Riyadh, the capital of Saudi Arabia, sits in the centre of the country on the high Najd plateau at around 600 metres above sea level, far inland from any sea, at approximately 24.71°N, 46.68°E. It has a hot desert climate (Köppen BWh) with long, extremely hot, exceptionally dry summers and short, mild winters, and — unlike the humid Saudi coasts — a very dry heat with a large gap between hot days and cool nights.

Summer, from May to September, is long, blisteringly hot and cloudless, with July the hottest month — average highs around 44°C and peaks that can exceed 47–48°C. The saving grace is extremely low humidity, often just 10–16%, which makes the dry heat more bearable than the sultry coasts but raises the risk of dehydration under the fierce sun. Nights cool a little thanks to the altitude, but remain very warm. Rain is essentially nonexistent.

Winter, from December to February, is mild and pleasant by day but cool at night, with January the coolest month — average highs around 20–22°C and lows near 8–10°C. Cold air from the north can occasionally drop nights close to or below freezing, with rare frost — the temperature has fallen to around -5°C in exceptional cold snaps. This mild, sunny season is comfortably the best time of year.

Riyadh is very dry, receiving only around 90–110 mm of rain a year, almost all of it falling between November and April with a peak around March; the long summer is completely rainless. The rain that comes often arrives as sudden spring thunderstorms and downpours that can flood the wadis and city streets. Live rainfall, humidity, and pressure readings for the city are shown in the panels above.

Riyadh's inland plateau setting gives it a classic dry desert climate — searing, low-humidity summer heat, cool nights and a wide day-to-night temperature range — quite distinct from the muggy Red Sea and Gulf coasts. Its most distinctive weather comes in spring, when clashing air masses can bring thunderstorms, gusty winds and dust storms, sometimes raising walls of sand across the plateau.

To follow any single measurement in Riyadh 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.