Fayfā’ in Winter

In winter (December, January and February), Fayfā’ sees average daytime highs around 24°C and overnight lows near 14°C, with 41 mm of rain over about 10 wet days across the season. It is the coldest season of the year and the driest season of the year.

Across winter, daytime highs hold fairly steady around 24°C. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 71% of the time across winter, and the air most often feels dry.

Winter is Fayfā’'s best season of the year to visit on our travel score. For the whole year in context, see Fayfā’'s year-round climate.

Avg daytime high
24°C
coldest season of the year
Avg overnight low
14°C
Rainfall
41 mm
10 wet days
Avg wind
6 km/h
Travel score
8.6
best season of the year
Months
Dec · Jan · Feb

Temperature in Fayfā’ in Winter

Average highAverage lowShaded bands: 10–90% of days

Across winter, daytime highs hold fairly steady around 24°C.

A typical winter day in Fayfā’ reaches about 24°C and drops to 14°C overnight. The warmest of the three months is February, the coolest January.

10°15°20°25°30°DecJanFeb

Fayfā’ weather by month

How the three winter months (December, January and February) compare with the rest of the year — the season's months are highlighted.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan23° / 13°184.411.18.3
Feb25° / 15°123.111.48.6
Mar27° / 17°266.611.97.7
Apr29° / 19°4611.612.45.8
May31° / 21°9118.412.84.1
Jun31° / 22°7515133.9
Jul30° / 22°12319.212.94.1
Aug29° / 21°30727.512.63.6
Sep30° / 19°1512312.13.9
Oct29° / 17°339.111.66.5
Nov26° / 15°164.811.28.2
Dec24° / 13°112.9118.8

Cloud cover in Winter

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 71% of the time across winter.

0%25%50%75%100%DecJanFeb

Chance of precipitation in Winter

Any precipitation

Fayfā’ gets around 41 mm of rain over 10 wet days across winter. The line is the day-by-day chance of measurable precipitation.

0%10%20%30%DecJanFeb

Humidity in Winter

DryComfortableHumidMuggyOppressiveMiserable

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

0%25%50%75%100%DecJanFeb

Wind in Winter

Winds average 6 km/h across winter.

0246810DecJanFeb

Sunrise & sunset in Winter

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 11 hours in early December to 11 h 36 min by late February. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AMDecJanFeb

Solar energy in Winter

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day across winter, about 5.3 kWh/m².

0246DecJanFeb
Planning a trip in winter

Hazard calendar for Fayfā’

In seasonPeak

None of Fayfā’'s seasonal hazards peak in winter. The full-year calendar below shows when the rainy season, cyclone risk and dust haze do.

Fayfā’'s monsoon runs August–September, when most of the year's rain falls.

Fayfā’ sees seasonal dust haze (May–September), heaviest in July.

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

Is winter a good time to visit Fayfā’?

Our two travel scores rate winter for general sightseeing and for beach or pool weather — 0 (poor) to 10 (ideal), averaged across the three months.

8.6
Sightseeing
1st-best month of the year
7.2
Beach & pool
1st-best month of the year

winter is one of the better times to visit Fayfā’ for general sightseeing. The water and warmth also suit a beach or pool day.

What to pack for Fayfā’ in Winter

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

In winter, Fayfā’ sees daytime highs around 24°C and nights near 14°C. Worth packing: light clothes and sun protection. About 10 days see rain.

light clothessun protection

UV index in Fayfā’ in Winter

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV across winter averages around 9 (very high — sun protection essential). The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.

Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Fayfā’ peaks around April 12 at about 13 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near December 14 at about 7 (very high).

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

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecVery highExtremeExtremeVery highApr 12UV 13Dec 14UV 7
UV index (midday)Level
Jan9Very high
Feb12Extreme
Mar13Extreme
Apr13Extreme
May11Extreme
Jun10Very high
Jul10Extreme
Aug11Extreme
Sep9Very high
Oct10Extreme
Nov8Very high
Dec7Very high

Air quality in Fayfā’ in Winter

GoodModeratePoorUnhealthyVery unhealthy

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

Air quality in Fayfā’ is worst in July — around 52 µg/m³ PM2.5 (poor), about 2.5× the cleanest month (November, 21 µg/m³).

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

0204060JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecModeratePoorModerateJul 1551 µg/m³Nov 1621 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan29Moderate
Feb39Poor
Mar38Poor
Apr40Poor
May38Poor
Jun45Poor
Jul52Poor
Aug42Poor
Sep32Moderate
Oct22Moderate
Nov21Moderate
Dec22Moderate
Location & terrain

Where is Fayfā’?

Fayfā’ sits at 17.3°N, 43.1°E, 898 m above sea level, in Saudi Arabia. The nearest listed city is Ḑamad, 43 km away.

Topography around Fayfā’

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Fayfā’ has large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,115 m around an average of 982 m above sea level; within 16 km, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,957 m; within 80 km, extreme variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 2,982 m.

The land around Fayfā’ is covered by shrubs (90%) within 3 km, shrubs (76%) within 16 km, and bare terrain (50%) and shrubs (27%) within 80 km.

3 km
1,115 m
16 km
1,957 m
80 km
2,982 m
treesshrubsgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwater
Winter weather nearby: Ḑamad 43 km · Abū ‘Arīsh 47 km · Şabyā 56 km · Jizan 76 km · Sa'dah 77 km · Şāmitah 79 km · Sarāt ‘Abīdah 90 km · Najran 108 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 Fayfā’ (17.2806°, 43.1373°, elevation 898 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.