Sulaymaniyah climate
Sulaymaniyah (Iraq) has a hot semi-arid climate (Köppen BSh). The average temperature over the year is 18 °C65 °F, and about 341 mm13 in of precipitation falls in an average year.
Temperature by month
Precipitation by month
Sulaymaniyah climate table
| Month | High °C°F | Low °C°F | Mean °C°F | Precip. mmin |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 1049 | 032 | 540 | 441.7 |
| Feb | 1253 | 134 | 643 | 502.0 |
| Mar | 1763 | 540 | 1152 | 542.1 |
| Apr | 2373 | 949 | 1661 | 451.8 |
| May | 3086 | 1559 | 2272 | 200.8 |
| Jun | 38100 | 2069 | 2984 | 30.1 |
| Jul | 41106 | 2475 | 3391 | 20.1 |
| Aug | 41105 | 2475 | 3290 | 10.0 |
| Sep | 3596 | 1967 | 2781 | 10.1 |
| Oct | 2882 | 1457 | 2169 | 230.9 |
| Nov | 1763 | 642 | 1253 | 491.9 |
| Dec | 1253 | 135 | 744 | 471.9 |
| Year | 41106 | 032 | 1865 | 34113 |
“Year” row: highest monthly high, lowest monthly low, annual mean and annual total.
| Month | Humid. | Cloud | Solar | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 69% | 62% | 2.5 | 9:00 |
| Feb | 68% | 61% | 3.2 | 10:51 |
| Mar | 61% | 58% | 4.5 | 11:52 |
| Apr | 55% | 62% | 5.5 | 13:03 |
| May | 42% | 49% | 6.8 | 14:02 |
| Jun | 23% | 21% | 8.2 | 14:33 |
| Jul | 19% | 19% | 7.9 | 14:20 |
| Aug | 19% | 18% | 7.2 | 13:29 |
| Sep | 22% | 22% | 6.1 | 12:21 |
| Oct | 34% | 41% | 4.3 | 11:13 |
| Nov | 56% | 52% | 3.0 | 10:14 |
| Dec | 66% | 58% | 2.3 | 9:46 |
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 Sulaymaniyah is like
The warmest month is July, with an average high of 41 °C106 °F and a low of 24 °C75 °F. The coldest is January, when highs average 10 °C49 °F and lows 0 °C32 °F. Seasons are strongly marked: the warmest month is on average 27.9 °C50.3 °F warmer than the coldest.
It is dry, with about 341 mm13 in of precipitation per year. The wettest three-month stretch is February–April, which brings 44% of the annual total. Months with less than 20 mm0.8 in on average: June–September. The wettest month is March (54 mm2.1 in), the driest is August (1 mm0.0 in).
Relative humidity ranges from 19% in July to 69% in January. The clearest skies (lowest average cloud amount, 18%) are typical of August. Average wind speed near the ground ranges from 5 km/h (3 mph) in January to 7 km/h (4 mph) in August. Daylight lasts from about 9.8 hours in December to 14.5 hours in June.
A lasting snow cover is typical in January, when the average snow depth in the reanalysis exceeds 10 cm (deepest in January, about 11 cm).
Best time to visit Sulaymaniyah
Based on these averages, the most comfortable months for sightseeing and outdoor activities are April and May and October: average highs of 23 °C73 °F to 30 °C86 °F with 20 mm0.8 in to 45 mm1.8 in of precipitation per month.
The most challenging month is July, which is hot, with average highs of 41 °C106 °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 Sulaymaniyah
- Winter (December–February) — highs 1049 to 12 °C53 °F, lows 032 to 1 °C35 °F, about 47 mm1.9 in of precipitation a month. Pack a warm coat, layers and closed shoes and an extra layer for the cooler mornings and evenings.
- Spring (March–May) — highs 1763 to 30 °C86 °F, lows 540 to 15 °C59 °F, about 40 mm1.6 in of precipitation a month. Pack light layers — T-shirts plus a light sweater or jacket and an extra layer for the cooler mornings and evenings.
- Summer (June–August) — highs 38100 to 41 °C106 °F, lows 2069 to 24 °C75 °F, about 2 mm0.1 in of precipitation a month. Pack very light, breathable clothing, a sun hat and plenty of water.
- Autumn (September–November) — highs 1763 to 35 °C96 °F, lows 642 to 19 °C67 °F, about 24 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.
How Sulaymaniyah compares
Compared with Kirkuk, about 95 km to the west, Sulaymaniyah is on average 3.2 °C5.7 °F cooler and receives 21% more precipitation (341 mm13 in vs 283 mm11 in). The difference is largest in May (3.6 °C6.4 °F cooler).
Of the 39 places in Iraq covered by World Climates, Sulaymaniyah is the 39th warmest by annual mean temperature and the 3rd 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: Khorramabad (Iran, BSh), Kızıltepe (Turkey, BSh) and Viranşehir (Turkey, BSh).
Nearby places
- Baneh 63 km · 13 °C56 °F · 350 mm14 in
- Marivan 68 km · 15 °C60 °F · 328 mm13 in
- Qeładizê 74 km · 20 °C68 °F · 328 mm13 in
- Ranyah 91 km · 19 °C67 °F · 324 mm13 in
- Kirkuk 95 km · 22 °C71 °F · 283 mm11 in
- Tuz Khurmatu 105 km · 23 °C73 °F · 266 mm10 in
- Kelar 105 km · 23 °C74 °F · 330 mm13 in
- Saqqez 107 km · 13 °C56 °F · 339 mm13 in
Frequently asked questions
What is the warmest month in Sulaymaniyah?
July is the warmest month in Sulaymaniyah, with an average high of 41 °C (106 °F) and an average low of 24 °C (75 °F).
What is the coldest month in Sulaymaniyah?
January is the coldest month, with an average high of 10 °C (49 °F) and an average low of 0 °C (32 °F).
When does it rain the most in Sulaymaniyah?
March is the wettest month with about 54 mm (2.1 in) of precipitation; August is the driest with about 1 mm (0.0 in).
What is the best time to visit Sulaymaniyah?
Judging by long-term averages, the most comfortable months are April and May and October.
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 1,056 m, while Sulaymaniyah lies at about 847 m. Temperatures on this page were therefore adjusted by +1.4 °C2.4 °F using the standard lapse rate of 6.5 °C per 1,000 m.