Sunny cities with low humidity
This guide ranks cities on three things together: sunshine on almost every day of the year, dry air measured by dew point rather than relative humidity, and rain that comes only rarely.
Temperature is deliberately left open here — sunny, dry places range from mild highlands to hot deserts — so check the summer highs in the table before deciding. Dry climates cluster in rain-shadow valleys, subtropical deserts and high plateaus.
What this guide looks for
- Sunshine
- Sunshine almost every day
- Humidity
- I strongly prefer dry airDew point below about 50°F · Dew point below about 10°C
- Rain
- Rarely
How many places fit
398of 6,146 cities score 85% or more
Most of them are in
The closest matches
One row per area: cities within 30 km of a better match are counted under it, and each country appears at most twice, so the list shows different places rather than one metropolitan area several times. Match percentages are this guide’s fit, not a rating of the city.
| City | Match | Warmest-month high | Coldest-month high | Peak dew point | Sun / day | Wet days / yr |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| RawsonSan Juan, Argentina · +1 nearby | 99% | 88°F (31°C) | 61°F (16°C) | 53°F (11°C) | 11.2 h | 36 |
| CopiapóAtacama, Chile | 96% | 85°F (29°C) | 73°F (23°C) | 56°F (13°C) | 11.6 h | 5 |
| ṢuwayliḥBalqa, Jordan · +7 nearby | 95% | 88°F (31°C) | 51°F (11°C) | 55°F (13°C) | 11.1 h | 39 |
| NeuquénNeuquen, Argentina | 94% | 89°F (32°C) | 53°F (12°C) | 44°F (6°C) | 10.4 h | 41 |
| HebronWest Bank, Palestinian Territory · +2 nearby | 94% | 90°F (32°C) | 55°F (13°C) | 58°F (14°C) | 11.2 h | 40 |
| PasadenaCalifornia, United States · +13 nearby | 94% | 89°F (32°C) | 64°F (18°C) | 56°F (13°C) | 11.2 h | 38 |
| CalamaAntofagasta, Chile | 93% | 77°F (25°C) | 69°F (20°C) | 43°F (6°C) | 11.6 h | 8 |
| Sabt Alalayah'Asir Region, Saudi Arabia | 93% | 87°F (30°C) | 66°F (19°C) | 54°F (12°C) | 11.2 h | 84 |
| Santa BarbaraCalifornia, United States | 93% | 83°F (28°C) | 64°F (18°C) | 60°F (16°C) | 11.3 h | 35 |
| EnsenadaBaja California, Mexico | 93% | 82°F (28°C) | 65°F (18°C) | 63°F (17°C) | 11.4 h | 33 |
| BloemfonteinFree State, South Africa | 93% | 86°F (30°C) | 62°F (17°C) | 53°F (12°C) | 11.0 h | 76 |
| SanaaAmanat Alasimah, Yemen | 92% | 84°F (29°C) | 71°F (22°C) | 48°F (9°C) | 11.1 h | 68 |
What you trade
What these places give up is rain: the typical match has far fewer wet days than the average city, which means dry landscapes and less green. Summers run a little hotter than the typical city, and a few nights a year can dip below freezing.
The table compares the typical (median) city scoring 85% or more with the typical city across the whole catalog, so you can check that for yourself.
| Median | Top matches | All cities |
|---|---|---|
| Warmest-month high | 89°F (31°C) | 87°F (31°C) |
| Coldest-month high | 62°F (17°C) | 64°F (18°C) |
| Gap between warmest and coldest month | 26.8°F (14.9°C) | 26.1°F (14.5°C) |
| Most humid month (dew point) | 57°F (14°C) | 69°F (21°C) |
| Sunshine, hours a day | 11.0 h | 9.7 h |
| Wet days a year | 49 | 127 |
| Freezing nights a year | 1 | 0 |
How these are scored
Every city is scored month by month against the criteria above, using 1991–2020 climate normals measured the same way everywhere, with seasons following each city’s hemisphere. The score is how closely a city’s typical weather fits — a typical year, not any particular one. Read the methodology.
See every match for this climate
The full ranked list, with filters, maps and comparisons — or take the quiz to tune it to your own preferences.