Riyadh weather in October

In October, Riyadh sees average daytime highs of 35°C and overnight lows near 21°C, with 1 mm of rain across 0.2 wet days and about 11.4 hours of daylight. It is the 6th-warmest and 8th-wettest month of the year here.

Highs ease over the month, from about 37°C in the first days to 32°C by the end. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 90% of the time in October, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 11 h 48 min at the start of October to 11 h 06 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, October is Riyadh's 3rd-clearest and 12th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Riyadh's year-round climate.

Daytime high
35°
6th warmest
Overnight low
21°
7th coldest
Rainfall
1 mm
0.2 wet days
Daylight
11 h 24 min
5:56 AM – 5:20 PM
Cloud cover
10%
3rd clearest
Wind
11 km/h
12th windiest
Solar energy
5.86 kWh/m²
Travel score
3.8
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 October

Average highAverage lowShaded bands: 10–90% of days

Highs ease over the month, from about 37°C in the first days to 32°C by the end.

A typical October day in Riyadh reaches about 35°C in the afternoon and slips back to 21°C overnight — a 14°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 32°C and 37°C. Set against its neighbours, October runs about 5°C cooler than September and about 8°C warmer than November.

15°20°25°30°35°40°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
13723
23723
33723
43723
53723
63722
73622
83622
93622
103622
113622
123521
133521
143521
153521
163521
173421
183421
193420
203420
213420
223320
233320
243320
253319
263219
273219
283219
293219
303118
313118

How October really feels in Riyadh

Once humidity and wind are folded in, October averages 27 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
27
heat index over the day's high
Days feeling ≤ C
0
wind chill below the day's low

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

Riyadh weather by month

How October compares with the rest of the year at a glance. October 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
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 October

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 90% of the time in October.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 4% of October, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 6%. Skies tend to cloud over as the month goes on.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
1991
2991
3982
4982
5982
6982
7982
8982
9973
10973
11973
12955
13955
14955
15946
16946
17937
18928
19928
20928
21928
22928
23928
24928
25928
26928
27928
28928
29928
30919
31919

Chance of precipitation in October

Any precipitation

Riyadh gets around 1 mm of rain over 0.2 wet days in October. The line is the day-by-day chance of measurable precipitation.

Day to day, the chance of measurable rain averages around 1% and peaks near 4% 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
191
201
211
221
231
241
252
262
272
283
293
303
314

Humidity in October

DryComfortableHumidMuggyOppressiveMiserable

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

By dew point, October 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 (%)Humid (%)
110000
210000
310000
410000
510000
610000
710000
810000
910000
1010000
1110000
1210000
1310000
149910
159910
169910
179910
189811
199721
209721
219721
229721
239622
249532
259532
269433
279433
289343
299343
309244
319244

Wind in October

Winds average 11 km/h in October, the calmest month.

Across October, 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
2412calm
2512calm
2612calm
2712calm
2812calm
2912calm
3012calm
3112light breeze

Sunrise & sunset in October

DaylightNight

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

Days shrink by about 42 minutes over October. Sunrise moves from 5:49 AM to 6:04 AM, and sunset from 5:35 PM to 5:09 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
111.85:495:35
211.75:495:34
311.75:505:33
411.75:505:32
511.75:515:31
611.65:515:30
711.65:525:29
811.65:525:28
911.65:525:27
1011.65:535:26
1111.55:535:25
1211.55:545:24
1311.55:545:23
1411.55:555:22
1511.45:555:21
1611.45:565:20
1711.45:565:20
1811.45:575:19
1911.35:575:18
2011.35:585:17
2111.35:585:16
2211.35:595:15
2311.36:005:15
2411.26:005:14
2511.26:015:13
2611.26:015:12
2711.26:025:12
2811.16:025:11
2911.16:035:10
3011.16:045:10
3111.16:045:09

Solar energy in October

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in October, about 5.86 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 — October's 5.86 kWh/m² falls in the middle.

0246151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
16.3Intense
26.3Intense
36.3Intense
46.3Intense
56.2Intense
66.2Intense
76.2Intense
86.1Intense
96.1Intense
106.1Intense
116.0Intense
126.0Intense
136.0Bright
146.0Bright
155.9Bright
165.9Bright
175.8Bright
185.8Bright
195.8Bright
205.7Bright
215.7Bright
225.7Bright
235.6Bright
245.6Bright
255.5Bright
265.5Bright
275.5Bright
285.4Bright
295.4Bright
305.3Bright
315.3Bright
Planning a trip in October

Hazard calendar for Riyadh

In seasonPeak

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

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

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

Is October a good time to visit Riyadh?

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

3.8
Sightseeing
7th-best month of the year
7.4
Beach & pool
4th-best month of the year

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

What to pack for Riyadh in October

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

In October, Riyadh sees daytime highs around 35°C and nights near 21°C. Pack light clothes. Worth having: sun protection.

light clothessun protection

UV index in Riyadh in October

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in October 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 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 October

GoodModeratePoorUnhealthyVery unhealthy

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