Saudi Arabia has a dry, hot desert climate, with very low humidity. With the exception of the extreme south-west, which is close to the monsoon belt, all regions have very little rainfall.

In the interior of the country, including the capital Riyadh, there are great extremes of temperature, from an average of 42 degrees C in July to 14 degrees C in January. There is occasional heavy rainfall here in winter, and winter night-time temperatures sometimes fall below freezing.

Jeddah, on the western coast, is warm throughout the year, with less variability in temperature. Here, the average temperatures range from 31 degrees C in July to 23 degrees C in January.

Sand storms sometimes occur in the north and south of the country.