Climate and average weather in Ash Shafā
In Ash Shafā, the summers are sweltering, dry, and clear and the winters are warm and mostly clear.
Over the course of the year, the temperature in Ash Shafā typically varies from 16°C to 38°C, and is rarely below 12°C or above 40°C. June is the hottest month of the year, while January is the coldest.
Based on the travel score, the best times of year to visit Ash Shafā for warm-weather activities are from early January to mid March and mid November to late December.
- Hottest
- Jun
- 38°
- Coldest
- Jan
- 16°
- Wettest
- Jan
- 51 mm
- Driest
- Jul
- 4 mm
- Rain / yr
- 233 mm
- 54 wet days
- Daylight
- 10.7–13.3 h
- shortest–longest
- Elevation
- 2,231 m
- 21.1°N
- Clearest
- Mar
- 20% cloud
Ash Shafā is village in Makkah Province, in western Saudi Arabia.
Air quality: WHO Ambient Air Quality Database. Density & description: Wikidata (CC0), GeoNames.
Ash Shafā 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 mid March.
Temperature through the year
Daily average highs and lows in Ash Shafā, from 1991–2020 of climate data. The shaded bands show the range most days fall in — 10th to 90th percentile.
The hot season lasts 5.0 months, from May 7 to October 6, with daily high temperatures above 35°C. The hottest month of the year in Ash Shafā is June, with an average high of 38°C and low of 27°C.
The cool season lasts 2.7 months, from December 2 to February 21, with daily high temperatures below 27°C. The coldest month of the year in Ash Shafā is January, with an average low of 16°C and high of 24°C.
Days typically run about 10°C warmer than nights year-round.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Avg high (°C) | 24 | 26 | 29 | 32 | 36 | 38 | 37 | 37 | 36 | 33 | 29 | 26 |
| Avg low (°C) | 16 | 17 | 19 | 22 | 25 | 27 | 28 | 27 | 26 | 22 | 19 | 17 |
| Avg high (°C) | Avg low (°C) | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 24 | 16 |
| Feb | 26 | 17 |
| Mar | 29 | 19 |
| Apr | 32 | 22 |
| May | 36 | 25 |
| Jun | 38 | 27 |
| Jul | 37 | 28 |
| Aug | 37 | 27 |
| Sep | 36 | 26 |
| Oct | 33 | 22 |
| Nov | 29 | 19 |
| Dec | 26 | 17 |
How hot and cold Ash Shafā 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, Ash Shafā feels like about 38°C (around June 9). About 195 days a year carry some heat stress, peaking in June.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Feels-like high (°C) | 24 | 26 | 29 | 32 | 36 | 38 | 37 | 37 | 36 | 33 | 29 | 26 |
| Air high (°C) | 24 | 26 | 29 | 32 | 36 | 38 | 37 | 37 | 36 | 33 | 29 | 26 |
| Feels-like low (°C) | 16 | 17 | 19 | 22 | 25 | 27 | 27 | 27 | 26 | 22 | 19 | 17 |
| Air low (°C) | 16 | 17 | 19 | 22 | 25 | 27 | 28 | 27 | 26 | 22 | 19 | 17 |
| Feels-like high (°C) | Air high (°C) | Feels-like low (°C) | Air low (°C) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 24 | 24 | 16 | 16 |
| Feb | 26 | 26 | 17 | 17 |
| Mar | 29 | 29 | 19 | 19 |
| Apr | 32 | 32 | 22 | 22 |
| May | 36 | 36 | 25 | 25 |
| Jun | 38 | 38 | 27 | 27 |
| Jul | 37 | 37 | 27 | 28 |
| Aug | 37 | 37 | 27 | 27 |
| Sep | 36 | 36 | 26 | 26 |
| Oct | 33 | 33 | 22 | 22 |
| Nov | 29 | 29 | 19 | 19 |
| Dec | 26 | 26 | 17 | 17 |
Average hourly temperature in Ash Shafā
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 June afternoons, near 38°C, and coldest before dawn in January, near 16°C.
