Qal‘at Bīshah weather in January

In January, Qal‘at Bīshah sees average daytime highs of 26°C and overnight lows near 11°C, with 4 mm of rain across 1 wet days and about 10.9 hours of daylight. It is the 12th-warmest and 3rd-wettest month of the year here.

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 26°C through the month. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 77% of the time in January, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 10 h 48 min at the start of January to 11 h 06 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, January is Qal‘at Bīshah's 7th-clearest and 11th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Qal‘at Bīshah's year-round climate.

Daytime high
26°
12th warmest
Overnight low
11°
1st coldest
Rainfall
4 mm
1 wet days
Daylight
10 h 54 min
6:52 AM – 5:46 PM
Cloud cover
23%
7th clearest
Wind
11 km/h
11th windiest
Solar energy
4.99 kWh/m²
Travel score
8.9
out of 10

Qal‘at Bīshah is human settlement in Saudi Arabia.

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 26°C through the month.

A typical January day in Qal‘at Bīshah reaches about 26°C in the afternoon and slips back to 11°C overnight — a 15°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 21°C and 30°C. Set against its neighbours, January runs on par with December and about 2°C cooler than February.

10°20°30°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
12610
22610
32610
42610
52610
62610
72610
82510
92510
102510
112510
122511
132511
142511
152511
162511
172511
182511
192611
202611
212611
222611
232611
242611
252611
262611
272611
282612
292712
302712
312712

How January really feels in Qal‘at Bīshah

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.

Qal‘at Bīshah weather by month

How January compares with the rest of the year at a glance. January is the 12th-warmest and 3rd-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan26° / 11°4110.98.9
Feb28° / 13°30.611.38.1
Mar31° / 16°9211.95.9
Apr34° / 19°133.312.44.0
May37° / 22°31.312.92.1
Jun39° / 24°00.113.20.8
Jul39° / 25°00.113.10.6
Aug39° / 25°10.412.70.5
Sep37° / 22°0012.12.0
Oct33° / 18°10.311.55.1
Nov29° / 14°20.411.17.5
Dec26° / 11°10.210.89.0

Cloud cover in January

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 77% of the time in January.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 12% of January, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 12%. Skies tend to open up as the month goes on.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
1919
28911
38911
48911
58812
68812
78614
88614
98515
108515
118515
128416
138416
148416
158515
168614
178614
188614
198713
208812
218812
229010
239010
24919
25928
26928
27928
28937
29946
30946
31946

Chance of precipitation in January

Any precipitation

Qal‘at Bīshah gets around 4 mm of rain over 1 wet days in January. The line is the day-by-day chance of measurable precipitation.

Day to day, the chance of measurable rain averages around 3% and peaks near 5% on the wettest days.

0%10%20%30%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
12
22
32
42
53
63
73
83
94
104
114
125
135
145
155
165
175
185
194
204
214
224
233
243
253
262
272
282
292
302
312

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 98% of days. It rarely turns muggy — the humid and sticky bands barely register.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)
1982
2982
3982
4982
5982
6982
7982
8982
9982
10982
11982
12982
13982
14982
15982
16982
17982
18982
19982
20982
21982
22982
23982
24982
25982
26982
27982
28982
29982
30982
31982

Wind in January

Winds average 11 km/h in January.

Across January, daily wind ranges from about 11 km/h on the calmest days to 12 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
2912calm
3012calm
3112calm

Sunrise & sunset in January

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 10 h 48 min at the start of January to 11 h 06 min by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days grow by about 18 minutes over January. Sunrise moves from 6:48 AM to 6:50 AM, and sunset from 5:37 PM to 5:56 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
110.86:485:37
210.86:495:38
310.86:495:38
410.86:495:39
510.86:505:39
610.86:505:40
710.86:505:41
810.86:505:41
910.96:515:42
1010.96:515:42
1110.96:515:43
1210.96:515:44
1310.96:515:44
1410.96:515:45
1510.96:515:46
1610.96:525:46
1710.96:525:47
1810.96:525:47
1910.96:525:48
2011.06:525:49
2111.06:525:49
2211.06:525:50
2311.06:515:51
2411.06:515:51
2511.06:515:52
2611.06:515:53
2711.06:515:53
2811.06:515:54
2911.16:515:54
3011.16:505:55
3111.16:505:56

Solar energy in January

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in January, about 4.99 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 4.99 kWh/m² to a high of 7.43 kWh/m² in May across the year — January's 4.99 kWh/m² sits near the bottom.

