Climate in Zahlé (Lebanon)

Zahlé's climate is continentalized Mediterranean, with mild, rainy winters and hot, sunny summers.
Zahlé is a city of 100,000 inhabitants, the capital of the Beqaa governorate, located in eastern Lebanon, in the Bekaa Valley, at 950 meters (3,100 feet) above sea level, at almost 34 degrees north latitude.
To the west are the mountains of the Lebanon chain, which in this area reach 2,628 meters (8,622 ft) in Mount Sannine.
The mountains isolate the Bekaa Valley from the sea, making the climate more continental. Altitude also has its influence on the climate.

Precipitation is not abundant, since it amounts to 650 millimeters (25.5 inches) per year, however, it is concentrated from November to March, a period during which it can be abundant. In summer, however, it almost never rains.

Winter, from December to February, is quite mild, with an average January temperature of around 7 °C (44.5 °F).
Fog can form during periods of stable weather.
There are very mild periods, during which the temperature can reach 20 °C (68 °F) even in the middle of winter.
However, there can also be cold periods, during which the temperature drops to around freezing, and snow can also fall. Snowfall can sometimes be heavy.
During the most intense cold spells, the temperature can drop to -10 °C (14 °F).

Summer, from June to September, is very hot and sunny, despite the altitude. However, humidity is not high, and at night the temperature drops considerably. The average for August, the hottest month, is 26.5 °C (79.5 °F).
The khamsin, the wind that blows from the deserts of Egypt, can bring the temperature above 40 °C (104 °F).
In 2020, the temperature reached 45.4 °C (13.7 °F) in late July and 44.3 °C (111.7 °F) in early September.

Zahlé - Climate data

In Zahlé, the average temperature of the coldest month (January) is of 7,1 °C, that of the warmest month (August) is of 26,4 °C. Here are the average temperatures.