Dhahran weather in January

In January, Dhahran sees average daytime highs of 21°C and overnight lows near 12°C, with 19 mm of rain across 3.3 wet days and about 10.5 hours of daylight. It is the 12th-warmest and 1st-wettest month of the year here.

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 21°C through the month. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 67% of the time in January, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 10 h 24 min at the start of January to 10 h 48 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, January is Dhahran's 11th-clearest and 5th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Dhahran's year-round climate.

Daytime high
21°
12th warmest
Overnight low
12°
1st coldest
Rainfall
19 mm
3.3 wet days
Daylight
10 h 30 min
6:33 AM – 5:04 PM
Cloud cover
31%
11th clearest
Wind
16 km/h
5th windiest
Solar energy
4.15 kWh/m²
Travel score
8.0
out of 10

Dhahran is city in Saudi Arabia.

Density
995/km²
people per km²

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

Temperature in January

Average highAverage lowShaded bands: 10–90% of days

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 21°C through the month.

A typical January day in Dhahran reaches about 21°C in the afternoon and slips back to 12°C overnight — a 9°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 17°C and 24°C. Set against its neighbours, January runs about 2°C cooler than December and about 2°C cooler than February.

10°15°20°25°30°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
12212
22112
32112
42112
52112
62112
72112
82112
92112
102112
112112
122112
132012
142011
152011
162011
172011
182011
192011
202011
212011
222011
232011
242111
252111
262112
272112
282112
292112
302112
312112

How January really feels in Dhahran

Once humidity and wind are folded in, January 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

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

Dhahran weather by month

How January compares with the rest of the year at a glance. January is the 12th-warmest and 1st-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan21° / 12°193.310.58.0
Feb23° / 13°122.311.18.7
Mar27° / 16°142.111.88.1
Apr33° / 21°5112.64.8
May39° / 26°10.113.31.1
Jun42° / 29°0013.60.0
Jul43° / 31°0013.50.0
Aug43° / 30°0012.90.0
Sep40° / 27°0012.20.3
Oct36° / 23°00.211.43.1
Nov28° / 18°152.110.77.3
Dec23° / 14°192.910.48.6

Cloud cover in January

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 67% of the time in January.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 11% of January, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 22%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
17822
27723
37624
47525
57426
67327
77327
87327
97327
107327
117327
127426
137426
147426
157624
167624
177822
187822
197921
208020
218119
228119
238119
248218
258218
268218
278218
288218
298218
308317
318317

Chance of precipitation in January

Any precipitation

Dhahran gets around 19 mm of rain over 3.3 wet days in January, the wettest month. The line is the day-by-day chance of measurable precipitation.

Day to day, the chance of measurable rain averages around 11% and peaks near 12% on the wettest days.

0%10%20%30%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
19
29
39
410
510
611
711
811
912
1012
1112
1212
1312
1412
1512
1612
1712
1812
1911
2011
2111
2210
2310
2410
2510
2610
279
289
299
309
319

Humidity in January

DryComfortableHumidMuggyOppressiveMiserable

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

By dew point, January lands in the dry band about 86% of days. It rarely turns muggy — the humid and sticky bands barely register.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)
181145
280146
381136
481136
581136
681136
782126
883125
983125
1084115
1184115
1285114
1386104
1486104
158893
168893
178983
188983
199073
209172
219172
229172
239172
249082
259082
268992
278992
288992
2988102
3087103
3187103

Wind in January

Winds average 16 km/h in January.

Across January, daily wind ranges from about 16 km/h on the calmest days to 17 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

05101520151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
116light breeze
216light breeze
316light breeze
416light breeze
516light breeze
616light breeze
716light breeze
816light breeze
916light breeze
1016light breeze
1116light breeze
1216light breeze
1317light breeze
1417light breeze
1517light breeze
1617light breeze
1717light breeze
1817light breeze
1917light breeze
2017light breeze
2117light breeze
2217light breeze
2317light breeze
2417light breeze
2517light breeze
2617light breeze
2717light breeze
2817light breeze
2917light breeze
3017light breeze
3117light breeze

Sunrise & sunset in January

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 10 h 24 min at the start of January to 10 h 48 min by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days grow by about 24 minutes over January. Sunrise moves from 6:31 AM to 6:30 AM, and sunset from 4:54 PM to 5:16 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
110.46:314:54
210.46:324:55
310.46:324:55
410.46:324:56
510.46:324:57
610.46:334:57
710.46:334:58
810.46:334:59
910.46:334:59
1010.46:335:00
1110.56:335:01
1210.56:335:01
1310.56:335:02
1410.56:335:03
1510.56:335:04
1610.56:335:04
1710.56:335:05
1810.56:335:06
1910.66:335:07
2010.66:335:07
2110.66:335:08
2210.66:335:09
2310.66:325:10
2410.66:325:10
2510.76:325:11
2610.76:325:12
2710.76:315:13
2810.76:315:13
2910.76:315:14
3010.76:305:15
3110.86:305:16

Solar energy in January

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in January, about 4.15 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 3.96 kWh/m² to a high of 7.69 kWh/m² in June across the year — January's 4.15 kWh/m² sits near the bottom.