Ash Shafā 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 | 24° / 16° | 51 | 6 | 10.9 | 8.2 |
| Feb | 26° / 17° | 13 | 2.6 | 11.3 | 8.5 |
| Mar | 29° / 19° | 18 | 4.2 | 11.9 | 6.9 |
| Apr | 32° / 22° | 24 | 5.2 | 12.5 | 4.7 |
| May | 36° / 25° | 21 | 6.8 | 13 | 2.5 |
| Jun | 38° / 27° | 6 | 2.6 | 13.3 | 1.3 |
| Jul | 37° / 28° | 4 | 1.3 | 13.2 | 1.9 |
| Aug | 37° / 27° | 16 | 5.2 | 12.7 | 2.0 |
| Sep | 36° / 26° | 26 | 8.4 | 12.1 | 2.1 |
| Oct | 33° / 22° | 11 | 3.1 | 11.5 | 4.3 |
| Nov | 29° / 19° | 15 | 4.2 | 11 | 7.0 |
| Dec | 26° / 17° | 27 | 4.8 | 10.7 | 8.1 |
Chance of rain
How likely it is to rain on a typical day, and how that shifts across the wetter and drier seasons.
Ash Shafā gets about 233 mm of precipitation a year. On a typical day the chance of rain is mostly dry, but that rises and falls sharply with the seasons.
The wetter season lasts 1.6 months, from around Aug 16 to Oct 3, peaking in September at about 31% chance on a given day. The drier stretch runs the rest of the year, bottoming out around Jul 13.
January is the wettest month by volume, with 51 mm over about 6 wet days; July is the driest, with 4 mm.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rain on a day (%) | 18 | 10 | 13 | 18 | 22 | 9 | 4 | 16 | 27 | 10 | 14 | 16 |
| Rain days | 6 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 7 | 3 | 1 | 5 | 8 | 3 | 4 | 5 |
| Rain on a day (%) | Rain days | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 18 | 6 |
| Feb | 10 | 3 |
| Mar | 13 | 4 |
| Apr | 18 | 5 |
| May | 22 | 7 |
| Jun | 9 | 3 |
| Jul | 4 | 1 |
| Aug | 16 | 5 |
| Sep | 27 | 8 |
| Oct | 10 | 3 |
| Nov | 14 | 4 |
| Dec | 16 | 5 |
Monthly rainfall
Over a full year, Ash Shafā collects about 233 mm of rain across 54 wet days — roughly 19 mm in an average month.
It doesn’t fall evenly. January is the wettest month with 51 mm, while July is the driest at just 4 mm. The three wettest months alone bring about 45% of the year’s total.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rainfall (mm) | 51 | 13 | 18 | 24 | 21 | 6 | 4 | 16 | 26 | 11 | 15 | 27 |
| Rain days | 6 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 7 | 3 | 1 | 5 | 8 | 3 | 4 | 5 |
| Rainfall (mm) | Rain days | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 51 | 6 |
| Feb | 13 | 3 |
| Mar | 18 | 4 |
| Apr | 24 | 5 |
| May | 21 | 7 |
| Jun | 6 | 3 |
| Jul | 4 | 1 |
| Aug | 16 | 5 |
| Sep | 26 | 8 |
| Oct | 11 | 3 |
| Nov | 15 | 4 |
| Dec | 27 | 5 |
Clouds and sunshine
How often the daytime sky is clear, partly cloudy or overcast.
In Ash Shafā, 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 September 12 and lasts for 2.7 months, ending around December 1. The clearest month is October, when the sky is clear, mostly clear, or partly cloudy 95% of the time on average.
