Climate and Average Weather Year Round in Farasān Saudi Arabia

In Farasān, the summers are long, hot, and partly cloudy; the winters are warm and mostly clear; and it is oppressive and dry year round. Over the course of the year, the temperature typically varies from 74°F to 93°F and is rarely below 71°F or above 95°F.

Based on the beach/pool score, the best time of year to visit Farasān for hot-weather activities is from early December to mid March.

The hot season lasts for 5.2 months, from May 13 to October 19, with an average daily high temperature above 90°F. The hottest month of the year in Farasān is July, with an average high of 93°F and low of 87°F.

The cool season lasts for 3.2 months, from December 11 to March 17, with an average daily high temperature below 83°F. The coldest month of the year in Farasān is January, with an average low of 74°F and high of 81°F.

In Farasān, the average percentage of the sky covered by clouds experiences significant seasonal variation over the course of the year.

The clearer part of the year in Farasān begins around October 17 and lasts for 6.6 months, ending around May 6.

The clearest month of the year in Farasān is November, during which on average the sky is clear, mostly clear, or partly cloudy 83% of the time.

The cloudier part of the year begins around May 6 and lasts for 5.4 months, ending around October 17.

The cloudiest month of the year in Farasān is June, during which on average the sky is overcast or mostly cloudy 49% of the time.

A wet day is one with at least 0.04 inches of liquid or liquid-equivalent precipitation. The chance of wet days in Farasān varies throughout the year.

The wetter season lasts 1.9 months, from July 1 to August 29, with a greater than 11% chance of a given day being a wet day. The month with the most wet days in Farasān is July, with an average of 5.3 days with at least 0.04 inches of precipitation.

The drier season lasts 10 months, from August 29 to July 1. The month with the fewest wet days in Farasān is February, with an average of 0.6 days with at least 0.04 inches of precipitation.

Among wet days, we distinguish between those that experience rain alone, snow alone, or a mixture of the two. The month with the most days of rain alone in Farasān is July, with an average of 5.3 days. Based on this categorization, the most common form of precipitation throughout the year is rain alone, with a peak probability of 21% on August 1.

Rainfall

To show variation within the months and not just the monthly totals, we show the rainfall accumulated over a sliding 31-day period centered around each day of the year. Farasān experiences some seasonal variation in monthly rainfall.

The rainy period of the year lasts for 1.7 months, from July 4 to August 27, with a sliding 31-day rainfall of at least 0.5 inches. The month with the most rain in Farasān is July, with an average rainfall of 0.7 inches.

The rainless period of the year lasts for 10 months, from August 27 to July 4. The month with the least rain in Farasān is November, with an average rainfall of 0.1 inches.

The length of the day in Farasān varies over the course of the year. In 2024, the shortest day is December 21, with 11 hours, 8 minutes of daylight; the longest day is June 20, with 13 hours, 8 minutes of daylight.

The earliest sunrise is at 5:37 AM on June 3, and the latest sunrise is 1 hour, 6 minutes later at 6:43 AM on January 21. The earliest sunset is at 5:36 PM on November 23, and the latest sunset is 1 hour, 13 minutes later at 6:48 PM on July 6.

Daylight saving time (DST) is not observed in Farasān during 2024.

The figure below presents a compact representation of key lunar data for 2024. The horizontal axis is the day, the vertical axis is the hour of the day, and the colored areas indicate when the moon is above the horizon. The vertical gray bars (new Moons) and blue bars (full Moons) indicate key Moon phases.

We base the humidity comfort level on the dew point, as it determines whether perspiration will evaporate from the skin, thereby cooling the body. Lower dew points feel drier and higher dew points feel more humid. Unlike temperature, which typically varies significantly between night and day, dew point tends to change more slowly, so while the temperature may drop at night, a muggy day is typically followed by a muggy night.

The perceived humidity level in Farasān, as measured by the percentage of time in which the humidity comfort level is muggy, oppressive, or miserable, does not vary significantly over the course of the year, staying within 2% of 98% throughout.

This section discusses the wide-area hourly average wind vector (speed and direction) at 10 meters above the ground. The wind experienced at any given location is highly dependent on local topography and other factors, and instantaneous wind speed and direction vary more widely than hourly averages.

The average hourly wind speed in Farasān experiences mild seasonal variation over the course of the year.

The windier part of the year lasts for 5.9 months, from October 18 to April 15, with average wind speeds of more than 8.1 miles per hour. The windiest month of the year in Farasān is January, with an average hourly wind speed of 8.9 miles per hour.

