Saḩar in Winter

In winter (December, January and February), Saḩar sees average daytime highs around 22°C and overnight lows near 9°C, with 15 mm of rain over about 4 wet days across the season. It is the coldest season of the year and the driest season of the year.

Over the season highs climb from about 22°C in early December to 24°C by late February. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 81% of the time across winter, and the air most often feels dry.

Winter is Saḩar's best season of the year to visit on our travel score. For the whole year in context, see Saḩar's year-round climate.

Avg daytime high
22°C
coldest season of the year
Avg overnight low
9°C
Rainfall
15 mm
4 wet days
Avg wind
6 km/h
Travel score
8.8
best season of the year
Months
Dec · Jan · Feb

Temperature in Saḩar in Winter

Average highAverage lowShaded bands: 10–90% of days

Over the season highs climb from about 22°C in early December to 24°C by late February.

A typical winter day in Saḩar reaches about 22°C and drops to 9°C overnight. The warmest of the three months is February, the coolest December.

10°20°30°DecJanFeb

Saḩar 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.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan22° / 61.611.28.6
Feb23° / 10°61.611.58.9
Mar24° / 12°215.411.98.3
Apr25° / 13°448.312.37.5
May26° / 15°418.112.77.1
Jun28° / 16°17512.97.2
Jul26° / 16°5813.212.86.0
Aug26° / 15°11222.112.55.0
Sep26° / 14°226.112.17.5
Oct24° / 11°101.111.79.1
Nov22° / 4111.38.9
Dec22° / 30.811.18.8

Cloud cover in Winter

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 81% of the time across winter.

0%25%50%75%100%DecJanFeb

Chance of precipitation in Winter

Any precipitation

Saḩar gets around 15 mm of rain over 4 wet days across winter. The line is the day-by-day chance of measurable precipitation.

0%10%20%30%DecJanFeb

Humidity in Winter

DryComfortableHumidMuggyOppressiveMiserable

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

0%25%50%75%100%DecJanFeb

Wind in Winter

Winds average 6 km/h across winter.

0246810DecJanFeb

Sunrise & sunset in Winter

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 11 h 12 min in early December to 11 h 42 min by late February. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AMDecJanFeb

Solar energy in Winter

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day across winter, about 5.9 kWh/m².

0246DecJanFeb
Planning a trip in winter

Hazard calendar for Saḩar

In seasonPeak

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

Saḩar sees seasonal dust haze (June–August), heaviest in July.

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

Is winter a good time to visit Saḩar?

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.

8.8
Sightseeing
1st-best month of the year
6.1
Beach & pool
3rd-best month of the year

winter is one of the better times to visit Saḩar for general sightseeing. The water and warmth also suit a beach or pool day.

What to pack for Saḩar in Winter

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

In winter, Saḩar sees daytime highs around 22°C and nights near 9°C. Pack sun protection. Worth having: light clothes.

sun protectionlight clothes

UV index in Saḩar in Winter

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV across winter averages 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 Saḩar peaks around April 13 at about 15 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near December 12 at about 9 (very high).

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

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecExtremeVery highApr 13UV 15Dec 12UV 9
UV index (midday)Level
Jan11Extreme
Feb13Extreme
Mar15Extreme
Apr16Extreme
May13Extreme
Jun12Extreme
Jul11Extreme
Aug13Extreme
Sep13Extreme
Oct12Extreme
Nov10Very high
Dec9Very high

Air quality in Saḩar in Winter

GoodModeratePoorUnhealthyVery unhealthy

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

Air quality in Saḩar is worst in July — around 48 µg/m³ PM2.5 (poor), about 2.0× the cleanest month (November, 24 µg/m³).

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

0204060JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecModeratePoorModerateJul 1547 µg/m³Nov 2124 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan29Moderate
Feb38Poor
Mar37Poor
Apr40Poor
May40Poor
Jun43Poor
Jul48Poor
Aug41Poor
Sep35Moderate
Oct27Moderate
Nov24Moderate
Dec24Moderate
Location & terrain

Where is Saḩar?

Saḩar sits at 15.3°N, 44.3°E, 2,374 m above sea level, in Yemen. The nearest listed city is Sanaa, 12 km away.

ḨajjahDhamārAl ḨazmMa'ribBājil

Topography around Saḩar

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Saḩar has significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 265 m around an average of 2,413 m above sea level; within 16 km, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 781 m; within 80 km, extreme variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 3,043 m.

The land around Saḩar is covered by cropland (48%) and bare terrain (23%) within 3 km, bare terrain (38%) and cropland (27%) within 16 km, and bare terrain (56%) within 80 km.

3 km
265 m
16 km
781 m
80 km
3,043 m
shrubsgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrain
Winter weather nearby: Sanaa 12 km · Sayyān 16 km · ‘Amrān 55 km · Ḩajjah 86 km · Dhamār 87 km · Al Ḩazm 107 km · Ma'rib 110 km · Bājil 113 km

Yemen travel facts

Travel advisory
Level 4
Do Not Travel
Power plugs
Type A / D / G
240 V · 50 Hz
Prices
≈ 7% of US
price level, 2013
GDP per capita
$634
2018
Happiness
3.5 / 10
World Happiness, 2025
Homicide rate
5.8
per 100k, 2013
Road deaths
29.4
per 100k/yr, 2019
Income group
Low
World Bank
English
Very low
EF EPI 402
Religion
Muslim 99%other 1%

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 Saḩar (15.3164°, 44.3088°, elevation 2,374 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.