Qal‘at Bīshah weather in May

In May, Qal‘at Bīshah sees average daytime highs of 37°C and overnight lows near 22°C, with 3 mm of rain across 1.3 wet days and about 12.9 hours of daylight. It is the 5th-warmest and 4th-wettest month of the year here.

Highs climb over the month, from about 35°C in the first days to 38°C by the end. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 72% of the time in May, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 12 h 42 min at the start of May to 13 h 06 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, May is Qal‘at Bīshah's 10th-clearest and 9th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Qal‘at Bīshah's year-round climate.

Daytime high
37°
5th warmest
Overnight low
22°
9th coldest
Rainfall
3 mm
1.3 wet days
Daylight
12 h 54 min
5:37 AM – 6:34 PM
Cloud cover
30%
10th clearest
Wind
12 km/h
9th windiest
Solar energy
7.43 kWh/m²
Travel score
2.1
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 May

Average highAverage lowShaded bands: 10–90% of days

Highs climb over the month, from about 35°C in the first days to 38°C by the end.

A typical May day in Qal‘at Bīshah reaches about 37°C in the afternoon and slips back to 22°C overnight — a 15°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 35°C and 39°C. Set against its neighbours, May runs about 3°C warmer than April and about 2°C cooler than June.

15°20°25°30°35°40°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
13520
23521
33521
43621
53621
63621
73621
83621
93621
103622
113622
123622
133722
143722
153722
163722
173722
183723
193723
203723
213723
223723
233823
243823
253823
263823
273823
283823
293824
303824
313824

How May really feels in Qal‘at Bīshah

Once humidity and wind are folded in, May averages 31 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
31
heat index over the day's high
Days feeling ≤ C
0
wind chill below the day's low

The story in May is heat — humidity pushes the afternoon "feels like" well above the raw temperature.

Qal‘at Bīshah weather by month

How May compares with the rest of the year at a glance. May is the 5th-warmest and 4th-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 May

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 72% of the time in May.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 18% of May, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 10%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
18911
28812
38812
48812
58812
68812
78812
88812
98812
108812
118812
128812
138812
148812
158812
168911
178911
188911
198911
208911
218911
22919
23919
24919
25919
26928
27937
28937
29937
30946
31946

Chance of precipitation in May

Any precipitation

Qal‘at Bīshah gets around 3 mm of rain over 1.3 wet days in May. The line is the day-by-day chance of measurable precipitation.

Day to day, the chance of measurable rain averages around 4% and peaks near 7% on the wettest days.

0%10%20%30%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
17
27
37
46
56
66
76
85
95
105
115
124
134
144
154
164
174
184
194
204
214
224
233
243
253
263
273
283
292
302
312

Humidity in May

DryComfortableHumidMuggyOppressiveMiserable

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

By dew point, May lands in the dry band about 94% of days. It rarely turns muggy — the humid and sticky bands barely register.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)
187103
287103
38893
48983
58983
69073
79073
89262
99262
109352
119352
129451
139541
149541
159541
169541
179541
189541
199640
209640
219640
229640
239640
249640
259730
269730
279730
289730
299730
309730
319820

Wind in May

Winds average 12 km/h in May.

Across May, daily wind ranges from about 12 km/h on the calmest days to 13 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

051015151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
112light breeze
212light breeze
312light breeze
412light breeze
512light breeze
612light breeze
712light breeze
812light breeze
912light breeze
1012light breeze
1112light breeze
1212light breeze
1312light breeze
1412light breeze
1512light breeze
1612light breeze
1712light breeze
1812light breeze
1912light breeze
2012light breeze
2112light breeze
2212light breeze
2312light breeze
2412light breeze
2512light breeze
2613light breeze
2713light breeze
2813light breeze
2913light breeze
3013light breeze
3113light breeze

Sunrise & sunset in May

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 12 h 42 min at the start of May to 13 h 06 min by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days grow by about 24 minutes over May. Sunrise moves from 5:45 AM to 5:34 AM, and sunset from 6:28 PM to 6:40 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
112.75:456:28
212.75:456:29
312.85:446:29
412.85:436:29
512.85:436:30
612.85:426:30
712.85:426:31
812.85:416:31
912.85:416:31
1012.95:406:32
1112.95:406:32
1212.95:396:33
1312.95:396:33
1412.95:386:33
1512.95:386:34
1612.95:376:34
1713.05:376:35
1813.05:376:35
1913.05:366:35
2013.05:366:36
2113.05:366:36
2213.05:356:37
2313.05:356:37
2413.05:356:37
2513.15:356:38
2613.15:346:38
2713.15:346:39
2813.15:346:39
2913.15:346:39
3013.15:346:40
3113.15:346:40

Solar energy in May

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in May, about 7.43 kWh/m² — the sunniest month for solar.

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 — May's 7.43 kWh/m² sits near the top of that range.

02468151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
17.3Intense
27.3Intense
37.3Intense
47.3Intense
57.3Intense
67.3Intense
77.3Intense
87.3Intense
97.4Intense
107.4Intense
117.4Intense
127.4Intense
137.4Intense
147.4Intense
157.4Intense
167.4Intense
177.4Intense
187.4Intense
197.4Intense
207.5Intense
217.5Intense
227.5Intense
237.5Intense
247.5Intense
257.5Intense
267.5Intense
277.5Intense
287.5Intense
297.5Intense
307.5Intense
317.5Intense
Planning a trip in May

Hazard calendar for Qal‘at Bīshah

In seasonPeak

In May, Qal‘at Bīshah sits inside its dust season. The full year is below, with each hazard's peak months called out.

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 May a good time to visit Qal‘at Bīshah?

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

2.1
Sightseeing
8th-best month of the year
5.6
Beach & pool
9th-best month of the year

May is a weaker month for outdoor sightseeing in Qal‘at Bīshah.

What to pack for Qal‘at Bīshah in May

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

In May, Qal‘at Bīshah sees daytime highs around 37°C and nights near 22°C. Pack light clothes and sun protection.

light clothessun protection

UV index in Qal‘at Bīshah in May

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in May peaks around 10 (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 May

GoodModeratePoorUnhealthyVery unhealthy

Average fine-particle pollution (PM2.5) through the year — so you can see where May 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
May 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).