Mecca features a

hot desert climate The desert climate or arid climate (in the Köppen climate classification ''BWh'' and ''BWk''), is a dry climate sub-type in which there is a severe excess of evaporation over precipitation. The typically bald, rocky, or sandy surfaces in desert ...

. Mecca retains its hot temperature in winter, which can range from at night to in the day. Summer temperatures are extremely hot, often being over during the day, dropping to at night.MECCA WEATHER AND TEMPERATURE actual five ten fifteen day ecast
/ref> Rain usually falls in Mecca in small amounts between November and January. The

rain Rain is water droplets that have condensed from atmospheric water vapor and then fall under gravity. Rain is a major component of the water cycle and is responsible for depositing most of the fresh water on the Earth. It provides water f ...

fall, as scant as it is, also presents the threat of flooding and has been a danger since the earliest times. According to Al-Kurdī, there had been 89 historic

flood A flood is an overflow of water ( or rarely other fluids) that submerges land that is usually dry. In the sense of "flowing water", the word may also be applied to the inflow of the tide. Floods are an area of study of the discipline hydrol ...

s by 1965, including several in the period. In the last century the most severe one occurred in 1941. Since then,

dam A dam is a barrier that stops or restricts the flow of surface water or underground streams. Reservoirs created by dams not only suppress floods but also provide water for activities such as irrigation, human consumption, industrial use, a ...

s have been constructed to ameliorate the problem.

Factors

Mecca is at an elevation of 277 m above sea level, and approximately 80 km inland from the Red Sea. Flash floods are common during winter season even though the amount of precipitation is low. Since Mecca is located in a desert, dust storms are common in the city. *Shamal winds occur in Mecca mostly during summer months, these Shamal winds are very dusty and remain at peak in the morning but decreases at night. These winds also occur in winter but not often. *Sandstorms and Dust storms both affect Mecca almost every month but especially during summer months. *Westerly winds bring thunderstorms to Mecca during winter and

hail Hail is a form of solid precipitation. It is distinct from ice pellets (American English "sleet"), though the two are often confused. It consists of balls or irregular lumps of ice, each of which is called a hailstone. Ice pellets generally fal ...

storms sometimes also occur.

Extreme weather events

Since

Mecca Mecca (; officially Makkah al-Mukarramah, commonly shortened to Makkah ()) is a city and administrative center of the Mecca Province of Saudi Arabia, and the Holiest sites in Islam, holiest city in Islam. It is inland from Jeddah on the Red ...

is located in a low-lying region, it is threatened by seasonal flash floods despite the low amount of annual precipitation. There are less than of rainfall during the year, mainly falling in the winter months. Temperatures are high throughout the year and in summer it may reach . The following are

extreme weather Extreme weather or extreme climate events includes unexpected, unusual, severe, or unseasonal weather; weather at the extremes of the historical distribution—the range that has been seen in the past. Often, extreme events are based on a locat ...

events in Mecca and the surrounding area. *In November 2009,

Makkah Province The Mecca Province ( ar, مِنْطَقَة مَكَّة '), also known as the Mecca Region, is one of the 13 provinces of Saudi Arabia. It is the third-largest province by area at and the most populous with a population of 8,557,766 as of 201 ...

was badly affected when record-breaking rainfall of hit the province causing flash floods all over the province. It was the worst flood in 27 years. *In November 2010, a thunderstorm killed 3 people in Makkah city following heavy rainfall. Most of the city remained under flood warning the entire night. *In December 2010, once again the city was flooded when light to moderate intensity rainfall battered the holy city, claiming the lives of 4 people. While condition in

was also comparable to the provincial capital. *In January 2011, heavy rainfall created flood like situation in the provinces especially Jeddah where occurred in just 3 hours killing four people.http://arabnews.com// article244126.ece *On May 8, 2014 rainfall of more than 50mm created flood like situation with extreme lightning.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Climate Of Mecca

Geography of Mecca