Sunshine hours in Abu Dhabi: 3,522 hours a year, month by month

Abu Dhabi gets 3,522 hours of sunshine a year on average (9.6 a day). Sunniest month: May with 343 hours. Every month, measured 1991–2020.

• Abu Dhabi gets 3,522 hours of sunshine a year on average, 9.6 a day – 79% of the astronomically possible. The sunniest month is May with 343 hours (11.1 a day), the dullest February with 246 (8.8 a day).
• Number 4 of 10 large cities in United Arab Emirates.
• Nearest weather station: Abu Dhabi Airp., 28 km away – 1991–2020 average, Deutscher Wetterdienst.

Sunshine hours month by month

• January: 249 h · 8.0 h a day · 74 %
• February: 246 h · 8.8 h a day · 77 %
• March: 268 h · 8.6 h a day · 72 %
• April: 295 h · 9.8 h a day · 77 %
• May: 343 h · 11.1 h a day · 83 %
• June: 341 h · 11.4 h a day · 83 %
• July: 328 h · 10.6 h a day · 78 %
• August: 324 h · 10.5 h a day · 81 %
• September: 306 h · 10.2 h a day · 83 %
• October: 303 h · 9.8 h a day · 84 %
• November: 265 h · 8.8 h a day · 81 %
• December: 254 h · 8.2 h a day · 77 %

Questions about sunshine hours

• How many hours of sunshine does Abu Dhabi get a year? On average over 1991–2020 the sun shines in Abu Dhabi for 3,522 hours a year – 9.6 hours a day and 79% of the time the sun is above the horizon.
• What is the sunniest month in Abu Dhabi? May, with 343 hours of sunshine, 11.1 a day on average. The least sun comes in February: 246 hours, 8.8 a day.
• Is Abu Dhabi a sunny city? Among the 10 large cities in United Arab Emirates with measurements, Abu Dhabi ranks number 4.
• Where do the figures come from? From the 1991–2020 climate normals of Deutscher Wetterdienst: Germany from its own station network, the rest of the world from the CLIMAT reports of the national weather services. Abu Dhabi uses the station Abu Dhabi Airp..
• What counts as an hour of sunshine? By the World Meteorological Organization's definition the sun is shining once its direct radiation exceeds 120 watts per square metre. Just after sunrise and before sunset it is often too weak – which is why even deserts never reach 100%.

The sunniest large cities: United Kingdom

• 1. Southend-on-Sea: 1,846 h a year
• 2. Southampton: 1,780 h a year
• 3. Norwich: 1,719 h a year
• 4. London: 1,675 h a year
• 5. Plymouth: 1,673 h a year
• 6. Bristol: 1,654 h a year
• 7. Swansea: 1,644 h a year
• 8. Sheffield: 1,631 h a year
• 9. Edinburgh: 1,575 h a year
• 10. Birmingham: 1,490 h a year

The cloudiest large cities: United Kingdom

• 1. Glasgow: 1,153 h a year
• 2. Belfast: 1,372 h a year
• 3. Aberdeen: 1,448 h a year
• 4. Leeds: 1,488 h a year

The sunniest large cities in the world

• 1. Dubai: 3,610 h a year
• 2. Victoria de Durango: 3,573 h a year
• 3. Abu Dhabi: 3,522 h a year
• 4. Hermosillo: 3,479 h a year
• 5. Kassala: 3,451 h a year
• 6. Iranshahr: 3,410 h a year
• 7. Dammam: 3,391 h a year
• 8. Gaborone: 3,388 h a year
• 9. Zahedan: 3,386 h a year
• 10. Yazd: 3,381 h a year

The cloudiest large cities in the world

• 1. Chengdu: 962 h a year
• 2. Chongqing: 985 h a year
• 3. Sukabumi: 1,082 h a year
• 4. Glasgow: 1,153 h a year
• 5. Tanjung Pinang: 1,172 h a year
• 6. Medan: 1,201 h a year
• 7. Samarinda: 1,275 h a year
• 8. Sungai Penuh: 1,311 h a year
• 9. Limerick: 1,339 h a year
• 10. Huaihua: 1,352 h a year

• Data: Deutscher Wetterdienst (DWD), sunshine duration climate normals 1991–2020, CC BY 4.0. Possible hours: time between sunrise and sunset.