Climate of Palestine

Climate of Palestine

The Palestinian Territories refer to the areas of the West Bank (West Bank) and the Gaza Strip. These areas, which are under Palestinian rule, are popularly referred to as Palestine. However, Palestine is a geographical area that, in addition to the Palestinian Territories, also includes the State of Israel. The Palestinian Authority is not recognized worldwide as an independent state. In the Gaza Strip there is a warm steppe climate (BSh), which in the south changes into a warm desert climate (type BSh according to the Köppen climate classification). The West Bank has a warm Mediterranean climate, with mild winters and warm summers.

Precipitation

Within the Gaza Strip there is a dry season (summer), in which there is virtually no precipitation, and a wetter season (winter), in which precipitation amounts in the wettest months of December, January and February can rise to more than a hundred millimeters. per month. Within the West Bank, the summers are also very dry, but the period in which there is precipitation lasts a little longer and the amounts of precipitation increase as you reach higher areas. The eastern strip along the Dead Sea, on the other hand, is very dry, with an annual total precipitation that is limited to a few tens of millimeters almost every year.

Sunshine

The summer months are very sunny in both Gaza and the West Bank. The average number of hours of sunshine per day in the summer months is around 12 to 13 hours. This makes the Palestinian Territories very sunny destinations. The only thing that can disturb the fun is the khamsin, a dry and hot desert wind, which carries a lot of sand with it. During such a wind – which can occur especially in the months of March, April and May – visibility sometimes drops to a few tens of meters and the temperature rises considerably.

Climate figures

The figures below are based on long-term average climate statistics. The temperatures are displayed in degrees Celsius (°C).

Maximum temperature Minimum temperature Hours of sunshine per day Days of rainfall per month
January 12℃ 5℃ 6 13
February 15℃ 5℃ 7 12
March 17℃ 7℃ 8 10
April 22℃ 9℃ 9 5
May 27℃ 12℃ 11 2
June 29℃ 16℃ 13 0
July 30℃ 18℃ 13 0
August 31℃ 18℃ 12 0
September 29℃ 17℃ 11 0
October 25℃ 14℃ 9 3
November 19℃ 10℃ 8 7
December 15℃ 6℃ 6 11

Best time to visit Palestine

Do you want to know when is the best time to travel to Palestine? You can determine the best time to travel to a destination based on the weather and climate. In addition, there are other factors that are not directly related to the weather and that can influence the best travel periods for a travel destination. Think, for example, of holidays or festive periods, which makes traveling more interesting or not, because daily life comes to a standstill as a result. If you want to travel to Palestine, spring and autumn are the best travel times. In the winter months it is quite wet and on the cool side. Think of maximum temperatures that are between ten and fifteen degrees. In summer it is dry, but can be very hot. Thirty degrees is normal during the day, but temperatures of 35 degrees or higher are possible. Palestine has a mix of the warm Mediterranean climate and a warm steppe climate. The fact is that large parts of Palestine are quite dry. Jerusalem, which lies on the border of Israel and Palestine, is one of the wetter destinations within the country that is not recognized worldwide, with about 500 to 550 millimeters of annual precipitation.

Winter in Palestina

The period from December to February is considered winter in Palestine. In these three months you see the lowest temperatures. In some places there can even be a flake of snow, for example in Jerusalem. We would not be so quick to choose this period to travel to Palestine. Not only is it on the cool side, it is also quite wet in the winter.

Spring

From March the temperatures increase and it rains less often. March can be seen as a transition month to real spring. It falls in the months of April and May. The winters in Palestine cannot be called gloomy, but in the spring you notice that the sun shows itself even more. April and May are wonderful travel months for a holiday in Palestine. This is when the real heat stays away for a while.

Summer

Palestine has a summer period that lasts four months: June through September. This is the driest, warmest and sunniest period. This is certainly not a bad time to travel for a holiday in Palestine, but it can also be too hot to travel relaxed. In the lowest city in the country, Jericho, afternoon temperatures between 35 and 40 degrees are normal in summer. Many people experience this as unpleasant, even if it is not so bad with the relative humidity.

Autumn

Autumn lasts only two months in Palestine. During this period, temperatures drop without getting cold. In November you notice that it rains more often and that the clouds become somewhat more persistent. Anyone who wants to make a tour through Palestine can do so during this period.

Palestine