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EGYPT:
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.
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GREECE:
The climate in Greece is typical of the Mediterranean climate: mild and rainy winters,
relatively warm and dry summers and, generally, extended periods of sunshine throughout
most of the year.
Greece is situated at the most southeastern part of Europe, located between the 34° and 42° parallel
N., with a meridional extent from 19° to 28° E. and borders the Aegean Sea,
the Ionian Sea and the East Mediterranean Sea.
The climate in Greece is typical of the Mediterranean climate: mild and rainy winters,
relatively warm and dry summers and, generally, extended periods of sunshine throughout
most of the year. A great variety of climate subtypes, always within the Mediterranean
climate frame, are encountered in several regions of Greece. This is due to the
influence of topography (great mountain chains along the central part and other
mountainous bodies) on the air masses coming from the moisture sources of the central
Mediterranean Sea.
Thus the weather in Greece varies from the dry climate of Attiki (Athens’
greater area) and East Greece in general, to the wet climate of Northern and Western
Greece.
In climatological terms, the year can be broadly subdivided into two main seasons:
The cold and rainy period lasting from mid-October until the end of March, and the
warm and dry season lasting from April until September.
During the first period the coldest months are January and February, with, a mean
minimum temperature ranging, on average, between 5 -10 degrees
Celsius near the coasts and 0 – 5 Celsius
over the mainland, with lower values (generally below freezing) over the northern
part of the country.
Long stretches of consecutive rainy days are infrequent in Greece, even during the
winter, and the sky does not remain cloudy for more than a few days in a row, as
it does in other regions of the world. “Bad weather” days in winter
are often interrupted, during January and the first fortnight of February, with
sunny days, known as ‘Halcyon days’ since ancient times.
The winter is milder in the Aegean and Ionian Islands compared to Northern and Eastern
mainland Greece.
During the warm and dry period the weather is usually stable, the sky is clear,
the sun is bright and there is generally no rainfall. There are, however, infrequent
and brief intervals of rapid rain or thunderstorms chiefly over mainland areas.
The warmest period occurs during the last ten days of July and the first ten days
of August, when the mean maximum temperature lies between 29.0 and 35.0 degrees
Celsius. During the warm period the high temperatures are tempered by fresh sea
breezes in the coastal areas of the country and from the north winds, known as ‘Etesian’,
blowing mainly in the Aegean.
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ISRAEL:
Israel is located, between 29°-33° north of the
equator, which is characterized as a subtropical region, between the temperate zone
and the tropical zone. The northern and coastal regions of Israel show Mediterranean
climate characterized by hot and dry summers and cool rainy winters. Whereas the
southern and eastern areas of Israel are characterized by an arid climate.
The rainy season extends from October to early May, and rainfall peaks in December
through February. Rainfall varies considerably by regions from the North to the
South. Highest rainfall is observed in the North and center parts of the country
and decreases in the southern part of Israel, from the Negev Desert to Eilat where
rainfall is negligible.
Heavy snow falls only in the northernmost part of Golan Heights where the Mount
Hermon summit (2,224 m above sea level) remains generally
snow covered from December to March. In other parts of the country snow is observed
rarely.
The city of Eilat, located at the southernmost point of Israel and at the northern
tip of Red Sea, has a good climate for beach holidays all year round.
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ITALY:
Italy is renowned for its generally favorable climatic conditions, due mainly to
the warm waters of the Mediterranean Sea. However, mountainous areas, particularly
around the Alps in the north, can suffer severe, long winters, allowing a thriving
skiing industry to have developed.
The country's varied climate is determined by three distinct geographical regions.
In the north, cold Alpine winters are followed by warm, wet summers, except in the
Po Valley, where arid summers contrast with freezing, damp winters.
Land close to the Apennines, the backbone of mountains running down the peninsula
of Italy, can have snow during the winter months. Other areas that are protected
by hills and mountains, such as Liguria in the north west, enjoy a mild climate
all year round.
Indeed, most of the rest of Italy has a pleasant climate with long, hot summers
and mild winters - go to the Amalfi coast in December and you'll be surprised to
see lemons and oranges still on the trees, shrubs still in flower; Sicily, meanwhile,
is becoming an increasingly popular winter sun destination.
Generally, the hottest month is July (where temperatures can reach
30°C/86°F); the coldest month is January; the wettest month is
November, with an average rainfall of 129mm; while the
driest month is July, with an average rainfall of 15mm.
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JORDAN:
The major characteristic of the climate is the contrast between a relatively rainy
season from November to April and very dry weather for the rest of the year. With
hot, dry, uniform summers and cool, variable winters during which practically all
of the precipitation occurs, the country has a Mediterranean-style climate. In general,
the farther inland from the Mediterranean Sea a given part of the country lies,
the greater are the seasonal contrasts in temperature and the less rainfall. Atmospheric
pressures during the summer months are relatively uniform, whereas the winter months
bring a succession of marked low pressure areas and accompanying cold fronts. These
cyclonic disturbances generally move eastward from over the Mediterranean Sea several
times a month and result in sporadic precipitation.
