Climate and Average Weather Year Round at King Khalid International Saudi Arabia

At King Khalid International, the summers are long, sweltering, and arid; the winters are cool and dry; and it is mostly clear year round. Over the course of the year, the temperature typically varies from 46°F to 110°F and is rarely below 38°F or above 113°F.

Based on the beach/pool score, the best times of year to visit King Khalid International for hot-weather activities are from late April to early May and from mid September to late October.

The hot season lasts for 4.3 months, from May 14 to September 24, with an average daily high temperature above 101°F. The hottest month of the year at King Khalid International is July, with an average high of 109°F and low of 82°F.

The cool season lasts for 3.0 months, from November 26 to February 26, with an average daily high temperature below 76°F. The coldest month of the year at King Khalid International is January, with an average low of 46°F and high of 68°F.

At King Khalid International, 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 at King Khalid International begins around August 28 and lasts for 2.3 months, ending around November 7.

The clearest month of the year at King Khalid International is September, during which on average the sky is clear, mostly clear, or partly cloudy 88% of the time.

The cloudier part of the year begins around November 7 and lasts for 9.6 months, ending around August 28.

The cloudiest month of the year at King Khalid International is July, during which on average the sky is overcast or mostly cloudy 34% of the time.

King Khalid International does not experience significant seasonal variation in the frequency of wet days (i.e., those with greater than 0.04 inches of liquid or liquid-equivalent precipitation). The frequency ranges from -0% to 5%, with an average value of 2%.

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 at King Khalid International is March, with an average of 1.4 days. Based on this categorization, the most common form of precipitation throughout the year is rain alone, with a peak probability of 5% on March 7.

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. King Khalid International experiences some seasonal variation in monthly rainfall.

Rain falls throughout the year at King Khalid International. The month with the most rain at King Khalid International is March, with an average rainfall of 0.3 inches.

The month with the least rain at King Khalid International is July, with an average rainfall of -0.0 inches.

The length of the day at King Khalid International varies over the course of the year. In 2024, the shortest day is December 21, with 10 hours, 35 minutes of daylight; the longest day is June 20, with 13 hours, 41 minutes of daylight.

The earliest sunrise is at 5:02 AM on June 8, and the latest sunrise is 1 hour, 37 minutes later at 6:39 AM on January 14. The earliest sunset is at 5:03 PM on November 29, and the latest sunset is 1 hour, 44 minutes later at 6:47 PM on July 2.

Daylight saving time (DST) is not observed at King Khalid International 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 at King Khalid International, 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, remaining a virtually constant 0% 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 at King Khalid International experiences mild seasonal variation over the course of the year.

The windier part of the year lasts for 6.9 months, from January 18 to August 16, with average wind speeds of more than 8.9 miles per hour. The windiest month of the year at King Khalid International is July, with an average hourly wind speed of 10.0 miles per hour.

The calmer time of year lasts for 5.1 months, from August 16 to January 18. The calmest month of the year at King Khalid International is October, with an average hourly wind speed of 7.8 miles per hour.

The predominant average hourly wind direction at King Khalid International varies throughout the year.

The wind is most often from the north for 3.6 months, from May 17 to September 4, with a peak percentage of 76% on July 4. The wind is most often from the east for 1.1 months, from September 4 to October 8, with a peak percentage of 43% on September 11. The wind is most often from the south for 7.3 months, from October 8 to May 17, with a peak percentage of 40% on January 1.

To characterize how pleasant the weather is at King Khalid International 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 times of year to visit King Khalid International for general outdoor tourist activities are from mid February to early April and from late October to early December, with a peak score in the second week of November.

The beach/pool score favors clear, rainless days with perceived temperatures between 75°F and 90°F. Based on this score, the best times of year to visit King Khalid International for hot-weather activities are from late April to early May and from mid September to late October, with a peak score in the first week of October.

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 at King Khalid International 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 significant seasonal variation over the course of the year.

The brighter period of the year lasts for 3.5 months, from May 13 to August 30, with an average daily incident shortwave energy per square meter above 7.5 kWh. The brightest month of the year at King Khalid International is June, with an average of 8.2 kWh.

The darker period of the year lasts for 2.8 months, from November 8 to February 3, with an average daily incident shortwave energy per square meter below 5.0 kWh. The darkest month of the year at King Khalid International is December, with an average of 4.2 kWh.

For the purposes of this report, the geographical coordinates of King Khalid International are 24.958 deg latitude, 46.699 deg longitude, and 2,070 ft elevation.

The topography within 2 miles of King Khalid International contains only modest variations in elevation, with a maximum elevation change of 203 feet and an average elevation above sea level of 2,037 feet. Within 10 miles also contains only modest variations in elevation (486 feet). Within 50 miles contains only modest variations in elevation (1,890 feet).

The area within 2 miles of King Khalid International is covered by bare soil (85%) and artificial surfaces (15%), within 10 miles by bare soil (90%), and within 50 miles by bare soil (94%).