Climate in Iraq
The climate is characterized by the fact that the summers are very hot and the winters are cold and short, and January is the coldest month, while July is the hottest month.
Average temperatures in Iraq range between 38 degrees Celsius (100.4 degrees Fahrenheit) in July and August, and below zero in January and February. Most of the rains occur between December and April, and their average ranges between 340 and 512 mm annually. . The mountainous region in northern Iraq has significantly more precipitation than the central and southern region, i.e. about 1000 mm or more, the heaviest rainfall in Iraq was recorded in Mount Sheikha Dar in April, when it reached 2954 mm.
Almost 90% of the annual rainfall occurs between November and April, and especially between December and March. As for the rest of the months, especially those with high temperatures such as June, July, and August, rain is rare.
Winter minimum temperatures range from near freezing (before dawn) in the northern, northeastern foothills, and western desert, to -8 to -1 °C (17.6–30.2 °F), and -5 to 2 °C (23 to 35.6 °C). Fahrenheit), in the western plains of southern Iraq. It rises to a maximum average of about 10 °C (50 °F) in the Western Desert and the northeast, 13 °C (55.4 °F) in the south.
In the summer, the minimum temperatures range from around 22 to 30 °C (71.6–86 °F) and rise to maximums around 32 to 36 °C (89.6 and 86.8 °F), with some days recording temperatures of 38 degrees Celsius and more. Night temperatures often drop below zero, with temperatures as low as -22 °C (-7.6 °F) recorded in Rutba in the western desert of Anbar Governorate. Humid areas are more likely to have temperatures of more than 40 °C (104 °F) in the summer months.
The summer months are characterized by two types of winds. Southeasterly and southeasterly, dry, dusty winds, with occasional winds of 80 kilometers per hour (50 mph), occur from April to early June, and again, from late September to November. It may last for one day at the beginning and end of the current season or for several days. These winds are often accompanied by dust, which may rise to levels of several thousand meters. From mid-June to mid-September, the prominent winds are north (from the north and northwest).