0246151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
14.9Bright
24.9Bright
34.9Bright
44.9Bright
54.9Bright
64.9Bright
74.9Bright
84.9Bright
94.9Bright
104.9Bright
114.9Bright
124.9Bright
134.9Bright
144.9Bright
154.9Bright
164.9Bright
175.0Bright
185.0Bright
195.0Bright
205.0Bright
215.0Bright
225.1Bright
235.1Bright
245.1Bright
255.2Bright
265.2Bright
275.2Bright
285.3Bright
295.3Bright
305.3Bright
315.3Bright
Planning a trip in January

Hazard calendar for Qal‘at Bīshah

In seasonPeak

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

Qal‘at Bīshah sees seasonal dust haze (March–September), heaviest in July.

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

Is January a good time to visit Qal‘at Bīshah?

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

8.9
Sightseeing
2nd-best month of the year
8.3
Beach & pool
6th-best month of the year

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

What to pack for Qal‘at Bīshah in January

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

In January, Qal‘at Bīshah sees daytime highs around 26°C and nights near 11°C. Worth packing: light clothes and sun protection.

light clothessun protection

UV index in Qal‘at Bīshah in January

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in January peaks around 8 (very high — sun protection essential). The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.

Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Qal‘at Bīshah peaks around March 24 at about 14 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near December 15 at about 6 (high).

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

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecVery highExtremeVery highHighMar 24UV 14Dec 15UV 6
UV index (midday)Level
Jan8Very high
Feb11Extreme
Mar14Extreme
Apr14Extreme
May10Extreme
Jun12Extreme
Jul12Extreme
Aug12Extreme
Sep10Very high
Oct10Extreme
Nov7Very high
Dec5High

Air quality in Qal‘at Bīshah 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 Qal‘at Bīshah is worst in February — around 91 µg/m³ PM2.5 (unhealthy), about 1.9× the cleanest month (October, 47 µg/m³).

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

0306090120JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecUnhealthyPoorUnhealthyFeb 1790 µg/m³Oct 1348 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan82Unhealthy
Feb91Unhealthy
Mar87Unhealthy
Apr78Unhealthy
May66Unhealthy
Jun63Unhealthy
Jul71Unhealthy
Aug68Unhealthy
Sep53Poor
Oct47Poor
Nov62Unhealthy
Dec73Unhealthy
Location & terrain

Where is Qal‘at Bīshah?

Qal‘at Bīshah sits at 20.0°N, 42.6°E, 1,168 m above sea level, in Saudi Arabia. The nearest listed city is Sabt Alalayah, 82 km away.

BariqRanyahAl ‘AqīqTurabah

Topography around Qal‘at Bīshah

How much the land rises and falls, and what covers it, within 3, 16 and 80 km of Qal‘at Bīshah.

Within 3 km, the terrain around Qal‘at Bīshah has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 46 m around an average of 1,162 m above sea level; within 16 km, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 318 m; within 80 km, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,274 m.

The land around Qal‘at Bīshah is covered by bare terrain (60%) and artificial surfaces (36%) within 3 km, bare terrain (95%) within 16 km, and bare terrain (99%) within 80 km.

3 km
46 m
16 km
318 m
80 km
1,274 m
treesshrubscroplandartificial surfacesbare terrain
January weather nearby: Sabt Alalayah 82 km · An Nimas 108 km · Baljurashi 111 km · Al Bahah 119 km · Bariq 139 km · Ranyah 141 km · Al ‘Aqīq 143 km · Turabah 169 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 Qal‘at Bīshah (20.0005°, 42.6052°, elevation 1,168 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).