Al Ula weather in December

In December, Al Ula sees average daytime highs of 22°C and overnight lows near 9°C, with 4 mm of rain across 0.6 wet days and about 10.4 hours of daylight. It is the 11th-warmest and 3rd-wettest month of the year here.

Highs ease over the month, from about 24°C in the first days to 21°C by the end. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 75% of the time in December, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 10 h 24 min at the start of December to 10 h 24 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, December is Al Ula's 11th-clearest and 10th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Al Ula's year-round climate.

Daytime high
22°
11th warmest
Overnight low
3rd coldest
Rainfall
4 mm
0.6 wet days
Daylight
10 h 18 min
7:14 AM – 5:35 PM
Cloud cover
23%
11th clearest
Wind
9 km/h
10th windiest
Solar energy
4.19 kWh/m²
Travel score
8.9
out of 10

Al Ula is city in Saudi Arabia.

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

Temperature in December

Average highAverage lowShaded bands: 10–90% of days

Highs ease over the month, from about 24°C in the first days to 21°C by the end.

A typical December day in Al Ula reaches about 22°C in the afternoon and slips back to 9°C overnight — a 13°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 18°C and 26°C. Set against its neighbours, December runs about 5°C cooler than November and about 2°C warmer than January.

10°20°30°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
12410
22410
32410
42410
52310
62310
72310
82310
9239
10239
11239
12239
13229
14229
15229
16229
17229
18229
19229
20229
21228
22228
23228
24218
25218
26218
27218
28218
29218
30218
31218

How December really feels in Al Ula

Once humidity and wind are folded in, December averages 0 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
0
heat index over the day's high
Days feeling ≤ C
0
wind chill below the day's low

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

Al Ula weather by month

How December compares with the rest of the year at a glance. December is the 11th-warmest and 3rd-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan21° / 50.710.58.5
Feb23° / 20.411.19.1
Mar27° / 12°40.711.88.7
Apr31° / 16°20.712.65.7
May36° / 20°10.413.32.9
Jun39° / 23°0013.60.9
Jul40° / 25°00.113.50.3
Aug40° / 26°0012.90.0
Sep39° / 23°0012.21.1
Oct34° / 19°10.311.44.3
Nov27° / 13°5110.78.4
Dec22° / 40.610.48.9

Cloud cover in December

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 75% of the time in December.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 11% of December, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 14%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
18515
28515
38515
48515
58515
68614
78614
88614
98812
108812
118812
128812
138812
148911
158911
168911
178812
188713
198713
208614
218614
228614
238416
248416
258416
268218
278218
288218
298218
308119
318119

Chance of precipitation in December

Any precipitation

Al Ula gets around 4 mm of rain over 0.6 wet days in December. 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 4% on the wettest days.

0%10%20%30%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
12
22
32
42
51
61
71
81
91
101
111
121
131
141
151
161
171
181
192
202
212
222
233
243
253
263
273
284
294
303
313

Humidity in December

DryComfortableHumidMuggyOppressiveMiserable

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

By dew point, December lands in the dry band about 99% of days. It rarely turns muggy — the humid and sticky bands barely register.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)
19910
29910
39910
49811
59811
69811
79811
89811
99811
109910
119910
129910
139910
149910
159910
169910
179910
189910
199910
209910
219910
229910
239910
249820
259820
269820
279820
289820
299820
309820
319820

Wind in December

Winds average 9 km/h in December.

Across December, daily wind ranges from about 9 km/h on the calmest days to 10 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

051015151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
19calm
29calm
39calm
49calm
59calm
69calm
79calm
89calm
99calm
109calm
119calm
1210calm
1310calm
1410calm
1510calm
1610calm
1710calm
1810calm
1910calm
2010calm
2110calm
2210calm
2310calm
2410calm
2510calm
2610calm
2710calm
2810calm
299calm
309calm
319calm

Sunrise & sunset in December

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 10 h 24 min at the start of December to 10 h 24 min by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days grow by about 0 minutes over December. Sunrise moves from 7:05 AM to 7:21 AM, and sunset from 5:32 PM to 5:42 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
110.47:055:32
210.47:055:32
310.47:065:32
410.47:075:32
510.47:075:32
610.47:085:32
710.47:095:32
810.47:095:32
910.47:105:33
1010.47:115:33
1110.47:115:33
1210.47:125:33
1310.47:135:34
1410.37:135:34
1510.37:145:34
1610.37:145:35
1710.37:155:35
1810.37:155:35
1910.37:165:36
2010.37:165:36
2110.37:175:37
2210.37:175:37
2310.37:185:38
2410.37:185:38
2510.37:195:39
2610.37:195:39
2710.37:205:40
2810.37:205:40
2910.37:205:41
3010.37:215:41
3110.47:215:42

Solar energy in December

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in December, about 4.19 kWh/m² — the year's lowest.

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 4.19 kWh/m² to a high of 8 kWh/m² in June across the year — December's 4.19 kWh/m² sits near the bottom.

012345151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
14.3Bright
24.3Bright
34.3Bright
44.3Bright
54.3Bright
64.3Bright
74.3Bright
84.3Bright
94.2Bright
104.2Bright
114.2Bright
124.2Bright
134.2Bright
144.2Bright
154.2Bright
164.2Bright
174.2Bright
184.2Bright
194.2Bright
204.2Bright
214.2Bright
224.2Bright
234.2Bright
244.1Bright
254.1Bright
264.1Bright
274.1Bright
284.1Bright
294.1Bright
304.1Bright
314.2Bright
Planning a trip in December

Hazard calendar for Al Ula

In seasonPeak

None of Al Ula's seasonal hazards are active in December. The full-year calendar below shows when the rainy season, cyclone risk and dust haze do peak.

Al Ula sees seasonal dust haze (April–June), heaviest in May.

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

Is December a good time to visit Al Ula?

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

8.9
Sightseeing
2nd-best month of the year
6.3
Beach & pool
7th-best month of the year

December is one of the better times to visit Al Ula for general sightseeing. The water and warmth also suit a beach or pool day.

What to pack for Al Ula in December

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

In December, Al Ula sees daytime highs around 22°C and nights near 9°C. Worth packing: light clothes.

light clothes

UV index in Al Ula in December

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in December peaks around 5 — 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 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.

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecHighVery highExtremeVery highHighModerateJun 17UV 12Dec 20UV 5
UV index (midday)Level
Jan5Moderate
Feb7Very high
Mar10Extreme
Apr8Very high
May12Extreme
Jun12Extreme
Jul12Extreme
Aug12Extreme
Sep11Extreme
Oct8Very high
Nov6High
Dec5Moderate

Air quality in Al Ula in December

GoodModeratePoorUnhealthyVery unhealthy

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

0204060JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecModeratePoorModerateApr 1538 µg/m³Jul 1920 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan25Moderate
Feb27Moderate
Mar35Moderate
Apr39Poor
May34Moderate
Jun26Moderate
Jul19Moderate
Aug22Moderate
Sep24Moderate
Oct20Moderate
Nov21Moderate
Dec28Moderate
Location & terrain

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.

Taymā’Al WajhUmlujDubaTabukYanbuSulţānahMedina

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.

3 km
410 m
16 km
733 m
80 km
1,738 m
treesshrubscroplandartificial surfacesbare terrain
December weather nearby: Taymā’ 128 km · Al Wajh 151 km · Umluj 188 km · Duba 236 km · Tabuk 240 km · Yanbu 280 km · Sulţānah 288 km · Medina 292 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).