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Regional Weather Generally speaking, the Middle East has hot summers, mild winters and little rainfall, although there are variations to this pattern. This guide explains those variations, and details the best time of year to travel to your chosen destination. MOROCCO There are five main climatic regions in Morocco: the Mediterranean coast has a climate comparable to southern Spain; the Atlantic coastline, including Rabat, is the coolest and wettest region; the Atlas foothills, including Marrakesh, can get very hot in summer, cold in winter and is at its most pleasant in spring and autumn; and the High Atlas mountains which rise to over 13,000 ft and can be snow-covered well into summer. The Sahara Desert region in the south is very hot. ESSAOUIRA JAN FEB MAR APR MAY JUN JUL AUG SEP OCT NOV DEC Max. Temp (ºC) 18 18 19 19 20 21 21 22 22 22 20 19 Min. Temp (ºC) 11 12 13 13 15 16 17 17 17 16 14 12 Ave. Rain (mm) 52 37 40 35 9 2 0 1 3 25 73 65 FEZ JAN FEB MAR APR MAY JUN JUL AUG SEP OCT NOV DEC Max. Temp (ºC) 15 16 18 20 24 28 34 34 30 25 19 16 Min. Temp (ºC) * * * * * * * * * * * * Ave. Rain (mm) 72 100 93 87 53 24 3 3 17 62 89 85 MARRAKESH JAN FEB MAR APR MAY JUN JUL AUG SEP OCT NOV DEC Max. Temp (ºC) 18 20 23 26 29 33 38 38 33 28 23 19 Min. Temp (ºC) 4 6 9 11 14 17 19 20 17 14 9 6 Ave. Rain (mm) 25 28 33 31 15 8 3 3 10 23 31 31 EGYPT Egypt has a comfortable, temperate climate for most of the year, getting particularly hot in July and August. The Mediterranean coast does experience some cloud and rain in the winter, but for the most part there is sunshine without debilitating heat. There is a desert wind, called a Khamsin, which blows during spring (March to May), making the atmosphere hot and sandy. ALEXANDRIA JAN FEB MAR APR MAY JUN JUL AUG SEP OCT NOV DEC Max. Temp (ºC) 18 19 21 23 26 28 29 31 30 28 25 21 Min. Temp (ºC) 11 11 13 15 18 21 23 23 23 20 17 13 Ave. Rain (mm) 48 23 10 3 0 0 0 0 0 5 33 56 CAIRO JAN FEB MAR APR MAY JUN JUL AUG SEP OCT NOV DEC Max. Temp (ºC) 19 21 24 28 32 35 35 35 33 30 26 21 Min. Temp (ºC) 9 9 12 14 18 20 22 22 20 18 14 10 Ave. Rain (mm) 4 4 3 1 2 1 0 0 1 1 3 7 LUXOR JAN FEB MAR APR MAY JUN JUL AUG SEP OCT NOV DEC Max. Temp (ºC) 23 25 29 35 39 41 41 41 39 35 30 25 Min. Temp (ºC) 6 7 11 16 20 23 23 24 22 18 12 7 Ave. Rain (mm) 1 1 1 1 1 0 0 1 1 1 1 0 OMAN Oman is very hot and humid during the summer; although the winter months are much more bearable. The coast does remain humid throughout the year and, although the interior is warmer, the heat is dry and less oppressive. MUSCAT JAN FEB MAR APR MAY JUN JUL AUG SEP OCT NOV DEC Max. Temp (ºC) 25 25 28 32 37 38 36 33 34 34 30 20 Min. Temp (ºC) 19 19 22 26 30 31 31 39 28 27 23 20 Ave. Rain (mm) 28 18 10 10 0 3 0 0 0 3 10 18 SALALAH JAN FEB MAR APR MAY JUN JUL AUG SEP OCT NOV DEC Max. Temp (ºC) 28 28 30 32 32 32 28 27 29 30 31 29 Min. Temp (ºC) 18 19 21 23 26 26 24 23 23 22 20 19 Ave. Rain (mm) 27 6 2 0 1 7 11 25 25 44 10 1 JORDAN Jordan has a desert climate, with hot days, cold nights and cool winters. The northwest of the country is hilly and gets a fair amount of rain from November through to March. The Jordan Valley and the Dead Sea are hot in summer and very dry and warm in winter. AMMAN JAN FEB MAR APR MAY JUN JUL AUG SEP OCT NOV DEC Max. Temp (ºC) 12 13 16 23 28 31 32 32 32 27 20 14 Min. Temp (ºC) 4 4 6 9 14 16 18 18 17 14 10 6 Ave. Rain (mm) 69 74 31 15 5 0 0 0 0 5 33 46 DEAD SEA JAN FEB MAR APR MAY JUN JUL AUG SEP OCT NOV DEC Max. Temp (ºC) 20 22 25 29 34 37 39 38 36 32 27 22 Min. Temp (ºC) 11 13 16 20 24 27 28 29 27 24 18 13 Ave. Rain (mm) 11 9 7 2 0 0 0 0 0 1 8 