Balad climate — normals and trends
Balad (Iraq) has a hot desert climate (BWh) under the Köppen-Geiger classification. Its mean annual temperature is 24.0 °C and it receives 177 mm of precipitation per year.
These figures are normals computed over 86 complete calendar years, from 1940 to 2025, using ERA5 reanalysis data from the Copernicus programme.
The warmest month is July (37.1 °C on average) and the coldest is January (10.0 °C). Rainfall peaks in March.
Balad averages 3 frost days, 194 hot days (≥ 30 °C) and 30 rainy days per year.
Balad has warmed by +2.4 °C between 1940 and 2025, or +0.28 °C per decade. This trend is statistically significant.
The number of frost days there went from about 5 to 1 per year over the period.
The hottest day of the period reached 52.1 °C (on 18 July 1978) and the coldest -5.5 °C (on 20 January 1964).
Data from ERA5 reanalysis (Copernicus Climate Change Service), redistributed under a CC-BY 4.0 licence. Normals are recomputed whenever the archive is updated.
Climate normals · ERA5
BaladSalah ad Din
- coords
- 34.01°, 44.15°
- period
- 1940–2025 · 86 yrs
Mean daily temperature
24.0°C
Average daily high
30.7°C
Average daily low
17.7°C
Annual rainfall
177mm
Sunshine / day
11.2h
Mean relative humidity
40%
Average peak wind
17.1km/h
Seasonal range
27.1°C
Frost days (< 0 °C)
3 d/yr
Hot days (≥ 30 °C)
194 d/yr
Rainy days (≥ 1 mm)
30 d/yr
Annual snowfall
0.0 cm
Average feels-like high
28.7 °C
Average feels-like low
15.2 °C
Average peak gust
33.3 km/h
Tropical nights (≥ 20 °C)
165 d/yr
Solar radiation
20.1 MJ/m²
Has the climate changed?
One stripe per year, 1940 to 2025
+2.4 °C
since 1940
+0.3 °C per decade · r² = 0.49 · p = < 0.001
Trend fitted by linear regression (ordinary least squares) on annual means. A trend is shown only when it is statistically significant (p < 0.05).
A climograph overlays rainfall (bars) and temperature (line): the standard reading in climatology, where you can see at a glance whether the warm season is also the dry one.
Records for the period
Hottest day
52.1 °C
18 July 1978
Coldest day
-5.5 °C
20 January 1964
Wettest day
70 mm
29 October 2015
Windiest day
51.5 km/h
5 March 1991
Strongest gust
98.3 km/h
21 March 1952
Hottest feels-like
53.5 °C
26 July 2020
Coldest feels-like
-10.0 °C
19 January 1964
Snowiest day
2.5 cm
11 January 2008
Sunniest day
14.0 h
22 May 1940
Normals computed over complete calendar years 1940–2025.
A specific year
Pick a year and see how it compares to normal — warmer, drier or more extreme than usual?
Across the whole year
Month by month
| High | vs. normal | Precipitation | vs. normal | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 18.5 °C | +3.0 °C | 6 mm | -24 mm |
| Feb | 16.6 °C | -1.7 °C | 25 mm | -2 mm |
| Mar | 24.3 °C | +1.2 °C | 57 mm | +26 mm |
| Apr | 32.0 °C | +2.2 °C | 17 mm | -3 mm |
| May | 39.6 °C | +3.1 °C | 2 mm | -5 mm |
| Jun | 43.5 °C | +1.9 °C | 0 mm | 0 mm |
| Jul | 45.8 °C | +1.5 °C | 0 mm | 0 mm |
| Aug | 45.7 °C | +1.6 °C | 0 mm | 0 mm |
| Sep | 40.3 °C | -0.1 °C | 0 mm | -0 mm |
| Oct | 34.6 °C | +1.0 °C | 0 mm | -6 mm |
| Nov | 27.5 °C | +3.5 °C | 14 mm | -9 mm |
| Dec | 18.3 °C | +1.0 °C | 88 mm | +56 mm |
The year's extremes
What was the weather like that day?
Your birthday, a wedding, a memorable trip: discover the actual weather for any date since 1940.
Frequently asked questions
What is the climate of Balad?
Balad has a hot desert climate (Köppen BWh). Over 1940-2025, the average annual temperature is 24.0 °C and it receives 177 mm of precipitation per year.
What is the hottest day ever recorded in Balad?
The hottest day measured in Balad between 1940 and 2025 was 18 July 1978, reaching 52.1 °C.
What is the coldest day in Balad?
The coldest day measured in Balad between 1940 and 2025 was 20 January 1964, at -5.5 °C.
Does it snow in Balad?
Almost never: Balad sees virtually no snow, with about 3 frost days per year.
Has the climate of Balad warmed?
Yes: Balad warmed by +2.4 °C between 1940 and 2025, a statistically significant trend.
What is the wettest day in Balad?
The wettest day measured in Balad between 1940 and 2025 was 29 October 2015, with 70 mm of rain in 24 hours.
What was the windiest day in Balad?
The windiest day measured in Balad between 1940 and 2025 was 5 March 1991, with winds reaching 51.5 km/h.
What is the warmest month in Balad?
The warmest month in Balad is July (37.1 °C on average); the coldest is January (10.0 °C).
How much does it rain in Balad?
Balad receives on average 177 mm of precipitation per year, spread over about 30 rainy days.
Is it sunny in Balad?
Balad gets on average 11.2 hours of sunshine per day, roughly 4,088 hours per year over 1940-2025.
What is the biggest single-day snowfall in Balad?
The heaviest 24-hour snowfall measured in Balad between 1940 and 2025 was 11 January 2008, with 2.5 cm.
Are there tropical nights in Balad?
Yes: Balad has on average 165 tropical nights per year (temperature staying above 20 °C), over 1940-2025.
What was the most extreme apparent temperature in Balad?
In Balad, between 1940 and 2025, the highest apparent temperature reached 53.5 °C on 26 July 2020, and the lowest was -10.0 °C on 19 January 1964.
Compare Balad with another city
Pick a second city: its normals will be set against these, indicator by indicator.
Nearby cities
The climate around Balad