Riyadh weather by month & the best time to visit
Saudi Arabia · major city break · hot desert climate
The best time to visit Riyadh is January — its sunniest month (Sunshine Score 99/100), with February and March close behind. Riyadh averages about 3,722 hours of sunshine a year. Daytime highs around 20°C / 68°F and roughly 6 mm of rain in January.
When is the best time to visit Riyadh?
For sunshine, the best time to visit Riyadh is January, then February and March. The dullest month is June (0/100, 0 mm of rain). The full month-by-month picture is in the table below.
How sunny is Riyadh?
Riyadh is one of the sunniest places on Earth: about 3,722 hours of sunshine a year. 99 Sunshine Score points separate January (99) from June (0), so the month you pick matters. It ranks #21 of 29 destinations in Saudi Arabia for annual sunshine, below the national median of 3,750 hours. Rain is a non-event in Riyadh — about 33 mm in a typical year.
Sunshine Score by month
| Month | Score | Day high | Night low | Rain | UV |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 99 | 20° / 68°F | 6° / 43°F | 6 mm | 5 |
| February | 99 | 24° / 75°F | 9° / 48°F | 4 mm | 7 |
| March | 99 | 28° / 82°F | 13° / 55°F | 3 mm | 9 |
| April | 79 | 34° / 93°F | 18° / 64°F | 6 mm | 10 |
| May | 20 | 40° / 104°F | 24° / 75°F | 1 mm | 10 |
| June | 0 | 42° / 108°F | 26° / 79°F | 0 mm | 11 |
| July | 0 | 44° / 111°F | 28° / 82°F | 0 mm | 11 |
| August | 0 | 43° / 109°F | 28° / 82°F | 0 mm | 10 |
| September | 20 | 40° / 104°F | 24° / 75°F | 0 mm | 10 |
| October | 80 | 34° / 93°F | 20° / 68°F | 0 mm | 8 |
| November | 99 | 27° / 81°F | 14° / 57°F | 7 mm | 6 |
| December | 99 | 21° / 70°F | 8° / 46°F | 6 mm | 5 |
Nearest destinations
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Head-to-head
How Riyadh compares month by month: Riyadh vs Ad Dammam · Riyadh vs Qassim · Riyadh vs Manama · all comparisons
Riyadh: questions and answers
What kind of destination is Riyadh?
Riyadh is a major city break in Saudi Arabia at 620 m elevation with a hot desert climate.
How many hours of sunshine does Riyadh get a year?
Riyadh gets about 3,722 hours of sunshine a year, at its best around January.
When is the best time to visit Riyadh?
The sunniest time to visit Riyadh is January, when the Sunshine Score peaks at 99/100 (with February and March close behind). Expect daytime highs around 20°C / 68°F.
What is the least sunny month in Riyadh?
June is the least sunny month in Riyadh, scoring 0/100 with about 0 mm of rain.
How strong is the sun in Riyadh?
The typical midday UV index in Riyadh peaks around 11 (extreme) in June, easing to about 5 (moderate) in January. Month-by-month midday UV values are in the UV column of the table on this page.
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