The climate in Syria

Climate zone: Subtropics of the northern hemisphere

For 7 months, the average temperatures are over 25 degrees. Pleasant water temperatures of up to 28 degrees even invite you to bathe in the warm season. The warmest and rainiest part of the country is Deir ez-Zor. The coldest is Aleppo. 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 63 years

The hottest temperature measured from 1960 to May 2023 was reported by the Kamishli weather station. In July 2021, the record temperature of 47.3 °C was reported here. The hottest summer from July to September, based on all 7 weather stations in Syria below 920 meters altitude, was recorded in 2010 with an average temperature of 30.5 °C. This average temperature will normally be measured every four to six hours, thus also including the nights. Normally, this value is 28.4 degrees Celsius. The average maximum daily temperature at that time was 37.8 °C.

The coldest day in these 63 years was reported by the Aleppo weather station. Here the temperature dropped to -17.0 °C in February 2001. Aleppo lies at an altitude of 384 meters above sea level. The coldest winter (January to March) was in 1992 with an average temperature of 6.3 °C. In Syria, it is usual to have about 3.4 degrees more at 9.7 °C for this three-month period.

The most precipitation fell in January 1981. With 15.7 mm per day, the Lattakia weather station recorded the highest monthly average of the last 63 years. Incidentally, the region with the most rainfall for the whole year is around Lattakia. The driest region is near Palmyra.

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 7 stations in Syria itself. In 6 cases, neighboring but nearby weather stations were also used to obtain more accurate values.