | 40 | 25 |
| Aug | 40 | 26 |
| Sep | 39 | 23 |
| Oct | 34 | 19 |
| Nov | 27 | 13 |
| Dec | 22 | 9 |
How hot and cold Al Ula really feels
The felt-temperature range through the year — heat index on the day's high (summer humidity), wind chill on the night's low (winter wind). The dashed lines are the plain thermometer; the gap is how much hotter or colder it really feels.
On the hottest afternoons, once humidity is folded in, Al Ula feels like about 40°C (around August 16). About 189 days a year carry some heat stress, and 85 of them tip into dangerous heat (feels-like above 39°C), peaking in August.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Feels-like high (°C) | 21 | 23 | 27 | 31 | 36 | 39 | 40 | 40 | 38 | 34 | 27 | 22 |
| Air high (°C) | 21 | 23 | 27 | 31 | 36 | 39 | 40 | 40 | 39 | 34 | 27 | 22 |
| Feels-like low (°C) | 5 | 7 | 12 | 16 | 20 | 23 | 25 | 26 | 23 | 19 | 13 | 8 |
| Air low (°C) | 7 | 9 | 12 | 16 | 20 | 23 | 25 | 26 | 23 | 19 | 13 | 9 |
| Feels-like high (°C) | Air high (°C) | Feels-like low (°C) | Air low (°C) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 21 | 21 | 5 | 7 |
| Feb | 23 | 23 | 7 | 9 |
| Mar | 27 | 27 | 12 | 12 |
| Apr | 31 | 31 | 16 | 16 |
| May | 36 | 36 | 20 | 20 |
| Jun | 39 | 39 | 23 | 23 |
| Jul | 40 | 40 | 25 | 25 |
| Aug | 40 | 40 | 26 | 26 |
| Sep | 38 | 39 | 23 | 23 |
| Oct | 34 | 34 | 19 | 19 |
| Nov | 27 | 27 | 13 | 13 |
| Dec | 22 | 22 | 8 | 9 |
Average hourly temperature in Al Ula
A compact picture of the whole year, hour by hour: each column is a day, each row an hour, and the color is the modeled average temperature. Darker overlays mark night, lighter ones the civil-twilight hours around sunrise and sunset.
Read left to right for the day of the year and top to bottom for the hour of the day; the color is the modeled temperature, cool blues through to hot reds on the same scale as the other charts. A vertical slice is a single day's swing — coolest just before dawn, warmest in the mid-afternoon — while a horizontal slice follows one hour across the seasons. The darker overlay marks night and the lighter one the twilight around sunrise and sunset. Colors run warmest on August afternoons, near 40°C, and coldest before dawn in January, near 7°C.
Al Ula weather by month
Every month at a glance. Click a month for its detailed page.
| Month | High / Low (°C) | Rainfall (mm) | Wet days | Daylight (hours) | Travel score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 21° / 7° | 5 | 0.7 | 10.5 | 8.5 |
| Feb | 23° / 9° | 2 | 0.4 | 11.1 | 9.1 |
| Mar | 27° / 12° | 4 | 0.7 | 11.8 | 8.7 |
| Apr | 31° / 16° | 2 | 0.7 | 12.6 | 5.7 |
| May | 36° / 20° | 1 | 0.4 | 13.3 | 2.9 |
| Jun | 39° / 23° | 0 | 0 | 13.6 | 0.9 |
| Jul | 40° / 25° | 0 | 0.1 | 13.5 | 0.3 |
| Aug | 40° / 26° | 0 | 0 | 12.9 | 0.0 |
| Sep | 39° / 23° | 0 | 0 | 12.2 | 1.1 |
| Oct | 34° / 19° | 1 | 0.3 | 11.4 | 4.3 |
| Nov | 27° / 13° | 5 | 1 | 10.7 | 8.4 |
| Dec | 22° / 9° | 4 | 0.6 | 10.4 | 8.9 |
Chance of rain
How likely it is to rain on a typical day, and how that shifts across the wetter and drier seasons.
Al Ula gets about 24 mm of precipitation a year. On a typical day the chance of rain is mostly dry, and that barely changes with the seasons — rain is spread fairly evenly through the year.
