Sanaa, the capital of Yemen, sits high on a plateau in the western mountains of the country at around 2,250 metres above sea level, one of the highest capital cities in the world, at approximately 15.37°N, 44.19°E. Its great altitude tempers the Arabian latitude to give a mild semi-arid highland climate (Köppen BSk/BWk) — warm days, cold nights.

There is no scorching summer: the altitude keeps temperatures mild, with daytime highs around 27–29°C even at the warmest, in June and July. The brief rainy seasons come in April and again from July to September, when monsoon moisture reaching the highlands brings afternoon thunderstorms and a green flush across the terraced mountainsides.

Winter, from December to February, brings warm, brilliantly sunny days around 21–23°C and notably cold nights that can drop close to or below freezing, bringing frost on the plateau. Rain is essentially absent, the skies are clear and dry, and the day-to-night temperature swing is among the widest of any capital city.

Sanaa is dry, receiving only around 200–250 mm of rain a year, delivered in two brief pulses — around April and again from July to September — when monsoon moisture reaches the highlands, while the rest of the year is essentially rainless. Live rainfall, humidity, and pressure readings for the city are shown in the panels above.

Sanaa's altitude, over 2,200 metres, spares it the crushing heat of the Arabian lowlands, giving it mild days, cold frosty nights and one of the widest day-to-night temperature ranges of any capital. Its dwindling groundwater, drawn down far faster than the meagre rains replenish it, has made Sanaa one of the first major capitals at real risk of running out of water.

To follow any single measurement in Sana'a 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.