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Sulaymaniyah weather by month: averages, rainfall & climate trends

Sulaymaniyah swings through a wide annual range, with 27.2°C between the monthly means of its warmest and coldest months. The warm months are largely dry. Most of the year's rain arrives between November and April. Sulaymaniyah weather by month: average temperatures, rainfall, records and how the climate has changed since 1940.

Today vs average

−1.3°Chigh near average

27° / 18°Today
28° / 12°Average
see today in detail →

How it's changed

+2.5°Caverage temperature, 2016–2025 vs 1940–1949average temperature vs 1940–4928frost days a year now (2016–2025) · 64 in the 1940sfrost days a year · 64 in the 1940s147days above 30°C a year now (2016–2025) · 133 in the 1940sdays above 30°C · 133 in the 1940s+2.5°C vs the 1940s · see how it's changed →
Weather by montha typical year, averaged over the full recordJanuary, rain 131 mmhigh 9°low −1°February, rain 128 mmhigh 11°low 0°March, rain 135 mmhigh 15°low 4°April, rain 95 mmhigh 21°low 8°May, rain 37 mmhigh 28°low 13°June, rain 1 mmhigh 35°low 18°July, rain 0 mmhigh 39°low 22°August, rain 0 mmhigh 39°low 21°September, rain 1 mmhigh 34°low 17°October, rain 30 mmhigh 27°low 12°November, rain 86 mmhigh 18°low 5°December, rain 116 mmhigh 12°low 1°wettest month March, 135 mm · 759 mm a yearsee month by month →

Right now

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

Right now

26.5°

27°feels like
42%humidity
13°dew point
1 km/hfrom E
UV index3.4
sunrise06:02sunset17:27day length11h 25m
TodayOvercast27°18°
TueOvercast26°20°
WedOvercast31°20°
ThuOvercast31°22°
FriOvercast30°22°
SatMostly clear30°19°
SunPartly cloudy29°17°

On this date: October 12

Today (forecast)
27° / 18°
Average for October 12
28° / 12°

High near average · −1.3°C

  • Record high: 34.5° · 2005
  • Record low: 7.7° · 1975
  • One year ago: 29° / 10°

Every October 12 in history, coldest to hottest

▲ Daily highs▼ Daily lows

Dots show daily highs (top) and lows (bottom) for each October 12 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 Sulaymaniyah is sampled from the ECMWF ERA5 reanalysis at 35.56°N, 45.43°E, with daily records since 1940.

Coordinates
35.56°N, 45.43°E
Time zone
Asia/Baghdad
Period
1940–2026
Data source
ERA5 (ECMWF)

Last 30 days

25 of the last 31 days were warmer than the historical average for that date. Average difference: +1.1°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

The year peaks in July, at around 38.9°C by mid-afternoon, with nights around 21.7°C. In a typical recent year, around 145 days reach 30°C or more. In January, the coolest month, afternoons reach about 9.2°C and nights dip to −1.2°C.

Sulaymaniyah picks up roughly 759 mm a year, peaking at 135 mm in March; July is essentially rainless.

Comparing the record's first decade with its most recent one, Sulaymaniyah now averages 2.5°C warmer than it did in the 1940s. Frost days have thinned out, from around 65 a year in the first decade to about 30 now.

Climate graph (climograph)

July is the warmest month, January the coolest: a yearly swing of 27°C. Wettest month: March (~135 mm). Whole year averages ~759 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).

Rainy days by month

About 64 rainy days a year: most in March (~11), fewest in August (almost none).

Bars = average number of days with ≥ 2 mm per month. Hover for the monthly rainfall total.

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.