The cloudier part of the year begins around December 2 and lasts for 2.3 months, ending around February 9. The cloudiest month is January, when it is overcast or mostly cloudy 19% of the time.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Clearer (%) | 81 | 89 | 91 | 92 | 91 | 93 | 84 | 82 | 90 | 95 | 93 | 86 |
| Cloudier (%) | 19 | 11 | 9 | 8 | 9 | 7 | 16 | 18 | 10 | 5 | 7 | 14 |
| Clearer (%) | Cloudier (%) | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 81 | 19 |
| Feb | 89 | 11 |
| Mar | 91 | 9 |
| Apr | 92 | 8 |
| May | 91 | 9 |
| Jun | 93 | 7 |
| Jul | 84 | 16 |
| Aug | 82 | 18 |
| Sep | 90 | 10 |
| Oct | 95 | 5 |
| Nov | 93 | 7 |
| 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 11, brings about 13 h 18 min of light; the shortest, around January 1, only 10 h 42 min — a swing of roughly 2 h 36 min.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Daylight (h) | 10.9 | 11.3 | 11.9 | 12.5 | 13.0 | 13.3 | 13.2 | 12.7 | 12.1 | 11.5 | 11.0 | 10.7 |
| Sunrise (AM) | 7:03 | 6:55 | 6:33 | 6:04 | 5:45 | 5:41 | 5:49 | 6:01 | 6:09 | 6:19 | 6:35 | 6:53 |
| Sunset (PM) | 5:53 | 6:12 | 6:24 | 6:33 | 6:45 | 6:57 | 6:59 | 6:45 | 6:17 | 5:49 | 5:33 | 5:37 |
| Daylight (h) | Sunrise (AM) | Sunset (PM) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 10.9 | 7:03 | 5:53 |
| Feb | 11.3 | 6:55 | 6:12 |
| Mar | 11.9 | 6:33 | 6:24 |
| Apr | 12.5 | 6:04 | 6:33 |
| May | 13.0 | 5:45 | 6:45 |
| Jun | 13.3 | 5:41 | 6:57 |
| Jul | 13.2 | 5:49 | 6:59 |
| Aug | 12.7 | 6:01 | 6:45 |
| Sep | 12.1 | 6:09 | 6:17 |
| Oct | 11.5 | 6:19 | 5:49 |
| Nov | 11.0 | 6:35 | 5:33 |
| Dec | 10.7 | 6:53 | 5:37 |
Sunny days
How many genuinely sunny days each month brings — days the sky stays clear or mostly clear — banded into plain-language zones.
Ash Shafā averages about 22 sunny days a month — counting the days the sky stays clear or mostly clear — with a clear seasonal swing between 16 and 26 days.
The sunnier stretch runs 2.1 months, from around Sep 29 to Dec 2. The sunniest month is November, with roughly 25 sunny days (brilliant).
The greyest month is September, down near 18 sunny days — about 29% fewer than the November peak.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sunny days | 21 | 22 | 25 | 25 | 25 | 23 | 19 | 17 | 17 | 26 | 25 | 22 |
| Sky | Bright | Brilliant | Brilliant | Brilliant | Brilliant | Brilliant | Bright | Bright | Bright | Brilliant | Brilliant | Bright |
| Sunny days | Sky | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 21 | Bright |
| Feb | 22 | Brilliant |
| Mar | 25 | Brilliant |
| Apr | 25 | Brilliant |
| May | 25 | Brilliant |
| Jun | 23 | Brilliant |
| Jul | 19 | Bright |
| Aug | 17 | Bright |
| Sep | 17 | Bright |
| Oct | 26 | Brilliant |
| Nov | 25 | Brilliant |
| Dec | 22 | 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 Ash Shafā, how humid it feels changes dramatically over the year.
The more humid part of the year lasts 4.4 months, from around July 24 to December 5. The muggiest month is September, when the air feels humid, muggy or worse about 48% of the time.
The most comfortable stretch runs from around December 6 to May 21, and March is the most comfortable month — the air is dry or comfortable 91% of the time.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dry (%) | 55 | 62 | 64 | 55 | 57 | 76 | 74 | 44 | 30 | 36 | 32 | 41 |
| Comfortable (%) | 36 | 30 | 27 | 31 | 25 | 13 | 10 | 14 | 22 | 34 | 42 | 44 |
| Humid (%) | 9 | 8 | 9 | 12 | 14 | 8 | 7 | 14 | 21 | 23 | 25 | 15 |
| Muggy (%) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 4 | 2 | 7 | 20 | 22 | 6 | 1 | 0 |
| Oppressive (%) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 7 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Dry (%) | Comfortable (%) | Humid (%) | Muggy (%) | Oppressive (%) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 55 | 36 | 9 | 0 | 0 |
| Feb | 62 | 30 | 8 | 0 | 0 |
| Mar | 64 | 27 | 9 | 0 | 0 |
| Apr | 55 | 31 | 12 | 1 | 0 |
| May | 57 | 25 | 14 | 4 | 0 |
| Jun | 76 | 13 | 8 | 2 | 0 |
| Jul | 74 | 10 | 7 | 7 | 1 |
| Aug | 44 | 14 | 14 | 20 | 7 |
| Sep | 30 | 22 | 21 | 22 | 5 |
| Oct | 36 | 34 | 23 | 6 | 1 |
| Nov | 32 | 42 | 25 | 1 | 0 |
| Dec | 41 | 44 | 15 | 0 | 0 |
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 Ash Shafā is steady company: average speeds sit near 7 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) | 6 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 7 | 7 | 6 | 6 |
| Feels | calm | calm | calm | calm | calm | calm | calm | calm | calm | calm | calm | calm |
| Wind speed (km/h) | Feels | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 6 | calm |
| Feb | 7 | calm |
| Mar | 7 | calm |
| Apr | 7 | calm |
| May | 7 | calm |
| Jun | 8 | calm |
| Jul | 8 | calm |
| Aug | 8 | calm |
| Sep | 7 | calm |
| Oct | 7 | calm |
| Nov | 6 | calm |
| Dec | 6 | calm |
Hazard calendar for Ash Shafā
When the seasonal hazards worth planning around — the rainy season, tropical-cyclone risk and dust haze — are active through the year.
