Dubai (UAE) weather in January

January in Dubai: warm, dry — one of the best months to visit.

Updated September 2026 · climate normals from ERA5 reanalysis

Dubai🇦🇪 United Arab Emirates · Arabia & the Gulf · City93
  1. 93Jan
  2. 89Feb
  3. 79Mar
  4. 65Apr
  5. 44May
  6. 29Jun
  7. 22Jul
  8. 24Aug
  9. 35Sep
  10. 54Oct
  11. 76Nov
  12. 85Dec

#1 of 12 months in Dubai · #31 of 1413 destinations to visit in January · comfort 93/100 (tier S)

Days
26°C
Nights
15°C
Wet days
2
Sun
9.6 h
Humidity
63%
Daylight
11 h
Dubai, United Arab Emirates
Photo: AJ Ahamad · Pexels

What January is like in Dubai

The best month of the year: warm dry days, cool evenings, outdoor dining, desert camps and the shopping festival.

peak

confidence: high

Traveller notes on Dubai in January

Dubai forum threads consistently rate January as close to ideal - typical daytime highs around 24C with low humidity, rain genuinely rare at roughly two days of measurable rain for the entire month, and comfortable enough for extensive outdoor walking and sightseeing that isn't realistic in summer's extreme heat. This makes January genuinely peak tourist season here. Posters flagged real evening cooling though, especially on desert safaris where temperatures can drop from around 20C at sunset to 10-12C by sunrise - a light jacket for those evening activities was the standard recommendation even though daytime city conditions rarely require more than light layers.
EmirateOfDubaiRegular · January · 1 month ago · Read more on Tripadvisor ↗

Other months in Dubai

Regulars call this some of the year's most pleasant weather, hot but genuinely dry, well ahead of the high humidity that regulars specifically place from June through September. Our row backs the heat, 35.8C reading as a real 35C, over 22.9C nights, with rain almost entirely absent, 16.2mm across under a day, and humidity down to 47 percent - notably comfortable for the temperature. Regulars are consistent that midday sun makes walking or park visits genuinely tough without shade, so the standard advice is shifting those plans to early morning or after 3-4pm. The sea offers relief at a warm 25.6C, ideal for a quick dip according to regulars. The record: 11.3 hours of sun, a 24.2 kph wind and AQI 114.
StillDryBeforeTheHumidStretchArrives · April · 1 month ago · Read more on tripadvisor.in ↗
March is the month regulars here recommend above all others: warm to hot by day, low humidity, and evenings mild enough to eat outside. Our row gives 31C reading as 30C at 56 percent humidity, over 19.3C nights. The caveat they add is the season's own: March and April bring sandstorms that are rarely storms at all, just a whole day of sand hanging in the air - our AQI of 113 in an almost rainless month is that haze counted. On the sea they disagree with each other, some calling 24.3C comfortably swimmable and others too cold until the end of April, and the note leaves it there. A 23.4 kph wind is part of the same story. The record: 10.5 hours of sun and 21.4mm of rain.
SandWithoutAStorm · March · 1 month ago · Read more on Tripadvisor ↗
Mid to late twenties and clear blue skies is the board's December, with two details our columns support. The sun goes about five - daylight is down to 10.6 hours - and the evening wants a cardigan, because 17.5C after a 27.6C afternoon feels colder than it reads. The sea is the other one: 24.7C strikes plenty of visitors as cold, and the answer regulars give is that hotel pools are heated and the beach is for sitting on. This is peak season, November to March, so rooms are dear and the malls and restaurants are full. Rain is 6mm in the month. The record: humidity 63 percent, 9.5 hours of sun, an 18 kph wind and AQI 101.
CardiganAfterFive · December · 1 month ago · Read more on Tripadvisor ↗
Dubai-forum threads on February are close to unanimous: it's peak-season weather, warm days in the high 20s with genuinely cool evenings, and the one month posters flag as most likely to see actual precipitation, even though that's still just two or three days at most. The trade-off is crowds - February sits inside the year's busiest tourist window, so the popular sights get busy even as the weather is the best of the year. The record: 27.2C days, 16.5C nights, just 7mm total across 1.3 days, ten hours of sun and a 21.6C sea. One number forum posters don't mention: AQI runs 98 here, the haziest end of Dubai's year, so the postcard-blue sky isn't guaranteed even on a dry day.
DeiraFebRegular · February · 1 month ago · Read more on Tripadvisor ↗

Year-round notes are on Dubai's overview. Add your own note from Dubai's card on the map.

Dubai climate normals — January

Daytime high26°C / 78°F🌤 warm
Nighttime low15°C / 60°F
Feels like (high)24°C / 75°F
Sea temperature22°C / 71°F🌊 fresh
Rainfall13 mm / 0.5 in☀️ dry
Rainy days2 days
Humidity63%💧 humid
Dew point11°C / 51°F
Sunshine9.6 h/day
Daylight10.8 h
Wind20 km/h / 12 mph
Air quality (US AQI)82🙂 moderate

Monthly averages from ERA5 reanalysis. AQI is the mean US Air Quality Index for the month.

Crowds in Dubai in January

How busy the place itself is — school and mass holidays, the months an editor tagged, and how sought-after the weather makes them. Never part of the comfort score.

Peak crowdsthe editor's peak month, Global Village season, Dubai Shopping Festival

JFMAMJJASOND

Peak crowdsBusyShoulder seasonQuiet

Best months for Dubai's weather

Ranked by this destination's own climate comfort score across the year — a different thing from how busy it gets (see Crowds above).

Best weatherDubai's weather peaks December–February, best around January.

January includes Dubai Shopping Festival.

JFMAMJJASOND

Best weatherFair weatherToughest weather

What's on in Dubai in January

Recurring seasonal events, natural spectacles, closures and holidays — curated and sourced.

  • Opening

    Global Village season

    10 Oct – 31 May · usuallySummer season opensCrowded

    The open-air pavilion park reopens in mid-October and runs to late May, which is as good a marker as any for when Dubai becomes an outdoor city again. Weekend evenings are extremely busy. Source ↗

  • Festival

    Dubai Shopping Festival

    8 Dec – 31 Jan · usuallyMajor festivalCrowded

    Six weeks of discounts, nightly fireworks and raffles across the malls and the older souks, running from December into late January. It is the peak of the visitor season as much as a sale. Source ↗

What's on around the world in January →

Nearby, and something's on

Within 300 km of Dubai — a day trip or a short hop — with something on this month. Never part of the comfort score.

Where is Dubai?

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Dubai in January — FAQ

Is January a good time to visit Dubai?
January in Dubai: warm, dry — one of the best months to visit. It ranks #1 of 12 months for Dubai on SeasonMap's comfort score (93/100).
What is the weather like in Dubai in January?
In January, Dubai averages a daily high of 25.5°C and a low of 15.3°C, with about 13.4 mm of rain over roughly 1.6 rainy days.
What is the air quality in Dubai in January?
Dubai has a mean US Air Quality Index of about 82 in January.

Within 300 km: Ras Al Khaimah's Jebel Jais outdoor season around 15 Oct – 15 Apr, and Abu Dhabi's Al Dhafra Festival around 27 Oct – 22 Jan.