Basra climate — normals and trends
Basra (Iraq) has a hot desert climate (BWh) under the Köppen-Geiger classification. Its mean annual temperature is 26.5 °C and it receives 138 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 (38.8 °C on average) and the coldest is January (12.6 °C). Rainfall peaks in January.
Basra averages 0 frost days, 216 hot days (≥ 30 °C) and 22 rainy days per year.
Basra has warmed by +2.2 °C between 1940 and 2025, or +0.26 °C per decade. This trend is statistically significant.
The hottest day of the period reached 52.4 °C (on 30 July 2020) and the coldest -4.4 °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
BasraBasra Governorate
- coords
- 30.51°, 47.78°
- period
- 1940–2025 · 86 yrs
Mean daily temperature
26.5°C
Average daily high
33.2°C
Average daily low
20.0°C
Annual rainfall
138mm
Sunshine / day
11.0h
Mean relative humidity
36%
Average peak wind
23.5km/h
Seasonal range
26.2°C
Frost days (< 0 °C)
0 d/yr
Hot days (≥ 30 °C)
216 d/yr
Rainy days (≥ 1 mm)
22 d/yr
Annual snowfall
0.0 cm
Average feels-like high
30.4 °C
Average feels-like low
17.3 °C
Average peak gust
37.9 km/h
Tropical nights (≥ 20 °C)
189 d/yr
Solar radiation
20.9 MJ/m²
Has the climate changed?
One stripe per year, 1940 to 2025
+2.2 °C
since 1940
+0.3 °C per decade · r² = 0.46 · 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
52.4 °C
30 July 2020
Coldest day
-4.4 °C
20 January 1964
Wettest day
103 mm
19 November 2013
Windiest day
58.3 km/h
7 April 1957
Strongest gust
91.1 km/h
8 March 1979
Hottest feels-like
52.7 °C
14 August 1977
Coldest feels-like
-10.7 °C
20 January 1964
Sunniest day
13.3 h
22 June 2000
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 | 20.5 °C | +2.4 °C | 9 mm | -19 mm |
| Feb | 20.1 °C | -1.0 °C | 10 mm | -7 mm |
| Mar | 27.0 °C | +0.9 °C | 26 mm | +5 mm |
| Apr | 35.6 °C | +2.8 °C | 2 mm | -10 mm |
| May | 43.4 °C | +3.8 °C | 0 mm | -4 mm |
| Jun | 45.6 °C | +1.3 °C | 0 mm | -0 mm |
| Jul | 47.5 °C | +1.5 °C | 0 mm | -0 mm |
| Aug | 47.6 °C | +1.8 °C | 5 mm | +4 mm |
| Sep | 43.2 °C | +0.7 °C | 0 mm | -0 mm |
| Oct | 37.4 °C | +1.5 °C | 0 mm | -4 mm |
| Nov | 29.6 °C | +3.2 °C | 3 mm | -22 mm |
| Dec | 20.9 °C | +1.2 °C | 26 mm | -1 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 Basra?
Basra has a hot desert climate (Köppen BWh). Over 1940-2025, the average annual temperature is 26.5 °C and it receives 138 mm of precipitation per year.
What is the hottest day ever recorded in Basra?
The hottest day measured in Basra between 1940 and 2025 was 30 July 2020, reaching 52.4 °C.
What is the coldest day in Basra?
The coldest day measured in Basra between 1940 and 2025 was 20 January 1964, at -4.4 °C.
Does it snow in Basra?
Almost never: Basra sees virtually no snow, with about 0 frost days per year.
Has the climate of Basra warmed?
Yes: Basra warmed by +2.2 °C between 1940 and 2025, a statistically significant trend.
What is the wettest day in Basra?
The wettest day measured in Basra between 1940 and 2025 was 19 November 2013, with 103 mm of rain in 24 hours.
What was the windiest day in Basra?
The windiest day measured in Basra between 1940 and 2025 was 7 April 1957, with winds reaching 58.3 km/h.
What is the warmest month in Basra?
The warmest month in Basra is July (38.8 °C on average); the coldest is January (12.6 °C).
How much does it rain in Basra?
Basra receives on average 138 mm of precipitation per year, spread over about 22 rainy days.
Is it sunny in Basra?
Basra gets on average 11.0 hours of sunshine per day, roughly 4,015 hours per year over 1940-2025.
Are there tropical nights in Basra?
Yes: Basra has on average 189 tropical nights per year (temperature staying above 20 °C), over 1940-2025.
What was the most extreme apparent temperature in Basra?
In Basra, between 1940 and 2025, the highest apparent temperature reached 52.7 °C on 14 August 1977, and the lowest was -10.7 °C on 20 January 1964.
Compare Basra with another city
Pick a second city: its normals will be set against these, indicator by indicator.
Nearby cities
The climate around Basra