Qal‘at Bīshah in Winter
In winter (December, January and February), Qal‘at Bīshah sees average daytime highs around 27°C and overnight lows near 12°C, with 8 mm of rain over about 2 wet days across the season. It is the coldest season of the year and the 2nd-wettest season.
Across winter, daytime highs hold fairly steady around 27°C. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 82% of the time across winter, and the air most often feels dry.
Winter is Qal‘at Bīshah's best season of the year to visit on our travel score. For the whole year in context, see Qal‘at Bīshah's year-round climate.
- Avg daytime high
- 27°C
- coldest season of the year
- Avg overnight low
- 12°C
- Rainfall
- 8 mm
- 2 wet days
- Avg wind
- 11 km/h
- Travel score
- 8.7
- best season of the year
- Months
- Dec · Jan · Feb
Temperature in Qal‘at Bīshah in Winter
Across winter, daytime highs hold fairly steady around 27°C.
A typical winter day in Qal‘at Bīshah reaches about 27°C and drops to 12°C overnight. The warmest of the three months is February, the coolest January.
How winter really feels in Qal‘at Bīshah
Once humidity and wind are folded in, winter brings about 0 days that feel above 32°C and 0 that feel at or below 0°C.
winter 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 the three winter months (December, January and February) compare with the rest of the year — the season's months are highlighted.
| Month | High / Low (°C) | Rainfall (mm) | Wet days | Daylight (hours) | Travel score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 26° / 11° | 4 | 1 | 10.9 | 8.9 |
| Feb | 28° / 13° | 3 | 0.6 | 11.3 | 8.1 |
| Mar | 31° / 16° | 9 | 2 | 11.9 | 5.9 |
| Apr | 34° / 19° | 13 | 3.3 | 12.4 | 4.0 |
| May | 37° / 22° | 3 | 1.3 | 12.9 | 2.1 |
| Jun | 39° / 24° | 0 | 0.1 | 13.2 | 0.8 |
| Jul | 39° / 25° | 0 | 0.1 | 13.1 | 0.6 |
| Aug | 39° / 25° | 1 | 0.4 | 12.7 | 0.5 |
| Sep | 37° / 22° | 0 | 0 | 12.1 | 2.0 |
| Oct | 33° / 18° | 1 | 0.3 | 11.5 | 5.1 |
| Nov | 29° / 14° | 2 | 0.4 | 11.1 | 7.5 |
| Dec | 26° / 11° | 1 | 0.2 | 10.8 | 9.0 |
Cloud cover in Winter
The sky is clear or mostly clear about 82% of the time across winter.
Chance of precipitation in Winter
Qal‘at Bīshah gets around 8 mm of rain over 2 wet days across winter. The line is the day-by-day chance of measurable precipitation.
Humidity in Winter
Most of winter feels dry — the stacked bands show each day's mix of comfort levels, read off the dew point.
Wind in Winter
Winds average 11 km/h across winter.
Sunrise & sunset in Winter
Daylight runs from about 10 h 54 min in early December to 11 h 36 min by late February. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.
Solar energy in Winter
Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day across winter, about 5.3 kWh/m².
Hazard calendar for Qal‘at Bīshah
None of Qal‘at Bīshah's seasonal hazards peak in winter. The full-year calendar below shows when the rainy season, cyclone risk and dust haze do.
Qal‘at Bīshah sees seasonal dust haze (March–September), heaviest in July.
Is winter a good time to visit Qal‘at Bīshah?
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.
winter 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 Winter
From winter's temperature range, rain chance, sun and wind — what's worth putting in the bag.
In winter, Qal‘at Bīshah sees daytime highs around 27°C and nights near 12°C. Pack light clothes. Worth having: sun protection.
UV index in Qal‘at Bīshah in Winter
Clear-sky midday UV across winter averages 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.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| UV index (midday) | 8 | 11 | 14 | 14 | 10 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 10 | 10 | 7 | 5 |
| Level | Very high | Extreme | Extreme | Extreme | Extreme | Extreme | Extreme | Extreme | Very high | Extreme | Very high | High |
| UV index (midday) | Level | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 8 | Very high |
| Feb | 11 | Extreme |
| Mar | 14 | Extreme |
| Apr | 14 | Extreme |
| May | 10 | Extreme |
| Jun | 12 | Extreme |
| Jul | 12 | Extreme |
| Aug | 12 | Extreme |
| Sep | 10 | Very high |
| Oct | 10 | Extreme |
| Nov | 7 | Very high |
| Dec | 5 | High |
Air quality in Qal‘at Bīshah in Winter
Average fine-particle pollution (PM2.5) through the year — so you can see where winter 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).
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PM2.5 (µg/m³) | 82 | 91 | 87 | 78 | 66 | 63 | 71 | 68 | 53 | 47 | 62 | 73 |
| Level | Unhealthy | Unhealthy | Unhealthy | Unhealthy | Unhealthy | Unhealthy | Unhealthy | Unhealthy | Poor | Poor | Unhealthy | Unhealthy |
| PM2.5 (µg/m³) | Level | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 82 | Unhealthy |
| Feb | 91 | Unhealthy |
| Mar | 87 | Unhealthy |
| Apr | 78 | Unhealthy |
| May | 66 | Unhealthy |
| Jun | 63 | Unhealthy |
| Jul | 71 | Unhealthy |
| Aug | 68 | Unhealthy |
| Sep | 53 | Poor |
| Oct | 47 | Poor |
| Nov | 62 | Unhealthy |
| Dec | 73 | Unhealthy |
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.
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.
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.