Ar Raqqah climate
Ar Raqqah (Syria) has a hot semi-arid climate (Köppen BSh). The average temperature over the year is 19 °C67 °F, and about 276 mm11 in of precipitation falls in an average year.
Temperature by month
Precipitation by month
Ar Raqqah climate table
| Month | High °C°F | Low °C°F | Mean °C°F | Precip. mmin | Frost days |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 1152 | 033 | 643 | 481.9 | 12 |
| Feb | 1457 | 236 | 847 | 411.6 | 6 |
| Mar | 1967 | 643 | 1355 | 351.4 | 1 |
| Apr | 2476 | 1151 | 1864 | 271.1 | 0 |
| May | 3087 | 1661 | 2374 | 150.6 | 0 |
| Jun | 3798 | 2170 | 2984 | 30.1 | 0 |
| Jul | 40104 | 2475 | 3290 | 00.0 | 0 |
| Aug | 40103 | 2475 | 3289 | 10.0 | 0 |
| Sep | 3596 | 2169 | 2882 | 30.1 | 0 |
| Oct | 2984 | 1660 | 2272 | 200.8 | 0 |
| Nov | 1966 | 745 | 1356 | 321.3 | 1 |
| Dec | 1355 | 236 | 846 | 522.0 | 8 |
| Year | 40104 | 033 | 1967 | 27611 | 29 |
“Year” row: highest monthly high, lowest monthly low, annual mean and annual total. Frost days are for the whole grid cell.
| Month | Humid. | Cloud | Solar | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 74% | 49% | 2.7 | 9:58 |
| Feb | 71% | 51% | 3.6 | 10:50 |
| Mar | 65% | 46% | 5.0 | 11:52 |
| Apr | 59% | 43% | 6.2 | 13:04 |
| May | 51% | 34% | 7.2 | 14:03 |
| Jun | 39% | 12% | 8.2 | 14:35 |
| Jul | 36% | 8% | 7.9 | 14:22 |
| Aug | 39% | 10% | 7.1 | 13:31 |
| Sep | 40% | 13% | 5.9 | 12:21 |
| Oct | 44% | 30% | 4.4 | 11:12 |
| Nov | 59% | 38% | 3.2 | 10:12 |
| Dec | 70% | 46% | 2.5 | 9:44 |
Humid. = average relative humidity at 2 m; cloud = average cloud amount; solar = average daily solar energy reaching the ground in kWh/m² (all-sky); daylight in hours:minutes, calculated for the 15th of each month.
What the climate of Ar Raqqah is like
The warmest month is July, with an average high of 40 °C104 °F and a low of 24 °C75 °F. The coldest is January, when highs average 11 °C52 °F and lows 0 °C33 °F. Seasons are strongly marked: the warmest month is on average 26.2 °C47.2 °F warmer than the coldest.
It is dry, with about 276 mm11 in of precipitation per year. The wettest three-month stretch is December–February, which brings 51% of the annual total. Months with less than 20 mm0.8 in on average: May–October. The wettest month is December (52 mm2.0 in), the driest is July (0 mm0.0 in).
Relative humidity ranges from 36% in July to 74% in January. The clearest skies (lowest average cloud amount, 8%) are typical of July. Average wind speed near the ground ranges from 8 km/h (5 mph) in November to 18 km/h (11 mph) in July. Daylight lasts from about 9.7 hours in December to 14.6 hours in June.
Best time to visit Ar Raqqah
Based on these averages, the most comfortable months for sightseeing and outdoor activities are March and April and October and November: average highs of 19 °C66 °F to 29 °C84 °F with 20 mm0.8 in to 35 mm1.4 in of precipitation per month.
The most challenging month is July, which is hot, with average highs of 40 °C104 °F.
Comfort score: months are ranked by how close they come to an average high of 21–28 °C (70–82 °F), lows above 5 °C (41 °F), little precipitation and moderate humidity. The best-ranked months of each place are recommended, even where none meets all of these. These are general rules of thumb applied to long-term averages.
What to pack for Ar Raqqah
- Winter (December–February) — highs 1152 to 14 °C57 °F, lows 033 to 2 °C36 °F, about 47 mm1.8 in of precipitation a month. Pack long sleeves, a sweater and a medium jacket and an extra layer for the cooler mornings and evenings.
- Spring (March–May) — highs 1967 to 30 °C87 °F, lows 643 to 16 °C61 °F, about 25 mm1.0 in of precipitation a month. Pack light summer clothes such as T-shirts, shorts or light dresses and an extra layer for the cooler mornings and evenings.
- Summer (June–August) — highs 3798 to 40 °C104 °F, lows 2170 to 24 °C75 °F, about 1 mm0.1 in of precipitation a month. Pack very light, breathable clothing, a sun hat and plenty of water.
- Autumn (September–November) — highs 1966 to 35 °C96 °F, lows 745 to 21 °C69 °F, about 18 mm0.7 in of precipitation a month. Pack light summer clothes such as T-shirts, shorts or light dresses and an extra layer for the cooler mornings and evenings.
How Ar Raqqah compares
Compared with Aleppo, about 168 km to the west, Ar Raqqah is on average 1.8 °C3.3 °F warmer and receives 36% less precipitation (276 mm11 in vs 433 mm17 in). The difference is largest in July (3.4 °C6.1 °F warmer).
Of the 12 places in Syria covered by World Climates, Ar Raqqah is the 6th warmest by annual mean temperature and the 9th wettest by annual precipitation. See all of them on the Syria climate page.
Places in other countries with the most similar temperature and rainfall pattern: Kızıltepe (Turkey, BSh), Khasnahzan (Iraq, BSh) and Ranyah (Iraq, BSh).
Nearby places
- Deir ez-Zor 123 km · 20 °C69 °F · 157 mm6.2 in
- Suruç 125 km · 18 °C64 °F · 429 mm17 in
- Şanlıurfa 136 km · 18 °C64 °F · 382 mm15 in
- Al Bab 142 km · 18 °C64 °F · 431 mm17 in
- Viranşehir 156 km · 18 °C65 °F · 327 mm13 in
- Al Hasakah 168 km · 20 °C68 °F · 219 mm8.6 in
- Aleppo 168 km · 18 °C64 °F · 433 mm17 in
- Kilis 190 km · 16 °C61 °F · 539 mm21 in
Frequently asked questions
What is the warmest month in Ar Raqqah?
July is the warmest month in Ar Raqqah, with an average high of 40 °C (104 °F) and an average low of 24 °C (75 °F).
What is the coldest month in Ar Raqqah?
January is the coldest month, with an average high of 11 °C (52 °F) and an average low of 0 °C (33 °F).
When does it rain the most in Ar Raqqah?
December is the wettest month with about 52 mm (2.0 in) of precipitation; July is the driest with about 0 mm (0.0 in).
What is the best time to visit Ar Raqqah?
Judging by long-term averages, the most comfortable months are March and April and October and November.
About this data
All figures are 25-year averages (January 2001 – December 2025) from the NASA POWER project. Temperature, humidity, wind and precipitation come from the MERRA-2 reanalysis (precipitation is the bias-corrected MERRA-2 product), cloud and solar values from CERES satellite data. They describe a grid cell of roughly 50–70 km, not a single weather station, so they can differ from airport records — most of all on coasts, in mountains and for rainfall. Average highs and lows are the monthly mean temperature plus/minus half of the average daily temperature range. Counts of rainy days are not part of this dataset.
The grid cell’s average elevation is 311 m, while Ar Raqqah lies at about 259 m. Temperatures on this page were therefore adjusted by +0.3 °C0.6 °F using the standard lapse rate of 6.5 °C per 1,000 m.