January is the wettest month by volume, with 5 mm over about 1 wet days; June is the driest, with 0 mm.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rain on a day (%) | 2 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 2 |
| Rain days | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Rain on a day (%) | Rain days | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 2 | 1 |
| Feb | 1 | 0 |
| Mar | 2 | 1 |
| Apr | 2 | 1 |
| May | 1 | 0 |
| Jun | 0 | 0 |
| Jul | 0 | 0 |
| Aug | 0 | 0 |
| Sep | 0 | 0 |
| Oct | 1 | 0 |
| Nov | 3 | 1 |
| Dec | 2 | 1 |
Monthly rainfall
Over a full year, Al Ula collects about 24 mm of rain across 5 wet days — roughly 2 mm in an average month.
It doesn’t fall evenly. January is the wettest month with 5 mm, while June is the driest at just 0 mm. The three wettest months alone bring about 58% of the year’s total.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rainfall (mm) | 5 | 2 | 4 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 5 | 4 |
| Rain days | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Rainfall (mm) | Rain days | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 5 | 1 |
| Feb | 2 | 0 |
| Mar | 4 | 1 |
| Apr | 2 | 1 |
| May | 1 | 0 |
| Jun | 0 | 0 |
| Jul | 0 | 0 |
| Aug | 0 | 0 |
| Sep | 0 | 0 |
| Oct | 1 | 0 |
| Nov | 5 | 1 |
| Dec | 4 | 1 |
Clouds and sunshine
How often the daytime sky is clear, partly cloudy or overcast.
In Al Ula, the average share of the sky covered by clouds shows moderate seasonal variation over the course of the year.
The clearer part of the year begins around May 28 and lasts for 4.8 months, ending around October 20. The clearest month is July, when the sky is clear, mostly clear, or partly cloudy 100% of the time on average.
The cloudier part of the year begins around October 21 and lasts for 7.2 months, ending around May 27. The cloudiest month is January, when it is overcast or mostly cloudy 14% of the time.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Clearer (%) | 86 | 86 | 87 | 88 | 89 | 98 | 100 | 99 | 99 | 93 | 89 | 86 |
| Cloudier (%) | 14 | 14 | 13 | 12 | 11 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 7 | 11 | 14 |
| Clearer (%) | Cloudier (%) | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 86 | 14 |
| Feb | 86 | 14 |
| Mar | 87 | 13 |
| Apr | 88 | 12 |
| May | 89 | 11 |
| Jun | 98 | 2 |
| Jul | 100 | 0 |
| Aug | 99 | 1 |
| Sep | 99 | 1 |
| Oct | 93 | 7 |
| Nov | 89 | 11 |
| Dec | 86 | 14 |
Daylight, sunrise and sunset
Hours of daylight through the year, with sunrise and sunset times.
The gold band is daylight — sunrise runs along its lower edge, sunset along the upper — so it widens toward summer and pinches toward winter, with night the dark area above and below. The longest day, around June 14, brings about 13 h 42 min of light; the shortest, around December 14, only 10 h 18 min — a swing of roughly 3 h 24 min.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Daylight (h) | 10.5 | 11.1 | 11.8 | 12.6 | 13.3 | 13.6 | 13.5 | 12.9 | 12.2 | 11.4 | 10.7 | 10.4 |
| Sunrise (AM) | 7:23 | 7:11 | 6:44 | 6:10 | 5:45 | 5:39 | 5:48 | 6:04 | 6:18 | 6:33 | 6:53 | 7:14 |
| Sunset (PM) | 5:53 | 6:15 | 6:32 | 6:47 | 7:04 | 7:18 | 7:20 | 7:01 | 6:27 | 5:54 | 5:34 | 5:35 |
| Daylight (h) | Sunrise (AM) | Sunset (PM) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 10.5 | 7:23 | 5:53 |
| Feb | 11.1 | 7:11 | 6:15 |
| Mar | 11.8 | 6:44 | 6:32 |
| Apr | 12.6 | 6:10 | 6:47 |
| May | 13.3 | 5:45 | 7:04 |
| Jun | 13.6 | 5:39 | 7:18 |
| Jul | 13.5 | 5:48 | 7:20 |
| Aug | 12.9 | 6:04 | 7:01 |
| Sep | 12.2 | 6:18 | 6:27 |
| Oct | 11.4 | 6:33 | 5:54 |
| Nov | 10.7 | 6:53 | 5:34 |
| Dec | 10.4 | 7:14 | 5:35 |
Sunny days
How many genuinely sunny days each month brings — days the sky stays clear or mostly clear — banded into plain-language zones.
