Climate averages 1991–2020
Riyadh weather
in December.
A mild, very dry month: the 11th warmest and the 8th driest of the year. Meets the pleasant-weather rule
Long-term climate patterns, not a forecast for a particular trip.
December is a mild month in Riyadh: daytime highs average 21.3°C and nights cool to about 8.9°C. By daytime temperature it is the 11th warmest of the 12 months.
Expect about 9.1 mm of rain on roughly 2 days, which makes December a very dry month (the 8th driest of the 12 months). Daylight, from sunrise to sunset, lasts about 10 h 38 min on an average December day.
The nearest other city in this atlas is Al Kharj (86 km away). In December its highs average 22.2°C, 1.0°C warmer than Riyadh, with 8.7 mm of rain.
Among the 35 cities listed in Saudi Arabia, Riyadh ranks 20th of 35 for the warmest December highs and joint 9th of 35 for the driest December (rainfall, lowest first). The mean December high of those 35 cities is 22.3°C; Riyadh is 1.1°C cooler than that mean.
From December to January, average highs fall by 1.5°C to 19.8°C, and monthly rainfall rises from 9.1 mm to 11 mm.
The annual picture
December in context
Monthly rainfall
Average total · mmAverages from hourly ERA5 reanalysis data. Actual weather varies from year to year. How these numbers are calculated
Every month, side by side
Riyadh climate table
| Month | Average highHigh / low | Average low | Rainfall mm/month | Rain days ≥1 mm/day | Daylight hours/dayDaylight h/day |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 19.8°C7.4°C | 7.4°C | 11 | 2.0 | 10.811 h |
| February | 23.1°C9.6°C | 9.6°C | 5.4 | 1.5 | 11.311 h |
| March | 27.3°C13.7°C | 13.7°C | 11 | 1.9 | 12.012 h |
| April | 33.1°C19.0°C | 19.0°C | 14 | 2.7 | 12.713 h |
| May | 38.6°C24.1°C | 24.1°C | 1.9 | 0.6 | 13.313 h |
| June | 41.6°C26.0°C | 26.0°C | 0 | 0.0 | 13.614 h |
| July | 42.6°C27.3°C | 27.3°C | 0 | 0.0 | 13.514 h |
| August | 42.5°C27.2°C | 27.2°C | 0 | 0.0 | 13.013 h |
| September | 39.4°C24.2°C | 24.2°C | 0 | 0.0 | 12.312 h |
| October | 33.9°C19.8°C | 19.8°C | 0.9 | 0.2 | 11.612 h |
| November | 26.3°C13.9°C | 13.9°C | 11 | 2.1 | 11.011 h |
| December, selected | 21.3°C8.9°C | 8.9°C | 9.1 | 1.7 | 10.611 h |
Rainfall is the average of the 30 separate monthly totals. A rain day is a local calendar day with at least 1 mm of precipitation. Daylight is the calculated sunrise-to-sunset length, not measured sunshine.
Compare places
December in nearby cities
- Al Kharj in DecemberSaudi Arabia · 86 kmHigh 22.2°C · Low 9.1°C · 8.7 mm rain
- Ad Dawādimī in DecemberSaudi Arabia · 236 kmHigh 20.9°C · Low 9.2°C · 9.4 mm rain
- Az Zulfī in DecemberSaudi Arabia · 262 kmHigh 20.0°C · Low 8.6°C · 15 mm rain
- Al Hufūf in DecemberSaudi Arabia · 298 kmHigh 22.0°C · Low 10.6°C · 15 mm rain
- Unaizah in DecemberSaudi Arabia · 315 kmHigh 20.1°C · Low 8.1°C · 14 mm rain
- Buraydah in DecemberSaudi Arabia · 330 kmHigh 20.4°C · Low 8.1°C · 15 mm rain
- Ar Rass in DecemberSaudi Arabia · 350 kmHigh 20.7°C · Low 8.0°C · 12 mm rain
- Al Jubayl in DecemberSaudi Arabia · 389 kmHigh 21.5°C · Low 13.9°C · 22 mm rain
Read the numbers correctly
Climate, not a promise.
These patterns help compare months. They cannot tell you the weather on a specific day of your trip.
Sources, method and limitsHow these numbers are made (what the highs, lows and rain days mean, the sources and the model cell used for Riyadh) is explained once on the Riyadh year overview and on the Sources, method and limits page.