8 SYRIA There are large tracts of desert and steppe, where temperatures are high in the summer and low at night and in the winter. Rain also falls in these areas - more so in the steppe in the north and east of the country. The coastal areas have hot, humid summers and fine weather in winter, although there is occasional rain and cloud. The Khamsin can blow in at the beginning and end of summer. DAMASCUS JAN FEB MAR APR MAY JUN JUL AUG SEP OCT NOV DEC Max. Temp (ºC) 12 14 18 24 29 33 36 37 33 27 19 13 Min. Temp (ºC) 2 4 6 9 13 16 18 18 16 12 8 4 Ave. Rain (mm) 43 43 8 13 18 0 0 0 18 10 41 41 KYRGYZSTAN The mountains rise to over 6,000 m and have snow cover year round. As a result of being far from the sea and sheltered by surrounding mountain regions, it is a rather dry country considering its altitude, with bitterly cold winters, but relatively early springs. BISHKEK JAN FEB MAR APR MAY JUN JUL AUG SEP OCT NOV DEC Max. Temp (ºC) -5 -3 4 13 20 24 27 27 22 13 4 -2 Min. Temp (ºC) -14 -13 -6 3 10 14 16 14 8 2 -5 -9 Ave. Rain (mm) 33 23 56 102 94 66 36 31 25 51 48 33 TUNISIA The weather In Tunisia is as varied as the country's topography. Hot summers and warm winters are usual on the Mediterranean coastline, with rain occurring in the spring and autumn months. The mountains experience more rain and sometimes snowfall, whilst central Tunisia has lower rainfall, but more extreme temperatures than the coast, both in summer and winter. TUNIS JAN FEB MAR APR MAY JUN JUL AUG SEP OCT NOV DEC Max. Temp (ºC) 15 16 18 21 25 29 32 32 30 25 21 16 Min. Temp (ºC) 7 7 9 11 14 18 20 21 20 16 12 9 Ave. Rain (mm) 79 48 41 41 29 12 2 14 26 85 56 47 LIBYA Libya's climate varies enormously, from the comfortable Mediterranean climate of the coast to the scorching days and freezing nights of the desert. People travelling in July, August and September should be prepared for very hot weather and plenty of sunshine. From March to June, the siroccos sweep in from the Sahara, bringing hot wind laden with sand. The Sahara Desert is considerably hotter and drier than Tripoli, and some of the hottest temperatures in the world have been recorded in the Libyan interior. The desert can be cold in the evenings and at night. BENGHAZI JAN FEB MAR APR MAY JUN JUL AUG SEP OCT NOV DEC Max. Temp (ºC) 17 18 21 23 26 28 29 29 28 27 23 19 Min. Temp (ºC) 10 11 12 14 17 20 22 22 21 19 16 12 Ave. Rain (mm) 66 41 20 5 3 0 0 0 3 18 46 66 TRIPOLI JAN FEB MAR APR MAY JUN JUL AUG SEP OCT NOV DEC Max. Temp (ºC) 19 19 21 23 26 30 32 32 31 28 25 20 Min. Temp (ºC) 9 9 11 13 16 19 21 21 20 17 13 10 Ave. Rain (mm) 54 30 19 22 3 3 0 0 13 36 34 74 GHADAMES JAN FEB MAR APR MAY JUN JUL AUG SEP OCT NOV DEC Max. Temp (ºC) 18 21 26 31 36 41 42 41 38 32 25 19 Min. Temp (ºC) No information available Ave. Rain (mm) Average monthly rainfall is less than 50mm all year UZBEKISTAN TASHKENT JAN FEB MAR APR MAY JUN JUL AUG SEP OCT NOV DEC Max. Temp (ºC) 3 7 12 18 26 31 33 32 27 18 12 7 Min. Temp (ºC) -6 -3 3 8 13 17 18 16 11 5 2 -2 Ave. Rain (mm) 54 28 66 58 36 13 5 3 3 31 38 41 Please note that codes on the weather charts indicate the following: Max. Temp (C°) = Maximum average day time temperature in shade in Celsius · Min. Temp (C°) = Minimum average night time temperature in Celsius Ave. Rain (mm) = Average monthly rainfall in millimetres www.coxandkings.co.uk 53 XXXXX XXXX REGIONAL INFORMATION: XXX XXX WEATHER Consists largely of open steppe and desert with hot, dry summers and very cold winters. Spring and autumn provide brief respites from these extremes. In the east of the country are the Tien Shen and Pamir mountains, and conditions here are milder, with more rain.