Kuwait City, the capital of Kuwait, sits at the head of the Persian Gulf on the flat, low-lying Arabian desert coast at approximately 29.38°N, 47.99°E. It has a hot desert climate (Köppen BWh) — among the most extreme on Earth — with long, blisteringly hot, bone-dry summers and short, mild winters. Rain is very scarce, sunshine near-relentless, and the surrounding desert makes dust storms a defining hazard.

Summer, from May to September, is extraordinarily hot and dry, with July and August the hottest months — average highs around 45–47°C and readings that regularly exceed 50°C, placing Kuwait among the hottest inhabited places in the world; a nearby station recorded 53.2°C in 2021. Nights stay very warm. The Gulf's proximity adds oppressive humidity at times on the coast, while inland the heat is a searing dry heat. Rain is essentially unheard of for months.

Winter, from December to February, is short, mild and pleasant by day but cool at night, with January the coolest month — average highs around 18°C and lows near 8–10°C, occasionally dipping close to freezing during cold snaps, when rare frost can form. This is the only time of year with meaningful rain, and the comfortable temperatures make it comfortably the best season.

Kuwait City is extremely dry, receiving only around 110–120 mm of rain a year, almost all of it falling between November and April; the summer is completely rainless. What rain does come can occasionally arrive in sudden, heavy bursts that cause flash flooding on the flat, drainage-poor desert terrain. Live rainfall, humidity, and pressure readings for the city are shown in the panels above.

The defining feature of Kuwait's weather, beyond the sheer summer heat, is the Shamal — a strong, hot northwesterly wind that sweeps down from the Tigris–Euphrates basin, most persistently in summer, raising vast dust and sandstorms that can slash visibility, degrade air quality and make being outdoors genuinely hazardous. Spring and autumn dust storms are also common as the seasons turn.

To follow any single measurement in Kuwait City more closely, use our live instruments: the online barometer for atmospheric pressure, the thermometer for temperature, the hygrometer for humidity, the anemometer for wind speed, the wind vane for wind direction, and the rain gauge for rainfall.