Saudi Arabia
26 cities
Climate overview
Saudi Arabia (approximately 2,150,000 km²) occupies 80% of the Arabian Peninsula, bordered by the Red Sea to the west and the Persian Gulf to the east, encompassing one of Earth's most extreme climate zones.
The kingdom spans diverse topography: the hyperarid Rub’ al Khali (Empty Quarter), covering some 650,000 km² shared with Oman, the UAE and Yemen, one of the world's largest sand deserts; the hot, narrow coastal Tihamah lowlands along the Red Sea; the Asir Highlands in the southwest, reaching 3,015 m at Jabal Sawda, with extensively terraced upper slopes; and the central Najd plateau descending eastward.
The climate is predominantly Köppen BWh (hot desert), and along the Persian Gulf coast extreme humidity creates dangerous heat stress conditions. Annual precipitation rarely exceeds about 125 mm outside the southwest, falling mainly between November and April, though the southwestern highlands receive around 400–700 mm supporting unique montane ecosystems.
Riyadh (central Najd, 612 m) has January highs of about 21°C with nights near 5°C and 97 mm annual precipitation; summer daily highs average about 43°C. Jeddah (Red Sea coast) has January highs of about 29°C with nights near 19°C and July highs of 39°C with nights near 28°C, with about 60 mm rainfall but year-round crushing humidity. The November 2009 Jeddah floods dropped more than 70 mm in four hours, causing 122 deaths, destroying 3,000+ vehicles, and $270 million damage when eleven wadis overwhelmed drainage infrastructure.
November 2022 Jeddah floods killed two more. Dammam (Persian Gulf) has January highs of about 22°C with nights near 10°C and July highs of 45°C, with 87 mm. Abha (Asir Highlands, 2,270 m) enjoys January highs of about 20°C with nights near 8°C and July highs of about 31°C with 278 mm. Tabuk has January highs of about 18°C with nights near 3°C and July highs of 38°C with about 30 mm. The June 2024 Hajj heatwave (51°C+) killed over 1,300 pilgrims. Shamal winds, mostly in summer but also in winter, raise dust storms that reduce visibility significantly. The Red Sea warms at 0.17°C/decade, bleaching coral reefs.
Our archive covers 26 Saudi Arabian cities with daily ERA5 reanalysis data going back to 1940. The hottest July afternoons are in Al Hufūf, with average highs around 44.5°C, while Arar has the coldest January nights, with average lows near 3.1°C. Comparing the last decade against the 1940–1970 baseline, mean temperatures across these cities have risen by about 2.6°C.
How the climate has shifted in Saudi Arabia
Average across 26 cities with full ERA5 coverage: 1940–1970 baseline vs the last decade (2016–2025).
- Annual mean temperature
- 23.8°C→26.3°C
- Days above 30°C per year
- 184 days→213 days+28
- Frost days per year
- 3 days→0 days−3
- Tropical nights (≥20°C) per year
- 154 nights→201 nights+47
Warmest year in the record so far: 2021.
What's unusual right now
From a snapshot of the world's largest cities updated each hour. Today's mean temperature compared with each city's long-term average for the same calendar date (ERA5 climatology, 1940 onward). Last 30 days uses each city's rolling daily-mean vs its monthly average. Not a global ranking.