Riyadh weather in August

In August, Riyadh sees average daytime highs of 43°C and overnight lows near 29°C, with 0 mm of rain across 0 wet days and about 12.9 hours of daylight. It is the 2nd-warmest and 9th-wettest month of the year here.

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 43°C through the month. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 88% of the time in August, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 13 h 12 min at the start of August to 12 h 30 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, August is Riyadh's 4th-clearest and 7th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Riyadh's year-round climate.

Daytime high
43°
2nd warmest
Overnight low
29°
11th coldest
Rainfall
0 mm
0 wet days
Daylight
12 h 54 min
5:31 AM – 6:23 PM
Cloud cover
14%
4th clearest
Wind
14 km/h
7th windiest
Solar energy
7.33 kWh/m²
Travel score
0.0
out of 10

Riyadh is capital and largest city of Saudi Arabia.

Density
2,339/km²
people per km²
Founded
1746

Air quality: WHO Ambient Air Quality Database. Density & description: Wikidata (CC0), GeoNames.

Temperature in August

Average highAverage lowShaded bands: 10–90% of days

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 43°C through the month.

A typical August day in Riyadh reaches about 43°C in the afternoon and slips back to 29°C overnight — a 14°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 41°C and 45°C. Set against its neighbours, August runs on par with July and about 3°C warmer than September.

25°30°35°40°45°50°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
14329
24329
34329
44329
54329
64329
74329
84329
94329
104329
114329
124329
134329
144329
154329
164329
174329
184329
194329
204328
214328
224328
234328
244328
254328
264328
274228
284228
294228
304228
314228

How August really feels in Riyadh

Once humidity and wind are folded in, August 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
31 feel dangerously hot (≥ 39°C)
Days feeling ≤ C
0
wind chill below the day's low

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

Riyadh weather by month

How August compares with the rest of the year at a glance. August is the 2nd-warmest and 9th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan20° / 11210.68.1
Feb23° / 11°51.511.18.9
Mar28° / 15°111.911.87.9
Apr33° / 20°142.712.64.3
May39° / 25°20.613.20.9
Jun42° / 28°0013.50.0
Jul43° / 29°0013.40.0
Aug43° / 29°0012.90.0
Sep40° / 26°0012.20.4
Oct35° / 21°10.211.43.8
Nov27° / 15°112.110.88.0
Dec22° / 10°91.710.58.6

Cloud cover in August

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

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

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 8% of August, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 3%. Skies tend to open up as the month goes on.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
1946
2946
3946
4946
5946
6946
7946
8955
9955
10955
11955
12964
13964
14964
15964
16973
17973
18982
19982
20982
21991
22991
23991
24991
25991
26991
27991
28991
29991
30991
31991

Chance of precipitation in August

Any precipitation

Riyadh gets around 0 mm of rain over 0 wet days in August. 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 0% on the wettest days.

0%10%20%30%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
10
20
30
40
50
60
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 August

DryComfortableHumidMuggyOppressiveMiserable

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

By dew point, August lands in the dry band about 99% of days. It rarely turns muggy — the humid and sticky bands barely register.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)
1991
2991
3991
41000
51000
61000
71000
81000
91000
101000
111000
121000
131000
14991
15991
16991
17991
18991
19991
20991
21991
22991
23991
24991
25991
26991
27991
28991
29991
30991
31991

Wind in August

Winds average 14 km/h in August.

Across August, daily wind ranges from about 12 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
115light breeze
215light breeze
315light breeze
415light breeze
515light breeze
615light breeze
714light breeze
814light breeze
914light breeze
1014light breeze
1114light breeze
1214light breeze
1314light breeze
1414light breeze
1514light breeze
1614light breeze
1713light breeze
1813light breeze
1913light breeze
2013light breeze
2113light breeze
2213light breeze
2313light breeze
2413light breeze
2513light breeze
2613light breeze
2713light breeze
2813light breeze
2913light breeze
3012light breeze
3112light breeze