Ash Shafā sees seasonal dust haze (May–September), heaviest in June.
Best time to visit Ash Shafā
To characterize how pleasant the weather is in Ash Shafā throughout the year, we compute two travel scores — one for general sightseeing, one for beach and pool weather.
Around early March, Ash Shafā is still near the tail of its best-weather window — great conditions with the peak-season crowds already thinning.
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 Ash Shafā for general outdoor tourist activities is from mid November to mid March, with a peak score in the first 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) | 8.2 | 8.4 | 6.9 | 4.7 | 2.6 | 1.3 | 1.9 | 2.0 | 2.1 | 4.3 | 7.0 | 8.1 |
| Rating | ideal | ideal | good | fair | poor | poor | poor | poor | poor | fair | good | ideal |
| Travel score (0–10) | Rating | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 8.2 | ideal |
| Feb | 8.4 | ideal |
| Mar | 6.9 | good |
| Apr | 4.7 | fair |
| May | 2.6 | poor |
| Jun | 1.3 | poor |
| Jul | 1.9 | poor |
| Aug | 2.0 | poor |
| Sep | 2.1 | poor |
| Oct | 4.3 | fair |
| Nov | 7.0 | good |
| Dec | 8.1 | ideal |
The beach/pool score favors clear, rainless days with daytime highs between 24°C and 34°C. Based on this score, the best time of year to visit Ash Shafā for hot-weather activities is from early October to early May, with a peak score in the second week of March.
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 Ash Shafā, 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 June (highs near 38°C), the essentials are light clothes and sun protection. In the cold season around January (highs near 24°C), pack light clothes.
In June, Ash Shafā sees daytime highs around 38°C and nights near 27°C. Pack light clothes and sun protection.
UV index (midday) in Ash Shafā 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 Ash Shafā peaks around July 13 at about 13 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near December 14 at about 6 (high).
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) | 8 | 10 | 12 | 13 | 12 | 12 | 13 | 11 | 11 | 10 | 7 | 6 |
| Level | Very high | Extreme | Extreme | Extreme | Extreme | Extreme | Extreme | Extreme | Extreme | Very high | Very high | High |
| UV index (midday) | Level | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 8 | Very high |
| Feb | 10 | Extreme |
| Mar | 12 | Extreme |
| Apr | 13 | Extreme |
| May | 12 | Extreme |
| Jun | 12 | Extreme |
| Jul | 13 | Extreme |
| Aug | 11 | Extreme |
| Sep | 11 | Extreme |
| Oct | 10 | Very high |
| Nov | 7 | Very high |
| Dec | 6 | High |
Average hourly UV index in Ash Shafā
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 July the burn window is concentrated in the middle of the day: about 8.5 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) | 6.5 | 7 | 8 | 8 | 8.5 | 8.5 | 8.5 | 8 | 8 | 7 | 6 | 5.5 |
| UV ≥ 6 (h/day) | 4 | 5 | 6 | 6 | 6.5 | 6.5 | 6.5 | 5.5 | 5.5 | 5 | 3 | 1 |
| UV ≥ 3 (h/day) | UV ≥ 6 (h/day) | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 6.5 | 4 |
| Feb | 7 | 5 |
| Mar | 8 | 6 |
| Apr | 8 | 6 |
| May | 8.5 | 6.5 |
| Jun | 8.5 | 6.5 |
| Jul | 8.5 | 6.5 |
| Aug | 8 | 5.5 |
| Sep | 8 | 5.5 |
| Oct | 7 | 5 |
| Nov | 6 | 3 |
| Dec | 5.5 | 1 |
Air quality in Ash Shafā 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 Ash Shafā is worst in March — around 55 µg/m³ PM2.5 (poor), and holds fairly steady the rest of the year.
