Rābigh weather in May

In May, Rābigh sees average daytime highs of 35°C and overnight lows near 26°C, with 0 mm of rain across 0.1 wet days and about 13.1 hours of daylight. It is the 6th-warmest and 8th-wettest month of the year here.

Highs climb over the month, from about 34°C in the first days to 36°C by the end. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 88% of the time in May, and the air most often feels oppressive.

Daylight stretches from about 12 h 48 min at the start of May to 13 h 18 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, May is Rābigh's 4th-clearest and 5th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Rābigh's year-round climate.

Daytime high
35°
6th warmest
Overnight low
26°
7th coldest
Rainfall
0 mm
0.1 wet days
Daylight
13 h 06 min
5:47 AM – 6:53 PM
Cloud cover
13%
4th clearest
Wind
14 km/h
5th windiest
Solar energy
7.55 kWh/m²
Travel score
3.1
out of 10

Temperature in May

Average highAverage lowShaded bands: 10–90% of days

Highs climb over the month, from about 34°C in the first days to 36°C by the end.

A typical May day in Rābigh reaches about 35°C in the afternoon and slips back to 26°C overnight — a 10°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 33°C and 39°C. Set against its neighbours, May runs about 3°C warmer than April and about 1°C cooler than June.

20°25°30°35°40°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
13425
23425
33425
43525
53525
63525
73525
83525
93525
103526
113526
123526
133526
143526
153526
163526
173626
183626
193626
203626
213626
223626
233626
243626
253626
263626
273626
283626
293626
303627
313627

How May really feels in Rābigh

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
13 feel dangerously hot (≥ 39°C)
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.

Rābigh weather by month

How May compares with the rest of the year at a glance. May is the 6th-warmest and 8th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan28° / 20°14210.88.3
Feb28° / 20°20.611.28.0
Mar30° / 21°30.811.86.6
Apr33° / 24°30.512.54.8
May35° / 26°00.113.13.1
Jun37° / 27°0013.42.4
Jul37° / 29°0013.31.9
Aug37° / 29°0012.81.9
Sep37° / 28°0012.12.2
Oct36° / 27°10.211.53.1
Nov32° / 24°272.310.95.2
Dec29° / 21°131.610.67.1

Cloud cover in May

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 88% of the time in May.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 6% of May, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 7%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
1946
2946
3946
4946
5946
6946
7946
8946
9946
10937
11937
12937
13937
14937
15937
16937
17928
18928
19928
20928
21928
22928
23937
24937
25937
26937
27946
28946
29946
30955
31964

Chance of precipitation in May

Any precipitation

Rābigh gets around 0 mm of rain over 0.1 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 0% and peaks near 1% on the wettest days.

0%10%20%30%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
11
21
31
41
51
61
70
80
90
100
110
120
130
140
150
160
170
180
190
200
210
220
230
240
250
260
270
280
290
300
310

Humidity in May

DryComfortableHumidMuggyOppressiveMiserable

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

By dew point, May lands in the oppressive band about 43% of days. Sticky, muggy-or-worse air turns up on roughly 84% of them.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)Muggy (%)Oppressive (%)Miserable (%)
1052143301
2042044311
3041944321
4031945321
5031845321
6031846331
7031746331
8031646341
9021646341
10021546351
11021546361
12021445371
13021345382
14021344392
15021243402
16021242422
17021141432
18031140443
19031038463
20031037473
2103936484
2203934504
2303933514
2403932515
2503830545
2603829546
2703828556
2803827566
2902825587
3002824597
3112823588

Wind in May

Winds average 14 km/h in May.

Across May, daily wind ranges from about 13 km/h on the calmest days to 15 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

05101520151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
113light breeze
213light breeze
313light breeze
414light breeze
514light breeze
614light breeze
714light breeze
814light breeze
914light breeze
1014light breeze
1114light breeze
1214light breeze
1314light breeze
1414light breeze
1514light breeze
1614light breeze
1714light breeze
1814light breeze
1914light breeze
2014light breeze
2114light breeze
2215light breeze
2315light breeze
2415light breeze
2515light breeze
2615light breeze
2715light breeze
2815light breeze
2915light breeze
3015light breeze
3115light breeze

