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Bahrain Climate
Bahrain has two seasons: an extremely hot summer and a
relatively mild winter. During the summer months, from
April to
October, afternoon temperatures average 40° C and can
reach 48° C
during June and July. The combination of intense heat and
high
humidity makes this season uncomfortable. In addition, a
hot, dry
southwest wind, known locally as the qaws,
periodically
blows sand clouds across the barren southern end of
Bahrain
toward Manama in the summer. Temperatures moderate in the
winter
months, from November to March, when the range is between
10° C
and 20° C. However, humidity often rises above 90 percent
in the
winter. From December to March, prevailing winds from the
southeast, known as the shammal, bring damp air
over the
islands. Regardless of the season, daily temperatures are
fairly
uniform throughout the archipelago.
Bahrain receives little precipitation. The average
annual
rainfall is seventy-two millimeters, usually confined to
the
winter months. No permanent rivers or streams exist on any
of the
islands. The winter rains tend to fall in brief,
torrential
bursts, flooding the shallow wadis that are dry the rest
of the
year and impeding transportation. Little of the rainwater
is
saved for irrigation or drinking. However, there are
numerous
natural springs in the northern part of Bahrain and on
adjacent
islands. Underground freshwater deposits also extend
beneath the
Gulf of Bahrain to the Saudi Arabian coast. Since ancient
times,
these springs have attracted settlers to the archipelago.
Despite
increasing salinization, the springs remain an important
source
of drinking water for Bahrain. Since the early 1980s,
however,
desalination plants, which render seawater suitable for
domestic
and industrial use, have provided about 60 percent of
daily water
consumption needs.
Data as of January 1993
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