Al Ula averages about 26 sunny days a month — counting the days the sky stays clear or mostly clear — with a clear seasonal swing between 22 and 30 days.
The sunnier stretch runs 5.3 months, from around May 27 to Nov 4. The sunniest month is June, with roughly 29 sunny days (brilliant).
The greyest month is January, down near 23 sunny days — about 22% fewer than the June peak.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sunny days | 23 | 22 | 25 | 24 | 25 | 29 | 30 | 30 | 28 | 27 | 24 | 23 |
| Sky | Bright | Brilliant | Brilliant | Brilliant | Brilliant | Brilliant | Brilliant | Brilliant | Brilliant | Brilliant | Brilliant | Bright |
| Sunny days | Sky | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 23 | Bright |
| Feb | 22 | Brilliant |
| Mar | 25 | Brilliant |
| Apr | 24 | Brilliant |
| May | 25 | Brilliant |
| Jun | 29 | Brilliant |
| Jul | 30 | Brilliant |
| Aug | 30 | Brilliant |
| Sep | 28 | Brilliant |
| Oct | 27 | Brilliant |
| Nov | 24 | Brilliant |
| Dec | 23 | Bright |
Humidity comfort
Share of days at each humidity comfort level, based on the dew point — the measure that tracks how muggy it actually feels.
Humidity comfort is graded by the dew point — the temperature at which the air would be fully saturated — because it tracks how muggy it actually feels far better than relative humidity does. A low dew point feels dry and crisp; a high one feels sticky and oppressive no matter the reading on a humidity gauge.
In Al Ula, the air stays dry or comfortable essentially all year. Even in November, the muggiest month, it feels humid or worse only about 0% of the time — humidity is not something you need to plan around here.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dry (%) | 99 | 99 | 99 | 99 | 100 | 100 | 97 | 96 | 98 | 98 | 97 | 99 |
| Comfortable (%) | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 4 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 1 |
| Dry (%) | Comfortable (%) | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 99 | 1 |
| Feb | 99 | 1 |
| Mar | 99 | 1 |
| Apr | 99 | 1 |
| May | 100 | 0 |
| Jun | 100 | 0 |
| Jul | 97 | 3 |
| Aug | 96 | 4 |
| Sep | 98 | 2 |
| Oct | 98 | 1 |
| Nov | 97 | 3 |
| Dec | 99 | 1 |
Wind
Average wind speed through the year, banded into plain-language speed zones so a number reads as 'breezy' or 'calm' without knowing the scale.
This is the average sustained wind speed at the standard 10 metres above open ground — the steady flow a weather station reports, not the sharper gusts that come and go, which can run half again as fast. It's the number that says whether a place is generally breezy or calm.
Wind in Al Ula is steady company: average speeds sit near 10 km/h — calm — in every month of the year, with no meaningful windy or calm season.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wind speed (km/h) | 10 | 10 | 11 | 11 | 11 | 11 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 9 | 9 | 9 |
| Feels | calm | calm | calm | calm | calm | calm | calm | calm | calm | calm | calm | calm |
| Wind speed (km/h) | Feels | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 10 | calm |
| Feb | 10 | calm |
| Mar | 11 | calm |
| Apr | 11 | calm |
| May | 11 | calm |
| Jun | 11 | calm |
| Jul | 10 | calm |
| Aug | 10 | calm |
| Sep | 10 | calm |
| Oct | 9 | calm |
| Nov | 9 | calm |
| Dec | 9 | calm |
Hazard calendar for Al Ula
When the seasonal hazards worth planning around — the rainy season, tropical-cyclone risk and dust haze — are active through the year.
Al Ula sees seasonal dust haze (April–June), heaviest in May.
Best time to visit Al Ula
To characterize how pleasant the weather is in Al Ula throughout the year, we compute two travel scores — one for general sightseeing, one for beach and pool weather.
Around mid January, Al Ula is still near the start of its best-weather window — great conditions with the peak-season crowds not yet at full swing.
Inferred from the travel-score curve; month-by-month visitor numbers are a planned addition.
The travel score favors clear, rainless days with daytime highs between 18°C and 28°C. Based on this score, the best time of year to visit Al Ula for general outdoor tourist activities is from early November to late March, with a peak score in the last week of February.
The travel score (filled area), and its constituents: the temperature score (red line), the cloud cover score (blue line), and the precipitation score (green line).