Sunrise & sunset in May

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 12 h 48 min at the start of May to 13 h 18 min by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days grow by about 30 minutes over May. Sunrise moves from 5:56 AM to 5:43 AM, and sunset from 6:46 PM to 7:00 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
112.85:566:46
212.95:556:46
312.95:556:47
412.95:546:47
512.95:536:48
612.95:536:48
712.95:526:49
813.05:526:49
913.05:516:50
1013.05:506:50
1113.05:506:51
1213.05:496:51
1313.05:496:51
1413.15:486:52
1513.15:486:52
1613.15:476:53
1713.15:476:53
1813.15:466:54
1913.15:466:54
2013.25:466:55
2113.25:456:55
2213.25:456:56
2313.25:456:56
2413.25:446:57
2513.25:446:57
2613.25:446:58
2713.25:446:58
2813.35:436:58
2913.35:436:59
3013.35:436:59
3113.35:437:00

Solar energy in May

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in May, about 7.55 kWh/m² — the sunniest month for solar.

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 4.35 kWh/m² to a high of 7.55 kWh/m² in May across the year — May's 7.55 kWh/m² sits near the top of that range.

02468151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
17.5Intense
27.5Intense
37.5Intense
47.5Intense
57.5Intense
67.5Intense
77.5Intense
87.5Intense
97.5Intense
107.5Intense
117.5Intense
127.5Intense
137.5Intense
147.5Intense
157.5Intense
167.5Intense
177.5Intense
187.5Intense
197.5Intense
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 Rābigh

In seasonPeak

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

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

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

Is May a good time to visit Rābigh?

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

3.1
Sightseeing
7th-best month of the year
7.0
Beach & pool
7th-best month of the year

May is a weaker month for outdoor sightseeing in Rābigh. The water and warmth also suit a beach or pool day.

What to pack for Rābigh in May

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

In May, Rābigh sees daytime highs around 35°C and nights near 26°C. Pack light clothes and sun protection.

light clothessun protection

Sea temperature near Rābigh in May

The nearest coast averages about 28°C in May — the other half of the beach question. The full-year curve and swim-comfort zones are below.

The sea at the nearest coast (about 18 km away) is warmest in August at about 31°C and coldest in February near 25°C.

The water stays above 20°C all year — warm enough for a swim any month.

24°26°28°30°32°JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecrefreshingwarmtropicalcomfortable to swim
Sea temperature (°C)Comfort
Jan26Warm
Feb25Warm
Mar25Warm
Apr26Warm
May28Tropical
Jun29Tropical
Jul30Tropical
Aug31Tropical
Sep31Tropical
Oct31Tropical
Nov29Tropical
Dec27Warm

UV index in Rābigh in May

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in May peaks around 11 (very high — sun protection essential). The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.

Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Rābigh peaks around May 24 at about 11 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near December 16 at about 4 (moderate).

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

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecHighVery highExtremeVery highHighModerateMay 24UV 11Dec 16UV 4
UV index (midday)Level
Jan6High
Feb9Very high
Mar10Very high
Apr10Very high
May11Extreme
Jun11Extreme
Jul11Extreme
Aug10Very high
Sep10Very high
Oct9Very high
Nov6High
Dec4Moderate

Air quality in Rābigh 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 Rābigh is worst in March — around 40 µg/m³ PM2.5 (poor), and holds fairly steady the rest of the year.

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

0204060JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecPoorModerateMar 2339 µg/m³Nov 925 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan39Poor
Feb37Poor
Mar40Poor
Apr39Poor
May32Moderate
Jun28Moderate
Jul27Moderate
Aug28Moderate
Sep27Moderate
Oct25Moderate
Nov25Moderate
Dec36Poor
Location & terrain

Where is Rābigh?

Rābigh sits at 22.8°N, 39.0°E, 7 m above sea level, in Saudi Arabia. The nearest listed city is Thuwal, 58 km away.

JeddahAl JumūmMeccaYanbuMedina

Topography around Rābigh

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Rābigh has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 16 m around an average of 8 m above sea level; within 16 km, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 164 m; within 80 km, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,716 m.

The land around Rābigh is covered by bare terrain (59%) and artificial surfaces (29%) within 3 km, bare terrain (72%) and water (24%) within 16 km, and bare terrain (70%) and water (29%) within 80 km.

3 km
16 m
16 km
164 m
80 km
1,716 m
treesshrubscroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwater
May weather nearby: Thuwal 58 km · Khulayş 77 km · Badr Ḩunayn 112 km · Jeddah 146 km · Al Jumūm 148 km · Mecca 173 km · Yanbu 175 km · Medina 195 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 Rābigh (22.7986°, 39.0349°, elevation 7 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. Sea temperatures are the NOAA OISST v2.1 1991–2020 monthly climatology (public domain), sampled at the nearest ocean point. 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).