Riyadh in Winter
In winter (December, January and February), Riyadh sees average daytime highs around 22°C and overnight lows near 10°C, with 25 mm of rain over about 5 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 22°C. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 73% of the time across winter, and the air most often feels dry.
Winter is Riyadh's best season of the year to visit on our travel score. For the whole year in context, see Riyadh's year-round climate.
- Avg daytime high
- 22°C
- coldest season of the year
- Avg overnight low
- 10°C
- Rainfall
- 25 mm
- 5 wet days
- Avg wind
- 14 km/h
- Travel score
- 8.5
- best season of the year
- Months
- Dec · Jan · Feb
Temperature in Riyadh in Winter
Across winter, daytime highs hold fairly steady around 22°C.
A typical winter day in Riyadh reaches about 22°C and drops to 10°C overnight. The warmest of the three months is February, the coolest January.
How winter really feels in Riyadh
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.
Riyadh 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 | 20° / 9° | 11 | 2 | 10.6 | 8.1 |
| Feb | 23° / 11° | 5 | 1.5 | 11.1 | 8.9 |
| Mar | 28° / 15° | 11 | 1.9 | 11.8 | 7.9 |
| Apr | 33° / 20° | 14 | 2.7 | 12.6 | 4.3 |
| May | 39° / 25° | 2 | 0.6 | 13.2 | 0.9 |
| Jun | 42° / 28° | 0 | 0 | 13.5 | 0.0 |
| Jul | 43° / 29° | 0 | 0 | 13.4 | 0.0 |
| Aug | 43° / 29° | 0 | 0 | 12.9 | 0.0 |
| Sep | 40° / 26° | 0 | 0 | 12.2 | 0.4 |
| Oct | 35° / 21° | 1 | 0.2 | 11.4 | 3.8 |
| Nov | 27° / 15° | 11 | 2.1 | 10.8 | 8.0 |
| Dec | 22° / 10° | 9 | 1.7 | 10.5 | 8.6 |
Cloud cover in Winter
The sky is clear or mostly clear about 73% of the time across winter.
Chance of precipitation in Winter
Riyadh gets around 25 mm of rain over 5 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 14 km/h across winter.
Sunrise & sunset in Winter
Daylight runs from about 10 h 36 min in early December to 11 h 24 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 4.6 kWh/m².
Hazard calendar for Riyadh
In winter, Riyadh overlaps 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.
Is winter a good time to visit Riyadh?
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 Riyadh for general sightseeing.
What to pack for Riyadh in Winter
From winter's temperature range, rain chance, sun and wind — what's worth putting in the bag.
In winter, Riyadh sees daytime highs around 22°C and nights near 10°C. Worth packing: light clothes and sun protection. About 5 days see rain.
UV index in Riyadh in Winter
Clear-sky midday UV across winter averages around 6 — enough to warrant sun protection. 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.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| UV index (midday) | 6 | 7 | 9 | 7 | 10 | 9 | 11 | 11 | 9 | 8 | 5 | 3 |
| Level | High | Very high | Very high | Very high | Extreme | Very high | Extreme | Extreme | Very high | Very high | Moderate | Moderate |
| UV index (midday) | Level | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 6 | High |
| Feb | 7 | Very high |
| Mar | 9 | Very high |
| Apr | 7 | Very high |
| May | 10 | Extreme |
| Jun | 9 | Very high |
| Jul | 11 | Extreme |
| Aug | 11 | Extreme |
| Sep | 9 | Very high |
| Oct | 8 | Very high |
| Nov | 5 | Moderate |
| Dec | 3 | Moderate |
Air quality in Riyadh 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 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).
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PM2.5 (µg/m³) | 68 | 75 | 93 | 89 | 85 | 71 | 70 | 65 | 54 | 51 | 59 | 63 |
| Level | Unhealthy | Unhealthy | Unhealthy | Unhealthy | Unhealthy | Unhealthy | Unhealthy | Unhealthy | Poor | Poor | Unhealthy | Unhealthy |
| PM2.5 (µg/m³) | Level | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 68 | Unhealthy |
| Feb | 75 | Unhealthy |
| Mar | 93 | Unhealthy |
| Apr | 89 | Unhealthy |
| May | 85 | Unhealthy |
| Jun | 71 | Unhealthy |
| Jul | 70 | Unhealthy |
| Aug | 65 | Unhealthy |
| Sep | 54 | Poor |
| Oct | 51 | Poor |
| Nov | 59 | Unhealthy |
| Dec | 63 | Unhealthy |
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.
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.
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.