Climate averages 1991–2020
Riyadh weather
in May.
A very hot, very dry month: the 5th warmest and the 6th driest of the year.
Long-term climate patterns, not a forecast for a particular trip.
May is a very hot month in Riyadh: daytime highs average 38.6°C and nights cool to about 24.1°C. By daytime temperature it is the 5th warmest of the 12 months.
Expect about 1.9 mm of rain on fewer than one day, which makes May a very dry month (the 6th driest of the 12 months). Daylight, from sunrise to sunset, lasts about 13 h 20 min on an average May day.
The nearest other city in this atlas is Al Kharj (86 km away). In May its highs average 39.9°C, 1.3°C warmer than Riyadh, with 1.1 mm of rain.
Among the 35 cities listed in Saudi Arabia, Riyadh ranks 5th of 35 for the warmest May highs and joint 18th of 35 for the driest May (rainfall, lowest first). The mean May high of those 35 cities is 34.8°C; Riyadh is 3.8°C warmer than that mean.
From May to June, average highs rise by 2.9°C to 41.6°C, and monthly rainfall falls from 1.9 mm to under 1 mm.
The annual picture
May 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, selected | 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 | 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
May in nearby cities
- Al Kharj in MaySaudi Arabia · 86 kmHigh 39.9°C · Low 24.2°C · 1.1 mm rain
- Ad Dawādimī in MaySaudi Arabia · 236 kmHigh 36.5°C · Low 22.5°C · 2.9 mm rain
- Az Zulfī in MaySaudi Arabia · 262 kmHigh 37.6°C · Low 23.3°C · 2.3 mm rain
- Al Hufūf in MaySaudi Arabia · 298 kmHigh 40.6°C · Low 24.7°C · 1.0 mm rain
- Unaizah in MaySaudi Arabia · 315 kmHigh 37.5°C · Low 22.4°C · 1.7 mm rain
- Buraydah in MaySaudi Arabia · 330 kmHigh 38.0°C · Low 22.8°C · 1.6 mm rain
- Ar Rass in MaySaudi Arabia · 350 kmHigh 37.7°C · Low 22.1°C · 1.7 mm rain
- Al Jubayl in MaySaudi Arabia · 389 kmHigh 36.8°C · Low 25.2°C · 1.0 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.