Abu Dhabi is 4.1°C (7.4°F) warmer by day, Dubai has 1.9°C (3.4°F) warmer nights, and both get similar annual rainfall.
Abu Dhabi is at its warmest in August and coolest in January, while Dubai peaks in August and bottoms out in February. Month for month, Abu Dhabi is the warmer of the two in 9 of 12 months.
Both collect a similar amount of rain over the year — 84 mm (3.3 in) in Abu Dhabi and 133 mm (5.2 in) in Dubai. The most comfortable time to visit is January, February and December in Abu Dhabi and January, February and March in Dubai.
| Abu Dhabi | Metric | Dubai |
|---|---|---|
| 🌡️ Temperature | ||
| 35.2°C | 🌡️Average daytime high | 31.1°C |
| 22.8°C | 🌙Average nighttime low | 24.7°C |
| August | 🔥Hottest month | August |
| January | ❄️Coldest month | February |
| 🌧️ Rain | ||
| 84 mm | 🌧️Annual rainfall | 133 mm |
| February | ☔Wettest month | January |
| July | 🏜️Driest month | September |
| 💨 Climate | ||
| 61% | 💧Average humidity | 69% |
| 3.2 m/s | 💨Average wind speed | 3.5 m/s |
Overnight, Abu Dhabi typically falls to around 22.8°C (73°F) while Dubai settles near 24.7°C (76.5°F).
Abu Dhabi is hottest in August and coldest in January, whereas Dubai peaks in August and is coolest in February.
Abu Dhabi sees the most rain in February and the least in July; Dubai is wettest in January and driest in September.
Dubai feels the more humid of the two, averaging 69% relative humidity against 61%.
For Dubai, the pick of the year is January, February and March.
Month by month, here is the coldest night, the average day and the hottest afternoon each city can expect. Switch Compare to read rainfall, humidity, wind or solar instead, and Period to move between the long-term 45-year average and any single year — the shading is a quick warm-to-cool guide.
| Month | Abu Dhabi | Dubai | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Min | Avg | Max | Min | Avg | Max | |
| January | 15.6 | 21❄️ | 26.3 | 18.5 | 21.4❄️ | 24.2 |
| February | 15.7 | 22.2 | 28.8 | 18.3 | 21.5 | 24.8 |
| March | 17.2 | 24.8 | 32.3 | 19.5 | 23.3 | 27 |
| April | 20.2 | 28 | 35.8 | 22 | 25.7 | 29.4 |
| May | 24.2 | 31.6 | 38.9 | 25.2 | 28.9 | 32.6 |
| June | 27.3 | 33.8 | 40.3 | 28.3 | 31.5 | 34.7 |
| July | 29.1 | 35.3 | 41.5 | 30 | 33.5 | 37 |
| August | 30.5 | 36.1🔥 | 41.7 | 31.1 | 34.2🔥 | 37.2 |
| September | 28.7 | 34.3 | 39.8 | 30.3 | 33 | 35.7 |
| October | 25.7 | 31.2 | 36.7 | 28.1 | 30.8 | 33.5 |
| November | 21.5 | 27.1 | 32.6 | 24.4 | 27.4 | 30.5 |
| December | 17.6 | 22.9 | 28.1 | 20.5 | 23.7 | 26.8 |
| Annual Avg | 22.8 | 29 | 35.2 | 24.7 | 27.9 | 31.1 |
Min / mean / max temperature (°C). 🔥 marks each city's hottest month, ❄️ its coldest; shading runs cool blue to warm red.
The same figures plotted out, so the shape of a typical year is easier to see than in a grid. Where the two lines run close together Abu Dhabi and Dubai feel alike; where they separate, they are genuinely different places to be.
Hover or tap any point to read the exact figures. Abu Dhabi Dubai
See how Abu Dhabi and Dubai stack up against other cities. Swipe for more.
Choose which city to keep, then search for any other city in our database — we'll build the comparison for you.
Quick answers to the questions people ask most when comparing Abu Dhabi and Dubai — each drawn straight from the climate figures above.
Abu Dhabi is the warmer of the two. It averages daytime highs of 35.2°C (95.4°F) against 31.1°C (88°F) in Dubai — roughly 4.1°C (7.4°F) warmer by day. Nights are milder in Dubai, with average lows of 24.7°C (76.5°F) versus 22.8°C (73°F).
Abu Dhabi is hottest in August, averaging highs of about 41.7°C (107°F), while Dubai peaks in August at around 37.2°C (99°F). That makes Abu Dhabi the hotter of the two at the height of summer.
Abu Dhabi gets colder. In its coldest month (January) overnight lows average about 15.6°C (60.1°F), compared with 18.3°C (64.9°F) at the low point of the year in Dubai.
They get a similar amount of rain over a year — about 84 mm (3.3 in) in Abu Dhabi and 133 mm (5.2 in) in Dubai. Abu Dhabi is wettest in February and driest in July; Dubai is wettest in January and driest in September.
Dubai is the more humid of the two, averaging 69% relative humidity over the year against 61% in Abu Dhabi.
The most comfortable months in Abu Dhabi are January, February and December, when average temperatures are at their mildest.
Dubai is at its most pleasant around January, February and March, based on the mildest average temperatures of the year.
Abu Dhabi is the warmer city in 9 of the 12 months of the year. The gap is widest in May, about 2.7°C (4.9°F), and narrowest in November, about 0.3°C (0.5°F).
Abu Dhabi has the bigger seasonal swing, about 15.1°C (27.2°F) between its coldest and hottest months versus 12.8°C (23°F) in Dubai — so Dubai has the steadier, more even climate.
On climate alone, Abu Dhabi comes out ahead — it offers warmer days and lower humidity than Dubai. Dubai is the better fit only if you'd actually prefer cooler weather and a more humid climate.
Every figure on this page is calculated from NASA POWER satellite climate data spanning 1981–2025 (45 years). The averages describe the long-term climate of Abu Dhabi and Dubai, not a single year's weather or a short-range forecast.
