The climate in Iraq

Climate zone: Subtropics of the northern hemisphere

For several months of the year, it is warm to hot at temperatures continuously above 25 degrees Celsius, sometimes up to 46 degrees. The warmest and at the same time rainiest region is Basra Governorate. The coldest is Ninawa. Due to the warmer temperatures, the best time for traveling is from June to September. Less attractive are the cold months from November to March.

Temperature records of the last 74 years

The hottest temperature measured from 1949 to January 2023 was reported by the Basrah Airport weather station. In July 2016, the record temperature of 53.8 °C was reported here. The hottest summer from July to September, based on all 14 weather stations in Iraq , was recorded in 2017 with an average temperature of 38.4 °C. This average temperature will normally be measured every four to six hours, thus also including the nights. Normally, this value is 34.2 degrees Celsius. The average maximum daily temperature at that time was 47.5 °C.

The coldest day in these 74 years was reported by the Samawa weather station. Here the temperature dropped to -13.8 °C in January 2020. Samawa lies at an altitude of six meters above sea level. The coldest winter (January to March) was in 1949 with an average temperature of 9.7 °C. In Iraq, it is usual to have about 3.9 degrees more at 13.7 °C for this three-month period.

The most precipitation fell in March 2020. With 7.3 mm per day, the Mosul weather station recorded the highest monthly average of the last 74 years. Incidentally, the region with the most rainfall for the whole year is around Mosul. The driest region is near Nasiriya.

Data basis and methodology

The data from the individual measuring stations are based on the archives of the German Weather Service, individual values averaged and supplemented by own elements. In order to determine a representative national average, average values were first calculated for each part of the country, which were then summarized at the national level. Thus, if a disproportionate number of weather stations are located in a small area, their number does not affect the national average. There are 15 stations in Iraq itself. In 2 cases, neighboring but nearby weather stations were also used to obtain more accurate values.