024151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
13.9Moderate
23.9Moderate
33.9Moderate
43.9Moderate
54.0Moderate
64.0Moderate
74.0Moderate
84.0Moderate
94.0Moderate
104.0Moderate
114.0Bright
124.0Bright
134.0Bright
144.1Bright
154.1Bright
164.1Bright
174.2Bright
184.2Bright
194.2Bright
204.2Bright
214.3Bright
224.3Bright
234.3Bright
244.4Bright
254.4Bright
264.4Bright
274.5Bright
284.5Bright
294.5Bright
304.6Bright
314.6Bright
Planning a trip in January

Hazard calendar for Dhahran

In seasonPeak

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

Dhahran sees seasonal dust haze (February–August), heaviest in May.

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

Is January a good time to visit Dhahran?

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

8.0
Sightseeing
4th-best month of the year
4.7
Beach & pool
7th-best month of the year

January is one of the better times to visit Dhahran for general sightseeing.

What to pack for Dhahran in January

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

In January, Dhahran sees daytime highs around 21°C and nights near 12°C. Little to plan around — just the basics. About 3 days see rain.

Sea temperature near Dhahran in January

The nearest coast averages about 19°C in January — the other half of the beach question. The full-year curve and swim-comfort zones are below.

The sea at the nearest coast (about 28 km away) is warmest in August at about 34°C and coldest in February near 18°C.

It's comfortable for a long swim from Mar 14 to Jan 3 — about 9.7 months when the water holds above 20°C.

15°20°25°30°35°JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecbracingcoolrefreshingwarmtropicalcomfortable to swim
Sea temperature (°C)Comfort
Jan19Cool
Feb18Cool
Mar20Refreshing
Apr23Refreshing
May27Warm
Jun30Tropical
Jul32Tropical
Aug34Tropical
Sep33Tropical
Oct30Tropical
Nov26Warm
Dec22Refreshing

UV index in Dhahran in January

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in January 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 Dhahran peaks around July 17 at about 10 (very high) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near December 19 at about 4 (moderate).

The index reaches 3 or more — the level where the WHO recommends sun protection — every month of the year.

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecHighVery highHighModerateJul 17UV 10Dec 19UV 4
UV index (midday)Level
Jan5Moderate
Feb7High
Mar6High
Apr6High
May8Very high
Jun9Very high
Jul10Very high
Aug9Very high
Sep8Very high
Oct7Very high
Nov5High
Dec4Moderate

Air quality in Dhahran in January

GoodModeratePoorUnhealthyVery unhealthy

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

Air quality in Dhahran is worst in July — around 83 µg/m³ PM2.5 (unhealthy), about 2.3× the cleanest month (November, 37 µg/m³).

Modeled monthly averages (CAMS reanalysis, 2015–2024).

0306090JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecPoorUnhealthyPoorJul 2282 µg/m³Nov 1838 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan50Poor
Feb49Poor
Mar56Unhealthy
Apr66Unhealthy
May67Unhealthy
Jun69Unhealthy
Jul83Unhealthy
Aug80Unhealthy
Sep58Unhealthy
Oct48Poor
Nov37Poor
Dec44Poor
Location & terrain

Where is Dhahran?

Dhahran sits at 26.3°N, 50.1°E, 44 m above sea level, in Saudi Arabia. The nearest listed city is Khobar, 9.0 km away.

Topography around Dhahran

How much the land rises and falls, and what covers it, within 3, 16 and 80 km of Dhahran.

Within 3 km, the terrain around Dhahran has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 83 m around an average of 45 m above sea level; within 16 km, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 139 m; within 80 km, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 199 m.

The land around Dhahran is covered by bare terrain (57%) and artificial surfaces (38%) within 3 km, bare terrain (52%) and artificial surfaces (34%) within 16 km, and bare terrain (51%) and water (44%) within 80 km.

3 km
83 m
16 km
139 m
80 km
199 m
treesshrubsgrasslandartificial surfacesbare terrainwater
January weather nearby: Khobar 9.0 km · Thuqbah 10 km · Dammam 16 km · Sayhāt 23 km · ‘Inak 27 km · Tārūt 32 km · Al Qaţīf 33 km · Al ‘Awwāmīyah 36 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 Dhahran (26.2886°, 50.114°, elevation 44 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. Sea temperatures are the NOAA OISST v2.1 1991–2020 monthly climatology (public domain), sampled at the nearest ocean point. 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).