Sulaymaniyah 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 lowRainRainy daysDaylightRecord highRecord low
January9.2°−1.2°131 mm119.8 h20.4° (1966)−21.8° (1942)
February11.2°0.1°128 mm1110.7 h21.7° (1977)−18.1° (1997)
March15.5°3.6°135 mm1111.7 h30.0° (2008)−16.3° (1985)
April21.3°8.3°95 mm912.9 h33.9° (2008)−6.4° (1956)
May27.7°13.0°37 mm413.9 h38.9° (1999)1.0° (1984)
June34.6°17.9°1 mm014.4 h42.4° (2008)9.2° (1967)
July38.9°21.7°0 mm014.2 h45.2° (2000)12.4° (1958)
August38.7°21.2°0 mm013.3 h45.0° (2008)13.5° (1960)
September34.2°16.5°1 mm012.2 h42.4° (2017)7.0° (2009)
October26.9°11.5°30 mm211.1 h37.0° (2021)1.7° (1985)
November18.0°5.5°86 mm710.1 h27.9° (2021)−6.6° (1992)
December11.8°1.1°116 mm99.6 h26.1° (2010)−16.9° (1988)

How it's changed

Year-by-year signals from 1940 to today.

Climate stripes

Annual mean shifted from 1940–1949 to 2016–2025 by +2.5°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: +0.35°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

Mar–May is warming fastest: +0.41°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: 132.9 early in the record → 147.4 recently. Frost days: 64 → 28.

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 2000, all-time low in 1942: 45.2°C / −21.8°C.

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

Annual rainfall

~759 mm/year on average. Last decade: −4% 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 Sulaymaniyah

Which is the warmest month in Sulaymaniyah?
On long-term average, the warmest month in Sulaymaniyah is July (mean daily temperature of about 31.0°C) and the coolest is January (about 3.8°C).
How does today's temperature in Sulaymaniyah compare to the historical average?
On October 12, 2026, Sulaymaniyah is forecast to reach a high of 27.2°C and a low of 18.1°C. The long-term average for this date (the full record since 1940) is a high of 28.5°C and a low of 12.5°C, so today's high is 1.3°C cooler than that average.
How much has Sulaymaniyah warmed since 1940?
Comparing the first decade of the record (1940–1949) with the most recent (2016–2025), the annual mean temperature in Sulaymaniyah is about 2.5°C warmer.
How much does it rain in Sulaymaniyah?
Sulaymaniyah receives about 759 mm of precipitation per year on long-term average, with March typically the wettest month.
What is the average temperature in Sulaymaniyah?
Over the full record (since 1940), the annual mean temperature in Sulaymaniyah is about 17.3°C. The warmest month is July and the coolest is January.
What are the average temperatures in Sulaymaniyah by month?
Average daily highs and lows for each month in Sulaymaniyah (°C, full record since 1940): January 9°/−1°, February 11°/0°, March 15°/4°, April 21°/8°, May 28°/13°, June 35°/18°, July 39°/22°, August 39°/21°, September 34°/17°, October 27°/12°, November 18°/5°, December 12°/1°.
What is the weather like in Sulaymaniyah in summer?
In summer, June through August, Sulaymaniyah is dry and really hot. It warms from 35°C by day and 18°C at night in June to 39°C and 21°C in August. Hardly any rain falls.
What is the weather like in Sulaymaniyah in winter?
Winter in Sulaymaniyah (December to February) is wet and on the cool side. Expect 9–12°C by day and −1 to 1°C at night, with January the coldest month. Rain is steady at around 125 mm a month, spread over roughly 10 days. It is the wettest season of the year.
What is the weather like in Sulaymaniyah in spring?
In spring, March through May, Sulaymaniyah is mild. March starts at 15°C by day and 4°C at night; by May it is 28°C and 13°C. Rain eases through the season: 11 rainy days and 135 mm in March, 4 days and 37 mm in May.
What is the weather like in Sulaymaniyah in autumn?
September to November is autumn in Sulaymaniyah, and it is warm. September still brings 34°C afternoons and 17°C nights, November only 18°C and 5°C. Rain rises from 1 mm in September to 86 mm in November.
How many days a year does it rain in Sulaymaniyah?
On long-term average, Sulaymaniyah has about 64 days a year with at least 2 mm of rain or snow. The annual total is roughly 759 mm.

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