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Abu Dhabi weather by month: averages, rainfall & climate trends

The capital of the Emirates rises from a flat Gulf-coast desert, enduring some of the most punishing summer heat and humidity anywhere, with mild, occasionally foggy winters as the year's only real respite. Abu Dhabi weather by month: average temperatures, rainfall, records and how the climate has changed since 1940.

Today vs average

+2.2°Chigh above average

36° / 29°Today
34° / 25°Average
see today in detail →

How it's changed

+1.8°Caverage temperature, 2016–2025 vs 1940–1949average temperature vs 1940–49235days above 30°C a year now (2016–2025) · 227 in the 1940sdays above 30°C · 227 in the 1940s+1.8°C vs the 1940s · see how it's changed →
Weather by montha typical year, averaged over the full recordJanuary, rain 14 mmhigh 23°low 15°February, rain 11 mmhigh 24°low 16°March, rain 11 mmhigh 27°low 18°April, rain 7 mmhigh 32°low 22°May, rain 1 mmhigh 36°low 26°June, rain 0 mmhigh 38°low 28°July, rain 1 mmhigh 39°low 30°August, rain 1 mmhigh 40°low 31°September, rain 0 mmhigh 38°low 28°October, rain 1 mmhigh 34°low 25°November, rain 3 mmhigh 29°low 21°December, rain 11 mmhigh 25°low 17°wettest month January, 14 mm · 61 mm a yearsee month by month →

Right now

What it's doing today vs the historical average for this date.
Clear

Right now

33.4°

40°feels like
62%humidity
25°dew point
5 km/hfrom S
UV index5.1
sunrise06:21sunset17:53day length11h 32m
TodayClear36°29°
MonClear37°29°
TueClear36°28°
WedClear37°29°
ThuClear37°28°
FriClear37°29°
SatMostly clear34°29°

On this date: October 18

Today (forecast)
36° / 29°
Average for October 18
34° / 25°

High above average · +2.2°C

  • Record high: 36.8° · 1993
  • Record low: 20.1° · 1942
  • One year ago: 34° / 27°

Every October 18 in history, coldest to hottest

▲ Daily highs▼ Daily lows

Dots show daily highs (top) and lows (bottom) for each October 18 on record (n = 87). Outlined dots are today's forecast.

Area we sample

Each city's history comes from one ERA5 grid cell, about 28 km across, shown by the dashed box. Near mountains or coasts, conditions can vary across the cell.

Location & data

Historical weather for Abu Dhabi is sampled from the ECMWF ERA5 reanalysis at 24.45°N, 54.40°E, with daily records since 1940.

Coordinates
24.45°N, 54.40°E
Time zone
Asia/Dubai
Period
1940–2026
Data source
ERA5 (ECMWF)

Last 30 days

31 of the last 31 days were warmer than the historical average for that date. Average difference: +2.4°C.

Each bar is one day, from morning low to afternoon high. Warm-colored bars are days whose mean ran above average; cool bars ran below. The dot inside the bar is the daily mean. The shaded band is the typical 10–90% range expected for that date. Average = the day's mean temperature averaged across every year of record (1940–2026) for that calendar date.

This date over the years

One dot per year, showing the mean temperature on this calendar date. Dots are warmer or cooler than the long-term average (dashed line); the shaded band is the typical 10–90% range, and the highlighted dot is today's forecast. Based on ERA5 reanalysis: modelled estimates, not station readings.

Weather by month

Average temperatures and rainfall for each month: a typical year, from the full record.

Climate overview

Abu Dhabi sits on the southeastern shore of the Persian Gulf, on low desert ground at the edge of the Arabian Peninsula. Its hot desert climate (Köppen BWh) makes the months from May to September brutally hot, and the nearby Gulf piles on a heavy humidity that drives the 'feels-like' temperature well beyond the already fierce readings on the thermometer. Rain is scarce, and what little falls comes mostly in winter.

Dust and sandstorms kick up during the hot, dry months and can cut visibility right down. The cooler season from November to March is the only genuine break: warm, pleasant days, a handful of wet ones, and dense fog that settles over the coast on some mornings. For most of the year, though, heat and aridity are the overwhelming facts of life.

August brings the year's peak warmth, with afternoons typically reaching 39.7°C and nights around 30.5°C. In January, the coolest month, afternoons reach about 22.8°C and nights dip to 15.4°C.

Abu Dhabi averages only about 61 mm a year, and what little falls comes mostly around January.

Comparing the record's first decade with its most recent one, Abu Dhabi now averages 1.8°C warmer than it did in the 1940s. Recent years have brought less rain as well. The last decade sits roughly 12% under the long-term average.

Sources:en.wikipedia.orgbritannica.comncm.gov.ae

Climate graph (climograph)

August is the warmest month, January the coolest: a yearly swing of 16°C. Wettest month: January (~14 mm). Whole year averages ~61 mm of rain.

Bars = average monthly rainfall (right axis). Lines = average daily high and low (left axis). Average = each month's value averaged across every year of record (1940–2026).

Monthly wind

Average daily peak wind at 10 m, by month.

Monthly solar energy

Average daily incoming solar energy in megajoules per square metre: the record's own proxy for how sunny the month is.

Abu Dhabi month by month: what to expect

Typical conditions for each month, averaged across the full record (since 1940). Daylight is the time from sunrise to sunset. Record high/low are the most extreme values in the ERA5 dataset (modelled since 1940), so they can differ from official weather-station readings.