The calmer time of year lasts for 6.1 months, from April 15 to October 18. The calmest month of the year in Farasān is May, with an average hourly wind speed of 7.3 miles per hour.

The predominant average hourly wind direction in Farasān varies throughout the year.

The wind is most often from the west for 5.2 months, from May 3 to October 8, with a peak percentage of 72% on July 11. The wind is most often from the south for 6.8 months, from October 8 to May 3, with a peak percentage of 60% on January 1.

Farasān is located near a large body of water (e.g., ocean, sea, or large lake). This section reports on the wide-area average surface temperature of that water.

The average water temperature experiences some seasonal variation over the course of the year.

The time of year with warmer water lasts for 2.8 months, from August 6 to October 31, with an average temperature above 88°F. The month of the year in Farasān with the warmest water is September, with an average temperature of 89°F.

The time of year with cooler water lasts for 2.9 months, from December 25 to March 21, with an average temperature below 81°F. The month of the year in Farasān with the coolest water is February, with an average temperature of 80°F.

To characterize how pleasant the weather is in Farasān throughout the year, we compute two travel scores.

The tourism score favors clear, rainless days with perceived temperatures between 65°F and 80°F. Based on this score, the best time of year to visit Farasān for general outdoor tourist activities is from early January to late February, with a peak score in the last week of January.

The beach/pool score favors clear, rainless days with perceived temperatures between 75°F and 90°F. Based on this score, the best time of year to visit Farasān for hot-weather activities is from early December to mid March, with a peak score in the first week of February.

Methodology

For each hour between 8:00 AM and 9:00 PM of each day in the analysis period (1980 to 2016), independent scores are computed for perceived temperature, cloud cover, and total precipitation. Those scores are combined into a single hourly composite score, which is then aggregated into days, averaged over all the years in the analysis period, and smoothed.

Our cloud cover score is 10 for fully clear skies, falling linearly to 9 for mostly clear skies, and to 1 for fully overcast skies.

Our precipitation score, which is based on the three-hour precipitation centered on the hour in question, is 10 for no precipitation, falling linearly to 9 for trace precipitation, and to 0 for 0.04 inches of precipitation or more.

Our tourism temperature score is 0 for perceived temperatures below 50°F, rising linearly to 9 for 65°F, to 10 for 75°F, falling linearly to 9 for 80°F, and to 1 for 90°F or hotter.

Our beach/pool temperature score is 0 for perceived temperatures below 65°F, rising linearly to 9 for 75°F, to 10 for 82°F, falling linearly to 9 for 90°F, and to 1 for 100°F or hotter.

Definitions of the growing season vary throughout the world, but for the purposes of this report, we define it as the longest continuous period of non-freezing temperatures (≥ 32°F) in the year (the calendar year in the Northern Hemisphere, or from July 1 until June 30 in the Southern Hemisphere).

Temperatures in Farasān are sufficiently warm year round that it is not entirely meaningful to discuss the growing season in these terms. We nevertheless include the chart below as an illustration of the distribution of temperatures experienced throughout the year.

Growing degree days are a measure of yearly heat accumulation used to predict plant and animal development, and defined as the integral of warmth above a base temperature, discarding any excess above a maximum temperature. In this report, we use a base of 50°F and a cap of 86°F.

This section discusses the total daily incident shortwave solar energy reaching the surface of the ground over a wide area, taking full account of seasonal variations in the length of the day, the elevation of the Sun above the horizon, and absorption by clouds and other atmospheric constituents. Shortwave radiation includes visible light and ultraviolet radiation.

The average daily incident shortwave solar energy experiences some seasonal variation over the course of the year.

The brighter period of the year lasts for 1.9 months, from March 10 to May 7, with an average daily incident shortwave energy per square meter above 6.6 kWh. The brightest month of the year in Farasān is April, with an average of 6.9 kWh.

The darker period of the year lasts for 2.3 months, from November 16 to January 26, with an average daily incident shortwave energy per square meter below 5.5 kWh. The darkest month of the year in Farasān is December, with an average of 5.1 kWh.

For the purposes of this report, the geographical coordinates of Farasān are 16.702 deg latitude, 42.118 deg longitude, and 72 ft elevation.

The topography within 2 miles of Farasān contains only modest variations in elevation, with a maximum elevation change of 108 feet and an average elevation above sea level of 56 feet. Within 10 miles also contains only modest variations in elevation (112 feet). Within 50 miles also contains only modest variations in elevation (335 feet).

The area within 2 miles of Farasān is covered by bare soil (88%), within 10 miles by water (66%) and bare soil (32%), and within 50 miles by water (84%) and bare soil (12%).