Riyadh Weather FAQ

Rain falls mainly between November and April, peaking in spring; summer is essentially rainless. The city averages about 100 mm a year, often in short, heavy thunderstorms that can cause flash flooding in the wadis and underpasses.

July is the hottest month, with average highs around 43–44 °C and afternoons that often exceed 45 °C; August is a close second. The most intense heatwaves can approach 48 °C.

January is the coldest, with average highs near 19–20 °C and overnight lows around 6–9 °C in the city — colder, occasionally near freezing, in the surrounding desert and on the northern plateau.

Yes, especially in spring, when strong northerly winds raise the wall-of-dust storms that cut visibility and worsen air quality. Dusty days can occur at any time of year.

Daytime highs in July and August average about 43–44 °C and often exceed 45 °C, with very dry air and warm nights. Early morning and after sunset are the most comfortable times of day.

Snow is effectively unknown in Riyadh. A light frost can form on the coldest winter nights, especially in the open desert and the higher northern and western parts of the Region, but snow is a remote exception.

November to March, when days are warm and sunny around 20 °C and the evenings are cool — comfortably the most pleasant weather of the year and the height of the city’s outdoor season.

Not much — the whole city shares one climate. Built-up districts can hold a little more heat on summer nights than the open desert at the city’s edge, an urban heat-island effect.

It is all hot desert, but the south toward Wadi ad-Dawasir is hotter and drier with the mildest winters, the north around Al-Majmaah and Al-Zulfi has colder nights, and the western highlands toward Ad-Dawadmi and Afif are slightly cooler with more rain and dust.