Climate in Alexandria
Daytime across Egypt is generally warm or hot, with temperatures cooling down by nightfall. Egypt weather patterns are such that spring and autumn are non-existent, as the country experiences only two seasons: between November and April, Egypt is under the influence of the mild winter season, and from May to October the hot summers take over the reigns. However, both seasons are almost identical, with the only noticeable variations the fluctuation in daytime temperatures and changes in prevailing winds. Temperatures in the coastal regions range between an average minimum of 14° C in winter and an average maximum of 30° C in summer.
In the inland desert areas temperatures vary widely especially in summer, fluctuating between 7° C at night to 43° C during the day. Temperature fluctuation is less dramatic during the winter season, often falling as low as 0° C at night rising as high as 18° C during the day.
As we move southward from the Delta to the Sudanese border, average annual temperature increases becoming similar to those of the open deserts to the east and west. Thanks to its cooler summer temperatures the northern city of Alexandria is
one of Egypt’s most popular resorts. The predominantly mild weather throughout the Delta and the northern Nile Valley is often intercepted by occasional winter cold spells that are usually accompanied by light frost and even snow. When the sky is clear June day temperatures at Aswan, in the south can soar to a sizzling 41° C, falling as low as 10° C at night.
Most areas of Egypt only receive less than eighty millimetres of precipitation annually. The coastal areas receive the majority of the rainfall, although even the wettest area, around Alexandria, receives only about 200 millimetres of precipitation per year.
Humidity levels are relatively high in Alexandria, although moisture remains at comfortable levels thanks to the influence of the sea breezes. The amount of precipitation decreases suddenly as we move south towards Cairo which receives a little more than one centimetre of precipitation each year. Egypt’s capital has very high humidity levels especially during summer when they reach 77 percent, dropping considerably during the winter season. South of Cairo rainfall is sparse and minimal. However, parts of the area that have gone without rain for a number of years, suddenly experience downpours so fierce they result in flash floods.
In comparison to other desert areas, Sinai receives somewhat more rainfall (about twelve centimetres annually in the north). Thanks to its higher levels of precipitation, the area is dotted by numerous wells and oases where small population centres can be found in areas that once upon a time were focal points on trade routes. The coastal areas, particularly near Al Arish., experience water drainage towards the Mediterranean Sea from the main plateau that supplies sufficient moisture to permit some agriculture.
One of Egypt weather’s unique features is the wind known by Europeans as the sirocco and by the locals as the khamsin. A hot spring wind that blows across the country, the khamsin usually arrives in April but occasionally occurs in March and May, forming in small but vigorous low-pressure areas in the Isthmus of Suez and sweep across the northern coast of Africa.
Helped along by Egypt’s distinctive lack of high geographical features, the winds reach high velocities and carry great quantities of sand and dust from the deserts. Often accompanied by winds of up to 140 kilometres per hour, these storms can cause temperatures to rise as much as 20° C in two hours and because they blow intermittently and may continue for days, they are also known to cause illness in people and animals, harm crops, and occasionally damage houses and infrastructure.