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Travel score (0–10) | 8.5 | 9.1 | 8.6 | 5.8 | 3.0 | 0.9 | 0.3 | 0.0 | 1.1 | 4.3 | 8.3 | 8.9 |
| Rating | ideal | ideal | ideal | good | poor | poor | poor | poor | poor | fair | ideal | ideal |
| Travel score (0–10) | Rating | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 8.5 | ideal |
| Feb | 9.1 | ideal |
| Mar | 8.6 | ideal |
| Apr | 5.8 | good |
| May | 3.0 | poor |
| Jun | 0.9 | poor |
| Jul | 0.3 | poor |
| Aug | 0.0 | poor |
| Sep | 1.1 | poor |
| Oct | 4.3 | fair |
| Nov | 8.3 | ideal |
| Dec | 8.9 | ideal |
The beach/pool score favors clear, rainless days with daytime highs between 24°C and 34°C. Based on this score, the best times of year to visit Al Ula for hot-weather activities run from late February to mid May and again from mid October to early December, with a peak score in the first week of April.
The beach/pool score (filled area), and its constituents: the temperature score (red line), the cloud cover score (blue line), and the precipitation score (green line).
What to pack for Al Ula, by month
Month by month, what's worth putting in the bag — from the temperature range, rain chance, sun and wind. Tap a month for a quick packing note.
For a warm-season trip around August (highs near 40°C), the essentials are light clothes and sun protection. In the cold season around January (highs near 21°C), pack a warm layer.
In August, Al Ula sees daytime highs around 40°C and nights near 26°C. Pack light clothes and sun protection.
UV index (midday) in Al Ula by month
Clear-sky midday UV index through the year, shaded by the WHO exposure levels — how much sun protection each month calls for.
Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Al Ula peaks around June 17 at about 12 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near December 20 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 | 7 | 10 | 8 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 11 | 8 | 6 | 5 |
| Level | Moderate | Very high | Extreme | Very high | Extreme | Extreme | Extreme | Extreme | Extreme | Very high | High | Moderate |
| UV index (midday) | Level | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 5 | Moderate |
| Feb | 7 | Very high |
| Mar | 10 | Extreme |
| Apr | 8 | Very high |
| May | 12 | Extreme |
| Jun | 12 | Extreme |
| Jul | 12 | Extreme |
| Aug | 12 | Extreme |
| Sep | 11 | Extreme |
| Oct | 8 | Very high |
| Nov | 6 | High |
| Dec | 5 | Moderate |
Average hourly UV index in Al Ula
Modeled clear-sky UV for every hour of every day — when in the day sun protection actually matters.
The whole year hour by hour: each column is a day, each row an hour, and the color is the modeled clear-sky UV index — the midday peak scaled down as the sun sits lower in the sky. Darker overlays mark night, lighter ones the civil-twilight hours around sunrise and sunset.
UV falls off far faster than brightness as the sun drops, so even in June the burn window is concentrated in the middle of the day: about 9 hours a day reach index 3 (protection recommended), and 6.5 hours reach 6 or more. Mornings and late afternoons stay comparatively gentle year round.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| UV ≥ 3 (h/day) | 4.5 | 6 | 7 | 7 | 8.5 | 9 | 8.5 | 8.5 | 7.5 | 6.5 | 5.5 | 4 |
| UV ≥ 6 (h/day) | 0 | 3 | 5 | 4.5 | 6 | 6.5 | 6.5 | 6.5 | 5.5 | 4 | 1 | 0 |
| UV ≥ 3 (h/day) | UV ≥ 6 (h/day) | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 4.5 | 0 |
| Feb | 6 | 3 |
| Mar | 7 | 5 |
| Apr | 7 | 4.5 |
| May | 8.5 | 6 |
| Jun | 9 | 6.5 |
| Jul | 8.5 | 6.5 |
| Aug | 8.5 | 6.5 |
| Sep | 7.5 | 5.5 |
| Oct | 6.5 | 4 |
| Nov | 5.5 | 1 |
| Dec | 4 | 0 |
Air quality in Al Ula by month
Average fine-particle pollution (PM2.5) through the year — so you can see which months the air is worst, not just the yearly average.