Sunrise & sunset in August

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 13 h 12 min at the start of August to 12 h 30 min by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days shrink by about 42 minutes over August. Sunrise moves from 5:24 AM to 5:37 AM, and sunset from 6:34 PM to 6:09 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
113.25:246:34
213.15:256:33
313.15:256:33
413.15:266:32
513.15:266:32
613.15:276:31
713.15:276:30
813.05:286:29
913.05:286:29
1013.05:296:28
1113.05:296:27
1213.05:296:27
1312.95:306:26
1412.95:306:25
1512.95:316:24
1612.95:316:23
1712.85:326:22
1812.85:326:22
1912.85:326:21
2012.85:336:20
2112.85:336:19
2212.75:346:18
2312.75:346:17
2412.75:356:16
2512.75:356:15
2612.65:356:14
2712.65:366:13
2812.65:366:12
2912.65:366:11
3012.65:376:10
3112.55:376:09

Solar energy in August

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in August, about 7.33 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 4.2 kWh/m² to a high of 7.73 kWh/m² in June across the year — August's 7.33 kWh/m² falls in the middle.

02468151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
17.4Intense
27.4Intense
37.4Intense
47.4Intense
57.4Intense
67.4Intense
77.4Intense
87.4Intense
97.4Intense
107.4Intense
117.4Intense
127.4Intense
137.4Intense
147.4Intense
157.4Intense
167.3Intense
177.3Intense
187.3Intense
197.3Intense
207.3Intense
217.3Intense
227.3Intense
237.2Intense
247.2Intense
257.2Intense
267.2Intense
277.2Intense
287.1Intense
297.1Intense
307.1Intense
317.1Intense
Planning a trip in August

Hazard calendar for Riyadh

In seasonPeak

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

Riyadh sees seasonal dust haze (February–September), heaviest in May.

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

Is August a good time to visit Riyadh?

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

0.0
Sightseeing
10th-best month of the year
1.0
Beach & pool
11th-best month of the year

August is a weaker month for outdoor sightseeing in Riyadh.

What to pack for Riyadh in August

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

In August, Riyadh sees daytime highs around 43°C and nights near 29°C. Pack light clothes and sun protection.

light clothessun protection

UV index in Riyadh in August

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in August 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 Riyadh peaks around July 20 at about 11 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near December 15 at about 4 (moderate).

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

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecHighVery highVery highExtremeVery highModerateJul 20UV 11Dec 15UV 4
UV index (midday)Level
Jan6High
Feb7Very high
Mar9Very high
Apr7Very high
May10Extreme
Jun9Very high
Jul11Extreme
Aug11Extreme
Sep9Very high
Oct8Very high
Nov5Moderate
Dec3Moderate

Air quality in Riyadh in August

GoodModeratePoorUnhealthyVery unhealthy

Average fine-particle pollution (PM2.5) through the year — so you can see where August falls, not just the annual average.

Air quality in Riyadh is worst in March — around 93 µg/m³ PM2.5 (unhealthy), about 1.8× the cleanest month (October, 51 µg/m³).

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

0306090120JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecUnhealthyPoorUnhealthyMar 2192 µg/m³Oct 1352 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan68Unhealthy
Feb75Unhealthy
Mar93Unhealthy
Apr89Unhealthy
May85Unhealthy
Jun71Unhealthy
Jul70Unhealthy
Aug65Unhealthy
Sep54Poor
Oct51Poor
Nov59Unhealthy
Dec63Unhealthy
Location & terrain

Where is Riyadh?

Riyadh sits at 24.7°N, 46.7°E, 612 m above sea level, in Saudi Arabia. The nearest listed city is ‘Irqah, 11 km away.

Ḥawṭah Banī TamīmShaqraAd Dawādimī

Topography around Riyadh

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Riyadh has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 58 m around an average of 610 m above sea level; within 16 km, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 194 m; within 80 km, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 688 m.

The land around Riyadh is covered by artificial surfaces (86%) within 3 km, artificial surfaces (74%) and bare terrain (23%) within 16 km, and bare terrain (93%) within 80 km.

3 km
58 m
16 km
194 m
80 km
688 m
treescroplandartificial surfacesbare terrain
August weather nearby: ‘Irqah 11 km · Ad Dir‘īyah 20 km · Al Kharj 86 km · Ad Dilam 89 km · Rumāḩ 107 km · Ḥawṭah Banī Tamīm 133 km · Shaqra 160 km · Ad Dawādimī 236 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 Riyadh (24.6877°, 46.7219°, elevation 612 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).