Modeled monthly averages (CAMS reanalysis, 2015–2024).
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PM2.5 (µg/m³) | 46 | 49 | 55 | 54 | 50 | 48 | 40 | 45 | 48 | 44 | 42 | 47 |
| Level | Poor | Poor | Poor | Poor | Poor | Poor | Poor | Poor | Poor | Poor | Poor | Poor |
| PM2.5 (µg/m³) | Level | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 46 | Poor |
| Feb | 49 | Poor |
| Mar | 55 | Poor |
| Apr | 54 | Poor |
| May | 50 | Poor |
| Jun | 48 | Poor |
| Jul | 40 | Poor |
| Aug | 45 | Poor |
| Sep | 48 | Poor |
| Oct | 44 | Poor |
| Nov | 42 | Poor |
| Dec | 47 | Poor |
Growing season
Ash Shafā 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 (%) | 100 | 100 | 100 | 100 | 100 | 100 | 100 | 100 | 100 | 100 | 100 | 100 |
| Frost nights | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Frost-free chance (%) | Frost nights | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 100 | 0 |
| Feb | 100 | 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 | 100 | 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. Ash Shafā banks about 6,195 degree days a year, and the running total — which growers use to time plantings and predict maturity — climbs fastest around June.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Growing degree days (°C·days) | 310 | 321 | 436 | 512 | 626 | 673 | 690 | 681 | 626 | 549 | 420 | 351 |
| Growing degree days (°C·days) | |
|---|---|
| Jan | 310 |
| Feb | 321 |
| Mar | 436 |
| Apr | 512 |
| May | 626 |
| Jun | 673 |
| Jul | 690 |
| Aug | 681 |
| Sep | 626 |
| Oct | 549 |
| Nov | 420 |
| Dec | 351 |
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.
Ash Shafā receives about 6.0 kWh/m² a day of solar energy on average — intense — with a clear seasonal swing between 4.3 and 7.2 kWh/m².
The brighter stretch of the year lasts 6.5 months, from around Mar 4 to Sep 16. The brightest month is May, averaging about 7.2 kWh/m² (intense).
The dimmest month is January, down near 4.5 kWh/m² — roughly 38% less than the May peak.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Solar energy (kWh/m²) | 4.4 | 5.4 | 6.4 | 7.0 | 7.2 | 7.2 | 6.9 | 6.6 | 6.0 | 5.7 | 4.9 | 4.4 |
| Level | Bright | Bright | Intense | Intense | Intense | Intense | Intense | Intense | Intense | Bright | Bright | Bright |
| Solar energy (kWh/m²) | Level | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 4.4 | Bright |
| Feb | 5.4 | Bright |
| Mar | 6.4 | Intense |
| Apr | 7.0 | Intense |
| May | 7.2 | Intense |
| Jun | 7.2 | Intense |
| Jul | 6.9 | Intense |
| Aug | 6.6 | Intense |
| Sep | 6.0 | Intense |
| Oct | 5.7 | Bright |
| Nov | 4.9 | Bright |
| Dec | 4.4 | Bright |
Where is Ash Shafā?
Ash Shafā sits at 21.1°N, 40.3°E, 2,231 m above sea level, in Saudi Arabia. The nearest listed city is Ta'if, 24 km away.
Topography around Ash Shafā
How much the land rises and falls, and what covers it, within 3, 16 and 80 km of Ash Shafā.
Within 3 km, the terrain around Ash Shafā has large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 997 m around an average of 2,152 m above sea level; within 16 km, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 2,114 m; within 80 km, extreme variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 2,609 m.
The land around Ash Shafā is covered by shrubs (59%) within 3 km, shrubs (39%), bare terrain (35%) and grassland (23%) within 16 km, and bare terrain (82%) 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 Ash Shafā (21.0727°, 40.3184°, elevation 2,231 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).