Air quality in Al Ula is worst in April — around 39 µg/m³ PM2.5 (poor), about 2.0× the cleanest month (July, 19 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) | 25 | 27 | 35 | 39 | 34 | 26 | 19 | 22 | 24 | 20 | 21 | 28 |
| Level | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Poor | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate |
| PM2.5 (µg/m³) | Level | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 25 | Moderate |
| Feb | 27 | Moderate |
| Mar | 35 | Moderate |
| Apr | 39 | Poor |
| May | 34 | Moderate |
| Jun | 26 | Moderate |
| Jul | 19 | Moderate |
| Aug | 22 | Moderate |
| Sep | 24 | Moderate |
| Oct | 20 | Moderate |
| Nov | 21 | Moderate |
| Dec | 28 | Moderate |
Growing season
Al Ula is frost-free year round — even the coldest nights rarely reach freezing, so there is no start or end to the growing season.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Frost-free chance (%) | 97 | 98 | 100 | 100 | 100 | 100 | 100 | 100 | 100 | 100 | 100 | 99 |
| Frost nights | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Frost-free chance (%) | Frost nights | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 97 | 0 |
| Feb | 98 | 0 |
| Mar | 100 | 0 |
| Apr | 100 | 0 |
| May | 100 | 0 |
| Jun | 100 | 0 |
| Jul | 100 | 0 |
| Aug | 100 | 0 |
| Sep | 100 | 0 |
| Oct | 100 | 0 |
| Nov | 100 | 0 |
| Dec | 99 | 0 |
Growing degree days
Growing degree days tally heat above 10°C: each day adds however many degrees its average temperature runs over that threshold, and cold days add nothing. Al Ula banks about 5,184 degree days a year, and the running total — which growers use to time plantings and predict maturity — climbs fastest around August.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Growing degree days (°C·days) | 120 | 164 | 292 | 417 | 557 | 628 | 692 | 711 | 625 | 503 | 301 | 173 |
| Growing degree days (°C·days) | |
|---|---|
| Jan | 120 |
| Feb | 164 |
| Mar | 292 |
| Apr | 417 |
| May | 557 |
| Jun | 628 |
| Jul | 692 |
| Aug | 711 |
| Sep | 625 |
| Oct | 503 |
| Nov | 301 |
| Dec | 173 |
Solar energy
Average daily shortwave solar energy reaching the ground, banded into brightness zones so the number means something at a glance.
Solar energy is how much sunlight actually reaches the ground each day, measured in kilowatt-hours per square metre (kWh/m²) — the combined effect of how long the sun is up, how high it climbs, and how much cloud gets in the way. It's the raw fuel a solar panel has to work with: for scale, 1 kWh/m² a day is dim and wintry, while 7+ is desert-bright.
Al Ula receives about 6.3 kWh/m² a day of solar energy on average — intense — with a clear seasonal swing between 4.1 and 8.0 kWh/m².
The brighter stretch of the year lasts 6.5 months, from around Mar 11 to Sep 25. The brightest month is June, averaging about 8.0 kWh/m² (intense).
The dimmest month is December, down near 4.2 kWh/m² — roughly 47% less than the June peak.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Solar energy (kWh/m²) | 4.5 | 5.4 | 6.5 | 7.5 | 7.8 | 8.0 | 7.7 | 7.3 | 6.6 | 5.7 | 4.7 | 4.2 |
| Level | Bright | Bright | Intense | Intense | Intense | Intense | Intense | Intense | Intense | Bright | Bright | Bright |
| Solar energy (kWh/m²) | Level | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 4.5 | Bright |
| Feb | 5.4 | Bright |
| Mar | 6.5 | Intense |
| Apr | 7.5 | Intense |
| May | 7.8 | Intense |
| Jun | 8.0 | Intense |
| Jul | 7.7 | Intense |
| Aug | 7.3 | Intense |
| Sep | 6.6 | Intense |
| Oct | 5.7 | Bright |
| Nov | 4.7 | Bright |
| Dec | 4.2 | Bright |
Where is Al Ula?
Al Ula sits at 26.6°N, 37.9°E, 692 m above sea level, in Saudi Arabia. The nearest listed city is Taymā’, 128 km away.
Topography around Al Ula
How much the land rises and falls, and what covers it, within 3, 16 and 80 km of Al Ula.
Within 3 km, the terrain around Al Ula has significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 410 m around an average of 780 m above sea level; within 16 km, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 733 m; within 80 km, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,738 m.
The land around Al Ula is covered by bare terrain (75%) within 3 km, bare terrain (94%) within 16 km, and bare terrain (99%) 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 Ula (26.6085°, 37.9232°, elevation 692 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).