Mecca weather in January

In January, Mecca sees average daytime highs of 29°C and overnight lows near 18°C, with 42 mm of rain across 3.7 wet days and about 10.8 hours of daylight. It is the 12th-warmest and 1st-wettest month of the year here.

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 29°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 42 min at the start of January to 11 hours by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, January is Mecca's 12th-clearest and 8th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Mecca's year-round climate.

Daytime high
29°
12th warmest
Overnight low
18°
1st coldest
Rainfall
42 mm
3.7 wet days
Daylight
10 h 48 min
7:05 AM – 5:55 PM
Cloud cover
31%
12th clearest
Wind
10 km/h
8th windiest
Solar energy
4.44 kWh/m²
Travel score
7.0
out of 10

Mecca is Saudi Arabian city and capital of the Makkah province.

Density
2,077/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 29°C through the month.

A typical January day in Mecca reaches about 29°C in the afternoon and slips back to 18°C overnight — a 11°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 25°C and 32°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°35°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
12919
22918
32918
42918
52918
62918
72918
82918
92818
102818
112818
122818
132818
142818
152818
162818
172818
182818
192818
202818
212818
222918
232918
242918
252918
262918
272918
282918
292918
302918
312918

How January really feels in Mecca

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.

Mecca 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
Jan29° / 18°423.710.87.0
Feb31° / 19°4111.36.2
Mar34° / 21°91.311.84.2
Apr37° / 24°12212.51.9
May40° / 27°62.2130.2
Jun42° / 28°10.313.30.0
Jul41° / 29°00.113.20.0
Aug41° / 29°20.712.70.0
Sep40° / 28°41.312.10.0
Oct38° / 25°62.611.51.3
Nov34° / 22°202.7114.2
Dec30° / 19°242.910.76.1

Cloud cover in January

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 67% of the time in January, the cloudiest month of the year.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 13% of January, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 20%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
18020
28020
38020
47921
57921
67822
77822
87822
97723
107822
117822
127822
137921
147921
157921
167921
177921
187921
198020
208020
218119
228119
238119
248218
258218
268218
278317
288317
298416
308515
318515

Chance of precipitation in January

Any precipitation

Mecca gets around 42 mm of rain over 3.7 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 14% on the wettest days.

0%10%20%30%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
19
210
310
411
511
612
712
813
913
1014
1114
1214
1314
1414
1514
1614
1714
1813
1913
2013
2112
2212
2311
2411
2510
269
279
288
298
307
317

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 42% of days. Sticky, muggy-or-worse air turns up on roughly 10% of them.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)Muggy (%)
130253214
231243114
332243013
433243013
534242912
635242912
737242811
838242711
939242710
1040242610
114224259
124324249
134424248
144424238
154524238
164524238
174524238
184523248
194523248
204522258
214522258
224521258
234521268
244520269
254520279
264519279
274519279
284518289
294518289
3045182810
3145172810

Wind in January

Winds average 10 km/h in January.

Across January, daily wind ranges from about 10 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
110calm
210calm
310calm
410calm
510calm
610calm
710calm
810calm
910calm
1010calm
1110calm
1210calm
1310calm
1410calm
1510calm
1610calm
1710calm
1810calm
1910calm
2010calm
2110calm
2210calm
2310calm
2410calm
2510calm
2610calm
2711calm
2811calm
2911calm
3011calm
3111calm

Sunrise & sunset in January

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 10 h 42 min at the start of January to 11 hours by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days grow by about 18 minutes over January. Sunrise moves from 7:02 AM to 7:04 AM, and sunset from 5:45 PM to 6:05 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
110.77:025:45
210.77:035:46
310.77:035:47
410.77:035:47
510.77:045:48
610.77:045:48
710.77:045:49
810.87:045:50
910.87:045:50
1010.87:055:51
1110.87:055:52
1210.87:055:52
1310.87:055:53
1410.87:055:53
1510.87:055:54
1610.87:055:55
1710.87:055:55
1810.87:055:56
1910.97:055:57
2010.97:055:57
2110.97:055:58
2210.97:055:59
2310.97:055:59
2410.97:056:00
2510.97:056:01
2610.97:056:01
2711.07:046:02
2811.07:046:03
2911.07:046:03
3011.07:046:04
3111.07:046:05

Solar energy in January

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in January, about 4.44 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 4.34 kWh/m² to a high of 7.41 kWh/m² in May across the year — January's 4.44 kWh/m² sits near the bottom.

024151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
14.3Bright
24.3Bright
34.3Bright
44.3Bright
54.3Bright
64.3Bright
74.3Bright
84.3Bright
94.3Bright
104.3Bright
114.3Bright
124.3Bright
134.4Bright
144.4Bright
154.4Bright
164.4Bright
174.4Bright
184.5Bright
194.5Bright
204.5Bright
214.5Bright
224.6Bright
234.6Bright
244.6Bright
254.7Bright
264.7Bright
274.7Bright
284.8Bright
294.8Bright
304.8Bright
314.9Bright
Planning a trip in January

Hazard calendar for Mecca

In seasonPeak

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

Mecca sees seasonal dust haze (April–September), heaviest in June.

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

Is January a good time to visit Mecca?

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

7.0
Sightseeing
1st-best month of the year
8.5
Beach & pool
2nd-best month of the year

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

What to pack for Mecca in January

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

In January, Mecca sees daytime highs around 29°C and nights near 18°C. Pack light clothes. About 4 days see rain.

light clothes

UV index in Mecca in January

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in January peaks around 7 — enough to warrant sun protection. The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.

Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Mecca peaks around April 20 at about 11 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near December 14 at about 5 (moderate).

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

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecVery highExtremeExtremeVery highHighModerateApr 20UV 11Dec 14UV 5
UV index (midday)Level
Jan7Very high
Feb9Very high
Mar10Extreme
Apr11Extreme
May11Extreme
Jun11Extreme
Jul11Extreme
Aug10Very high
Sep10Extreme
Oct9Very high
Nov6High
Dec4Moderate

Air quality in Mecca 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 Mecca is worst in March — around 56 µg/m³ PM2.5 (unhealthy), and holds fairly steady the rest of the year.

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

0204060JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecPoorUnhealthyPoorMar 2355 µg/m³Nov 1336 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan46Poor
Feb49Poor
Mar56Unhealthy
Apr55Unhealthy
May48Poor
Jun47Poor
Jul39Poor
Aug42Poor
Sep44Poor
Oct40Poor
Nov35Moderate
Dec45Poor
Location & terrain

Where is Mecca?

Mecca sits at 21.4°N, 39.8°E, 333 m above sea level, in Saudi Arabia. The nearest listed city is Al Jumūm, 25 km away.

ThuwalAl LīthRābigh

Topography around Mecca

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Mecca has significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 328 m around an average of 336 m above sea level; within 16 km, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 778 m; within 80 km, extreme variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 2,588 m.

The land around Mecca is covered by artificial surfaces (53%) and bare terrain (46%) within 3 km, bare terrain (76%) and artificial surfaces (22%) within 16 km, and bare terrain (85%) within 80 km.

3 km
328 m
16 km
778 m
80 km
2,588 m
treesshrubsgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwater
January weather nearby: Al Jumūm 25 km · Ta'if 64 km · Ash Shafā 64 km · Jeddah 67 km · Khulayş 96 km · Thuwal 120 km · Al Līth 150 km · Rābigh 173 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 Mecca (21.4266°, 39.8256°, elevation 333 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).