MonthAvg highAvg lowRainDaylightRecord highRecord low
January22.8°15.4°14 mm10.6 h30.3° (1991)7.3° (1942)
February23.9°16.0°11 mm11.2 h35.3° (2009)7.1° (1950)
March27.3°18.4°11 mm11.8 h38.9° (2010)10.1° (1992)
April31.6°21.7°7 mm12.6 h40.6° (2025)13.7° (1983)
May35.8°25.6°1 mm13.2 h42.5° (1986)17.3° (1971)
June37.6°27.7°0 mm13.5 h43.1° (2024)21.0° (1961)
July39.1°30.0°1 mm13.4 h44.9° (2001)23.3° (1974)
August39.7°30.5°1 mm12.9 h45.7° (2005)24.1° (1942)
September37.8°28.2°0 mm12.1 h43.2° (1966)21.8° (1942)
October34.3°24.9°1 mm11.4 h40.0° (2021)18.6° (1971)
November29.4°21.1°3 mm10.8 h35.1° (2009)13.1° (1976)
December24.9°17.4°11 mm10.5 h31.6° (1998)10.6° (1967)

How it's changed

Year-by-year signals from 1940 to today.

Climate stripes

Annual mean shifted from 1940–1949 to 2016–2025 by +1.8°C.

Each vertical stripe is one year. Color encodes how much that year's annual mean differed from the long-term average. Average = each year's annual mean compared to the average of all years (1940–2026). cooler ← → warmer

Annual mean temperature

Long-term trend: +0.24°C per decade.

One point per year, showing the temperature averaged across the whole year. The dashed line is the least-squares long-term trend. Based on ERA5 reanalysis: modelled estimates, not station readings.

Seasonal warming

Jun–Aug is warming fastest: +0.27°C per decade.

Each faint line is one three-month period's average per year; the bold dashed line is its long-term trend. Different parts of the year often warm at different rates. Based on ERA5 reanalysis: modelled estimates, not station readings.

Hot days vs frost days

Days ≥ 30°C per year: 226.5 early in the record → 235.0 recently. Frost days: 0 → 0.

Thin lines are raw yearly counts; thick lines are the smoothed trend that removes year-to-year noise. The hot-day threshold is auto-picked per city so the line actually moves. Average = a centered 5-year rolling average to smooth weather noise.

Yearly hot & cold extremes

All-time high in 2005, all-time low in 1950: 45.7°C / 7.1°C.

One point per year: the single hottest and coldest day recorded that year.

Annual rainfall

~61 mm/year on average. Last decade: −12% vs that average. Long-term trend: −3 mm per decade.

One bar per year of total rainfall. Dashed line is the long-term average. Average = the average annual rainfall across every year of record (1940–2026).

Day-by-day grid

Each tiny square is one calendar day across the full record, about 30,000 days per city. Use the mode switch above the chart: Anomaly colors each day by how far it ran from the historical average for that date (red = warmer, blue = cooler), Daily mean temp shows the absolute mean temperature for the day (useful to see seasons and heatwaves), and Precipitation shows daily rainfall (useful to spot wet/dry seasons and droughts). Average = the long-term average for that calendar date (1940–2026).

Frequently asked questions about Abu Dhabi

Which is the warmest month in Abu Dhabi?
On long-term average, the warmest month in Abu Dhabi is August (mean daily temperature of about 34.8°C) and the coolest is January (about 19.1°C).
How does today's temperature in Abu Dhabi compare to the historical average?
On October 18, 2026, Abu Dhabi is forecast to reach a high of 36.3°C and a low of 29.2°C. The long-term average for this date (the full record since 1940) is a high of 34.1°C and a low of 24.5°C, so today's high is 2.2°C warmer than that average.
How much has Abu Dhabi warmed since 1940?
Comparing the first decade of the record (1940–1949) with the most recent (2016–2025), the annual mean temperature in Abu Dhabi is about 1.8°C warmer.
How much does it rain in Abu Dhabi?
Abu Dhabi receives about 61 mm of precipitation per year on long-term average, with January typically the wettest month.
What is the average temperature in Abu Dhabi?
Over the full record (since 1940), the annual mean temperature in Abu Dhabi is about 27.5°C. The warmest month is August and the coolest is January.
What are the average temperatures in Abu Dhabi by month?
Average daily highs and lows for each month in Abu Dhabi (°C, full record since 1940): January 23°/15°, February 24°/16°, March 27°/18°, April 32°/22°, May 36°/26°, June 38°/28°, July 39°/30°, August 40°/31°, September 38°/28°, October 34°/25°, November 29°/21°, December 25°/17°.
What is the weather like in Abu Dhabi in summer?
In summer, June through August, Abu Dhabi is dry and really hot. Afternoons run 38–40°C and nights 28–31°C; August is the warmest month. Almost no rain.
What is the weather like in Abu Dhabi in winter?
In winter, December through February, Abu Dhabi is dry and pleasantly warm. Expect 23–25°C by day and 15–17°C at night, with January the coldest month. About 12 mm of rain a month.
What is the weather like in Abu Dhabi in spring?
Spring in Abu Dhabi (March to May) is dry and hot. March is still 27°C in the afternoon and 18°C at night, May already 36°C and 26°C. Almost no rain.
What is the weather like in Abu Dhabi in autumn?
Autumn in Abu Dhabi (September to November) is dry and hot. September still brings 38°C afternoons and 28°C nights, November only 29°C and 21°C. Hardly any rain falls.

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