|
Egypt Climate
Throughout Egypt, days are commonly warm or hot, and nights
are cool. Egypt has only two seasons: a mild winter from November
to April and a hot summer from May to October. The only
differences between the seasons are variations in daytime
temperatures and changes in prevailing winds. In the coastal
regions, temperatures range between an average minimum of 14°
C in
winter and an average maximum of 30° C in summer.
Temperatures vary widely in the inland desert areas,
especially in summer, when they may range from 7° C at night to
43° C during the day. During winter, temperatures in the desert
fluctuate less dramatically, but they can be as low as 0° C at
night and as high as 18° C during the day.
The average annual temperature increases moving southward
from the Delta to the Sudanese border, where temperatures are
similar to those of the open deserts to the east and west. In the
north, the cooler temperatures of Alexandria during the summer
have made the city a popular resort. Throughout the Delta and the
northern Nile Valley, there are occasional winter cold spells
accompanied by light frost and even snow. At Aswan, in the south,
June temperatures can be as low as 10° C at night and as high
as
41° C during the day when the sky is clear.
Egypt receives fewer than eighty millimeters of precipitation
annually in most areas. Most rain falls along the coast, but even
the wettest area, around Alexandria, receives only about 200
millimeters of precipitation per year. Alexandria has relatively
high humidity, but sea breezes help keep the moisture down to a
comfortable level. Moving southward, the amount of precipitation
decreases suddenly. Cairo receives a little more than one
centimeter of precipitation each year. The city, however, reports
humidity as high as 77 percent during the summer. But during the
rest of the year, humidity is low. The areas south of Cairo
receive only traces of rainfall. Some areas will go years without
rain and then experience sudden downpours that result in flash
floods. Sinai receives somewhat more rainfall (about twelve
centimeters annually in the north) than the other desert areas,
and the region is dotted by numerous wells and oases, which
support small population centers that formerly were focal points
on trade routes. Water drainage toward the Mediterranean Sea from
the main plateau supplies sufficient moisture to permit some
agriculture in the coastal area, particularly near Al Arish.
A phenomenon of Egypt's climate is the hot spring wind that
blows across the country. The winds, known to Europeans as the
sirocco and to Egyptians as the khamsin, usually arrive in
April but occasionally occur in March and May. The winds form in
small but vigorous low-pressure areas in the Isthmus of Suez and
sweep across the northern coast of Africa. Unobstructed by
geographical features, the winds reach high velocities and carry
great quantities of sand and dust from the deserts. These
sandstorms, often accompanied by winds of up to 140 kilometers
per hour, can cause temperatures to rise as much as 20° C in
two
hours. The winds blow intermittently and may continue for days,
cause illness in people and animals, harm crops, and occasionally
damage houses and infrastructure.
Data as of December 1990
|
