Saudi Arabia Climate
Top 5 Cities: Riyadh, Jeddah, Mecca, Medina, and Dammam
This month in numbers
Saudi Arabia experienced its warmest April on record, with an average temperature of 28.52°C, an anomaly of +3.6°C compared to the 1961–1990 baseline. This marks the 1st warmest April in 86 years of records. Globally, April 2026 was the 2nd warmest April for land temperatures, with an anomaly of +1.1°C.
What changed
The February–April 2026 period in Saudi Arabia saw an average temperature of 22.53°C, ranking as the 6th warmest such period on record. This represents an anomaly of +1.9°C above the 1961–1990 baseline. Saudi Arabia's 1-month anomaly for April placed it 20th globally among 234 regions, indicating a significant warming trend compared to many other areas. The broader Asian continent, to which Saudi Arabia belongs, also experienced a warmer-than-average month, with a group mean anomaly of +1.77°C.
What’s driving change?
The unusually high temperatures in Saudi Arabia are part of a broader trend of warming, with the country's long-term trend showing an increase of +2.30°C against the 1961–1990 baseline. This warming is influenced by the effect, as Saudi Arabia is a large landmass. Additionally, the region experienced unusually powerful thunderstorms, heavy rains, and hail across multiple regions in April 2026, including Riyadh, the Eastern Province, Hail, and Qassim. These events were attributed to an abnormally strong jet stream drawing moist tropical air from the Indian Ocean.
Looking ahead
Seasonal outlooks suggest continued warmer-than-average conditions for the coming months.
Sources:
Generated by Gemini from climate data and web sources
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Data Sources
Data Sources for Saudi Arabia
Every figure on this page is sourced from official, openly published climate datasets. Anomalies are calculated against the 1961–1990 baseline (temperature) and 1991–2020 (rainfall, sunshine, frost) — see the Methodology & Sources page for the complete dataset list and update calendar.
FAQs
FAQs
How is the climate in Saudi Arabia changing?
Saudi Arabia is warming in line with the rest of the world. The page above shows the latest monthly temperature anomaly versus the 1961-1990 baseline, the long-term annual trend, and the region's rank in the historical record. The trend rate is shown as °C per decade in the headline panel; you can also see the warmest and coolest years on file.
Where does the climate data for Saudi Arabia come from?
Climate data for Saudi Arabia comes from Our World in Data, sourcing Copernicus ERA5 and HadCRUT5 (national temperature anomaly) and the Global Carbon Project via Our World in Data (CO₂ emissions), refreshed every month, when the upstream temperature and rainfall data are refreshed.
What is the climate baseline used on this page?
Anomalies on this page are calculated against the 1961-1990 climatological baseline, which is the standard reference period used by the Met Office, NOAA, IPCC and most national climate services. Some panels also show the source-native 1901-2000 (NOAA) or 1991-2020 (WMO) baselines for verification. See Methodology & Sources for the full reference.
Which areas does the Saudi Arabia climate data cover?
The Saudi Arabia climate profile covers Riyadh, Jeddah, Mecca, Medina and surrounding areas. Temperature, rainfall and emissions data for Saudi Arabia
How often is the Saudi Arabia climate update refreshed?
The Saudi Arabia climate update is refreshed monthly, typically a few days after the previous month closes and the upstream provider (Met Office HadUK-Grid, NOAA Climate at a Glance, Copernicus ERA5 or the Global Carbon Project) publishes its update. See the Climate Rankings for cross-region comparisons.