Baghdad climate
Baghdad (Iraq) has a hot desert climate (Köppen BWh). The average temperature over the year is 24 °C75 °F, and about 201 mm7.9 in of precipitation falls in an average year.
Temperature by month
Precipitation by month
Baghdad climate table
| Month | High °C°F | Low °C°F | Mean °C°F | Precip. mmin | Frost days |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 1660 | 337 | 949 | 361.4 | 4 |
| Feb | 1865 | 541 | 1253 | 331.3 | 2 |
| Mar | 2476 | 949 | 1762 | 311.2 | 0 |
| Apr | 3087 | 1558 | 2373 | 241.0 | 0 |
| May | 38100 | 2170 | 2985 | 70.3 | 0 |
| Jun | 43110 | 2679 | 3595 | 00.0 | 0 |
| Jul | 46114 | 2984 | 3799 | 00.0 | 0 |
| Aug | 46114 | 2983 | 3799 | 00.0 | 0 |
| Sep | 41106 | 2476 | 3391 | 10.0 | 0 |
| Oct | 3493 | 1966 | 2780 | 110.4 | 0 |
| Nov | 2374 | 1050 | 1762 | 291.1 | 0 |
| Dec | 1763 | 541 | 1152 | 281.1 | 2 |
| Year | 46114 | 337 | 2475 | 2017.9 | 8 |
“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 | 61% | 44% | 3.0 | 10:10 |
| Feb | 57% | 42% | 3.9 | 10:57 |
| Mar | 48% | 42% | 5.2 | 11:53 |
| Apr | 40% | 46% | 6.0 | 12:58 |
| May | 29% | 35% | 7.0 | 13:52 |
| Jun | 18% | 16% | 8.0 | 14:21 |
| Jul | 17% | 17% | 7.6 | 14:09 |
| Aug | 17% | 18% | 7.1 | 13:23 |
| Sep | 19% | 22% | 6.0 | 12:20 |
| Oct | 28% | 38% | 4.4 | 11:17 |
| Nov | 47% | 41% | 3.3 | 10:23 |
| Dec | 58% | 46% | 2.7 | 9:57 |
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 Baghdad is like
The warmest month is July, with an average high of 46 °C114 °F and a low of 29 °C84 °F. The coldest is January, when highs average 16 °C60 °F and lows 3 °C37 °F. Seasons are strongly marked: the warmest month is on average 28.2 °C50.7 °F warmer than the coldest.
It is dry, with about 201 mm7.9 in of precipitation per year. The wettest three-month stretch is January–March, which brings 50% of the annual total. Months with less than 20 mm0.8 in on average: May–October. The wettest month is January (36 mm1.4 in), the driest is August (0 mm0.0 in).
Relative humidity ranges from 17% in July to 61% in January. The clearest skies (lowest average cloud amount, 16%) are typical of June. Average wind speed near the ground ranges from 6 km/h (4 mph) in November to 10 km/h (6 mph) in July. Daylight lasts from about 10.0 hours in December to 14.3 hours in June.
Best time to visit Baghdad
Based on these averages, the most comfortable months for sightseeing and outdoor activities are February and March and November: average highs of 18 °C65 °F to 24 °C76 °F with 29 mm1.1 in to 33 mm1.3 in of precipitation per month.
The most challenging month is July, which is hot, with average highs of 46 °C114 °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.
Baghdad weather by month
- January16 °C60 °F / 3 °C37 °F
- February18 °C65 °F / 5 °C41 °F
- March24 °C76 °F / 9 °C49 °F
- April30 °C87 °F / 15 °C58 °F
- May38 °C100 °F / 21 °C70 °F
- June43 °C110 °F / 26 °C79 °F
- July46 °C114 °F / 29 °C84 °F
- August46 °C114 °F / 29 °C83 °F
- September41 °C106 °F / 24 °C76 °F
- October34 °C93 °F / 19 °C66 °F
- November23 °C74 °F / 10 °C50 °F
- December17 °C63 °F / 5 °C41 °F
What to pack for Baghdad
- Winter (December–February) — highs 1660 to 18 °C65 °F, lows 337 to 5 °C41 °F, about 33 mm1.3 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 2476 to 38 °C100 °F, lows 949 to 21 °C70 °F, about 21 mm0.8 in of precipitation a month. Pack very light, breathable clothing, a sun hat and plenty of water and an extra layer for the cooler mornings and evenings.
- Summer (June–August) — highs 43110 to 46 °C114 °F, lows 2679 to 29 °C84 °F, about 0 mm0.0 in of precipitation a month. Pack very light, breathable clothing, a sun hat and plenty of water.
- Autumn (September–November) — highs 2374 to 41 °C106 °F, lows 1050 to 24 °C76 °F, about 14 mm0.5 in of precipitation a month. Pack very light, breathable clothing, a sun hat and plenty of water and an extra layer for the cooler mornings and evenings.
How Baghdad compares
Of the 39 places in Iraq covered by World Climates, Baghdad is the 20th warmest by annual mean temperature and the 18th wettest by annual precipitation. See all of them on the Iraq climate page.
Places in other countries with the most similar temperature and rainfall pattern: Dezful (Iran, BSh), Kazerun (Iran, BSh) and Izeh (Iran, BSh).
The same NASA POWER grid cell also contains Sadr City (pop. 1,211,849) and Abu Ghurayb (pop. 900,000). Their long-term averages in this dataset are essentially the same as for Baghdad, so they do not have separate pages.
Nearby places
- Al Mahmudiyah 31 km · 24 °C76 °F · 181 mm7.1 in
- Baqubah 50 km · 24 °C74 °F · 227 mm9.0 in
- Al Fallujah 57 km · 23 °C74 °F · 140 mm5.5 in
- Al-Musayab 63 km · 24 °C75 °F · 181 mm7.1 in
- Al Miqdadiyah 87 km · 24 °C75 °F · 282 mm11 in
- Karbala 88 km · 24 °C75 °F · 120 mm4.7 in
- Al Hillah 98 km · 24 °C76 °F · 147 mm5.8 in
- Ramadi 102 km · 23 °C74 °F · 109 mm4.3 in
Frequently asked questions
What is the warmest month in Baghdad?
July is the warmest month in Baghdad, with an average high of 46 °C (114 °F) and an average low of 29 °C (84 °F).
What is the coldest month in Baghdad?
January is the coldest month, with an average high of 16 °C (60 °F) and an average low of 3 °C (37 °F).
When does it rain the most in Baghdad?
January is the wettest month with about 36 mm (1.4 in) of precipitation; August is the driest with about 0 mm (0.0 in).
What is the best time to visit Baghdad?
Judging by long-term averages, the most comfortable months are February and March 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.