Most of the East Bank receives less than twelve centimeters of rain a year and may
be classified as a dry desert or steppe region. Where the ground rises to form the
highlands east of the Jordan Valley, precipitation increases to around thirty centimeters
in the south and fifty or more centimeters in the north. The Jordan Valley, lying
in the lee of high ground on the West Bank, forms a narrow climatic zone that annually
receives up to thirty centimeters of rain in the northern reaches; rain dwindles
to less than twelve centimeters at the head of the Dead Sea.
The country's long summer reaches a peak during August. January is usually the coolest
month. The fairly wide ranges of temperature during a twenty-four-hour period are
greatest during the summer months and have a tendency to increase with higher elevation
and distance from the Mediterranean seacoast. Daytime temperatures during the summer
months frequently exceed 36°C and average about 32°C.
In contrast, the winter months--November to April--bring moderately cool and sometimes
cold weather, averaging about 13°C. Except in the
rift depression, frost is fairly common during the winter, and it occasionally snows
in Amman.
For a month or so before and after the summer dry season, hot, dry air from the
desert, drawn by low pressure, produces strong winds from the south or southeast
that sometimes reach gale force. Known in the Middle East by various names, including
the khamsin, this dry, sirocco-style wind is usually accompanied by great dust clouds.
Its onset is heralded by a hazy sky, a falling barometer, and a drop in relative
humidity to about 10 percent. Within a few hours there
may be a 10°C to 15°C
rise in temperature. These windstorms ordinarily last a day or so, cause much discomfort,
and destroy crops by desiccating them.
The shammal, another wind of some significance, comes from the north or northwest,
generally at intervals between June and September. Remarkably steady during daytime
hours but becoming a breeze at night, the shammal may blow for as long as nine days
out of ten and then repeat the process. It originates as a dry continental mass
of polar air that is warmed as it passes over the Eurasian landmass. The dryness
allows intense heating of the earth's surface by the sun, resulting in high daytime
temperatures
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MAURITIUS:
Mauritius has two kinds of climate. Below the 400-meter
level on most of the windward (southeastern) side of the island and below
450 meters on the leeward side, a humid, subtropical climate prevails.
Above these altitudes, the climate is more temperate, but there is no sharp break,
and variations in exposure, altitude, and distance from the sea produce a wide range
of patterns. The island has two seasons. The hot and wet summer lasts from November
through April. February is the warmest month with temperatures averaging
27° C in the lowlands and 22° C on
the plateau. Cyclone season runs from December through March, and the storms, which
come from the northeast, have caused much destruction on the island over the years.
For example, Cyclone Hollanda hit Mauritius February 10, 1994, leaving
1,400 persons homeless, and damaging 60 percent
of the electrical system and 50 percent of the telephone
network, as well as destroying between 20 and 30 percent of the sugarcane plantation.
The overall cost of this cyclone was estimated at US$81 million.
Winter, lasting from May through October, is cool and dry, influenced by the steady
southeasterly trade winds. July is the coolest month and has average temperatures
of 22° C in the lowlands and 16°
C in the plateau. Rainfall is abundant, ranging from 90 centimeters
per year in the western lowlands to 500 centimeters
in the tableland--an average of 200 centimeters per year
overall. Nonetheless, the high rate of evaporation and uneven distribution necessitate
irrigation. Humidity is frequently above 80 percent.
Mauritius has fertile soil that supports a variety of vegetation. All but 1 percent
of the native hardwood forests that once covered most of the island have been cut
down, threatening the survival of several bird species. Sugarcane is now the dominant
crop, covering half the arable land, but other cash and food crops are grown as
well. Coral reefs and marine life off the northwest coast have been hurt by pollution,
mainly from large hotels. To prevent the destruction caused by rapid and poorly
planned development and in response to foreign criticism for its lack of environmental
protection, the government established the Ministry of the Environment in 1990.
In July 1991, the legislature passed the Environmental Protection Act, which requires
an environmental impact assessment for all new projects. The ministry has also established
standards for existing industry, followed by inspections. Steps are being taken
to induce the construction industry to shift from the use of coral sand (in the
early 1990s the building trade used 600,000 tons of coral sand annually) to basaltic
sand. Marine parks are being zoned to protect coral and marine life, and a sewerage
master plan is being developed to prevent the discharge of untreated sewage into
the ocean. Solid waste management is upgrading the handling of waste, and the principle
of "the polluter must pay" is being introduced.
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TURKEY:
Climate in Turkey and Greece is very similar except for the eastern and northern
regions of Turkey. It is very hot and dry in the summer period (between
30/43 C°) but rainy and cold in the winter even though it hardly
receives any snow...It is very snowy in mid and eastern Turkey during the winter
period and very rainy in northern Turkey and Greece. It sometimes snows up in Northern
Greece. It gets mild from the end of March. It is really warm and nice from mid
May till the end of September.
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