Al Ula weather in May

In May, Al Ula sees average daytime highs of 36°C and overnight lows near 20°C, with 1 mm of rain across 0.4 wet days and about 13.3 hours of daylight. It is the 5th-warmest and 7th-wettest month of the year here.

Highs climb over the month, from about 34°C in the first days to 37°C by the end. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 81% of the time in May, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 13 hours at the start of May to 13 h 30 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, May is Al Ula's 8th-clearest and 3rd-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Al Ula's year-round climate.

Daytime high
36°
5th warmest
Overnight low
20°
8th coldest
Rainfall
1 mm
0.4 wet days
Daylight
13 h 18 min
5:45 AM – 7:04 PM
Cloud cover
20%
8th clearest
Wind
11 km/h
3rd windiest
Solar energy
7.82 kWh/m²
Travel score
2.9
out of 10

Al Ula is city in Saudi Arabia.

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

Temperature in May

Average highAverage lowShaded bands: 10–90% of days

Highs climb over the month, from about 34°C in the first days to 37°C by the end.

A typical May day in Al Ula reaches about 36°C in the afternoon and slips back to 20°C overnight — a 15°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 33°C and 39°C. Set against its neighbours, May runs about 4°C warmer than April and about 3°C cooler than June.

10°20°30°40°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
13419
23419
33419
43419
53419
63419
73419
83419
93520
103520
113520
123520
133520
143520
153520
163620
173621
183621
193621
203621
213621
223721
233721
243721
253722
263722
273722
283722
293722
303822
313822

How May really feels in Al Ula

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
heat index over the day's high
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.

Al Ula 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
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 May

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 81% of the time in May.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 8% of May, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 11%. Skies tend to open up as the month goes on.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
18911
28911
38911
48911
58812
68812
78812
88812
98812
108812
118812
128812
138812
148812
158812
168812
178911
188911
198911
208911
218911
228911
239010
249010
259010
269010
27919
28919
29928
30928
31937

Chance of precipitation in May

Any precipitation

Al Ula gets around 1 mm of rain over 0.4 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 1% and peaks near 3% on the wettest days.

0%10%20%30%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
13
23
32
42
52
62
72
82
92
102
112
122
132
142
152
162
171
181
191
201
211
221
231
241
251
261
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 100% of days. It rarely turns muggy — the humid and sticky bands barely register.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)
1991
2991
3991
4991
5991
6991
7991
8991
9991
10991
11991
12991
13991
14991
151000
161000
171000
181000
191000
201000
211000
221000
231000
241000
251000
261000
271000
281000
291000
301000
311000

Wind in May

Winds average 11 km/h in May.

Across May, daily wind ranges from about 11 km/h on the calmest days to 11 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

051015151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
111calm
211calm
311calm
411calm
511calm
611calm
711calm
811calm
911calm
1011calm
1111calm
1211calm
1311calm
1411calm
1511calm
1611calm
1711calm
1811calm
1911calm
2011calm
2111calm
2211calm
2311calm
2411calm
2511calm
2611calm
2711calm
2811calm
2911calm
3011calm
3111calm

Sunrise & sunset in May

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 13 hours at the start of May to 13 h 30 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 5:56 AM to 5:40 AM, and sunset from 6:55 PM to 7:12 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
113.05:566:55
213.05:556:56
313.05:546:56
413.15:536:57
513.15:536:57
613.15:526:58
713.15:516:59
813.15:506:59
913.25:507:00
1013.25:497:00
1113.25:487:01
1213.25:487:01
1313.25:477:02
1413.35:477:03
1513.35:467:03
1613.35:457:04
1713.35:457:04
1813.35:447:05
1913.45:447:05
2013.45:437:06
2113.45:437:06
2213.45:437:07
2313.45:427:08
2413.45:427:08
2513.55:417:09
2613.55:417:09
2713.55:417:10
2813.55:407:10
2913.55:407:11
3013.55:407:11
3113.55:407:12

Solar energy in May

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in May, about 7.82 kWh/m².

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 — May's 7.82 kWh/m² sits near the top of that range.

02468151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
17.7Intense
27.7Intense
37.7Intense
47.7Intense
57.7Intense
67.7Intense
77.8Intense
87.8Intense
97.8Intense
107.8Intense
117.8Intense
127.8Intense
137.8Intense
147.8Intense
157.8Intense
167.8Intense
177.8Intense
187.9Intense
197.9Intense
207.9Intense
217.9Intense
227.9Intense
237.9Intense
247.9Intense
257.9Intense
267.9Intense
277.9Intense
287.9Intense
297.9Intense
307.9Intense
318.0Intense
Planning a trip in May

Hazard calendar for Al Ula

In seasonPeak

In May, Al Ula sits inside its dust season. The full year is below, with each hazard's peak months called out.

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 May a good time to visit Al Ula?

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

2.9
Sightseeing
8th-best month of the year
6.6
Beach & pool
6th-best month of the year

May is a weaker month for outdoor sightseeing in Al Ula. The water and warmth also suit a beach or pool day.

What to pack for Al Ula in May

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

In May, Al Ula sees daytime highs around 36°C and nights near 20°C. Pack light clothes and sun protection.

light clothessun protection

UV index in Al Ula in May

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in May peaks around 12 (very high — sun protection essential). 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 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 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
May 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).