Riyadh records about 100mm of rain across roughly 21 wet days a year, which is a 6% chance on an average day. April is the wettest month at 22mm (22% of the annual total) and June the driest at 0mm. Local rain type: brief showers. Riyadh is desert-dry — rain is rare and significant. Flash flooding can occur from even modest rainfall on the hard-packed desert surface.
Chance of rain on an average day: 6%
Rainfall climatology for Riyadh. The live hour-by-hour answer for today loads at the top of this page from Open-Meteo and refreshes through the day — the figures below describe a typical year, not today.
Last updated: · Live forecast data refreshes hourly.
| Annual rainfall | 100mm |
| Rain days per year | 21 |
| Odds on an average day | 6% |
| Wettest month | April — 22mm over 5 days |
| Driest month | June — 0mm over 0 days |
| Rain type | brief showers |
| Best dry window | May through October is completely dry — no rain consideration needed. |
| Worst rain window | March and April bring the only notable rainfall, occasionally causing flash floods in wadis. |
April delivers 2200% more rain than June (22mm vs 0mm). That gap is the difference between planning around showers and ignoring them.
22% of the year's rain falls in April alone, so Riyadh has a genuine wet season rather than evenly spread showers.
Riyadh rain typically comes as discrete showers, so a compact umbrella and a flexible plan are usually enough.
Rain falls on about 5 days in April against 0 in June — the frequency swing matters more for planning than the millimetre totals.
Climate normals. Use them to judge whether today's live forecast at the top of the page is typical or unusual for the season.
| Month | Rainfall | Rain days | Chance on a given day | Highs |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 11mm | 2 | 7% | 20°C |
| February | 7mm | 2 | 7% | 20°C |
| March | 22mm | 5 | 17% | 23°C |
| April | 22mm | 5 | 17% | 29°C |
| May | 3mm | 1 | 3% | 34°C |
| June | 0mm | 0 | 0% | 40°C |
| July | 0mm | 0 | 0% | 43°C |
| August | 0mm | 0 | 0% | 43°C |
| September | 0mm | 0 | 0% | 40°C |
| October | 1mm | 1 | 3% | 34°C |
| November | 10mm | 2 | 7% | 29°C |
| December | 17mm | 4 | 13% | 23°C |
Rain probability is the chance that at least 0.2mm falls at your location — not how long it rains. For Riyadh we combine the hourly probability curve, expected volume in millimetres, and the city's own rainfall record into a single umbrella verdict.
| Factor | Weight | What it measures |
|---|---|---|
| Hourly probability | 40% | Peak and sustained chance of measurable rain across the next 24 hours. |
| Expected volume | 30% | Total millimetres, which separates a passing shower from a genuine soaking. |
| Timing & duration | 20% | When rain starts, when it eases, and the longest continuous dry window. |
| Local rain type | 10% | Drizzle, brief showers, thunderstorms or monsoon — each needs different gear. |
Live hourly values come from Open-Meteo and refresh through the day. Monthly rainfall figures are climate normals, so they describe a typical year rather than a forecast.
Riyadh records rain on roughly 21 days a year — about a 6% chance on any given day — totalling around 100mm.
April, with about 22mm over 5 rain days. That is 22% of the entire year's rainfall in a single month.
June is the driest month at 0mm across roughly 0 days. May through October is completely dry — no rain consideration needed.
Riyadh is desert-dry — rain is rare and significant. Flash flooding can occur from even modest rainfall on the hard-packed desert surface.
No. Probability is the chance that at least 0.2mm of rain falls at your location at some point in the period. Check the expected millimetres alongside it: 40% with 0.4mm is a passing shower, 40% with 12mm is a soaking.