Palmyra climate — normals and trends
Palmyra (Syria) has a hot desert climate (BWh) under the Köppen-Geiger classification. Its mean annual temperature is 18.0 °C and it receives 93 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 (29.3 °C on average) and the coldest is January (6.1 °C). Rainfall peaks in March.
Palmyra averages 17 frost days, 140 hot days (≥ 30 °C) and 23 rainy days per year.
Palmyra has warmed by +2.1 °C between 1940 and 2025, or +0.25 °C per decade. This trend is statistically significant.
The number of frost days there went from about 24 to 10 per year over the period.
The hottest day of the period reached 44.9 °C (on 14 August 2023) and the coldest -10.7 °C (on 5 January 1942).
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
PalmyraHoms Governorate
- coords
- 34.56°, 38.28°
- period
- 1940–2025 · 86 yrs
Mean daily temperature
18.0°C
Average daily high
24.5°C
Average daily low
11.9°C
Annual rainfall
93mm
Sunshine / day
11.1h
Mean relative humidity
50%
Average peak wind
18.1km/h
Seasonal range
23.2°C
Frost days (< 0 °C)
17 d/yr
Hot days (≥ 30 °C)
140 d/yr
Rainy days (≥ 1 mm)
23 d/yr
Annual snowfall
1.6 cm
Average feels-like high
22.5 °C
Average feels-like low
9.4 °C
Average peak gust
31.2 km/h
Tropical nights (≥ 20 °C)
68 d/yr
Solar radiation
20.7 MJ/m²
Has the climate changed?
One stripe per year, 1940 to 2025
+2.1 °C
since 1940
+0.3 °C per decade · r² = 0.43 · 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
44.9 °C
14 August 2023
Coldest day
-10.7 °C
5 January 1942
Wettest day
25 mm
13 March 1990
Windiest day
57.5 km/h
22 February 1955
Strongest gust
90.0 km/h
22 February 1955
Hottest feels-like
46.6 °C
23 July 1998
Coldest feels-like
-15.3 °C
5 January 1942
Snowiest day
10.1 cm
18 December 1971
Sunniest day
13.5 h
24 June 1949
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 | 14.1 °C | +2.9 °C | 6 mm | -10 mm |
| Feb | 12.4 °C | -1.3 °C | 6 mm | -7 mm |
| Mar | 21.2 °C | +3.1 °C | 19 mm | +2 mm |
| Apr | 25.9 °C | +1.9 °C | 3 mm | -7 mm |
| May | 32.4 °C | +2.8 °C | 4 mm | -1 mm |
| Jun | 36.1 °C | +2.0 °C | 0 mm | -0 mm |
| Jul | 38.2 °C | +1.6 °C | 0 mm | -0 mm |
| Aug | 38.1 °C | +1.7 °C | 0 mm | -0 mm |
| Sep | 33.4 °C | +0.6 °C | 0 mm | -0 mm |
| Oct | 28.0 °C | +1.3 °C | 0 mm | -4 mm |
| Nov | 22.6 °C | +3.9 °C | 3 mm | -7 mm |
| Dec | 13.7 °C | +1.0 °C | 20 mm | +4 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 Palmyra?
Palmyra has a hot desert climate (Köppen BWh). Over 1940-2025, the average annual temperature is 18.0 °C and it receives 93 mm of precipitation per year.
What is the hottest day ever recorded in Palmyra?
The hottest day measured in Palmyra between 1940 and 2025 was 14 August 2023, reaching 44.9 °C.
What is the coldest day in Palmyra?
The coldest day measured in Palmyra between 1940 and 2025 was 5 January 1942, at -10.7 °C.
Does it snow in Palmyra?
Yes. Palmyra gets on average 1.6 cm of snow per year and has around 17 frost days.
Has the climate of Palmyra warmed?
Yes: Palmyra warmed by +2.1 °C between 1940 and 2025, a statistically significant trend.
What is the wettest day in Palmyra?
The wettest day measured in Palmyra between 1940 and 2025 was 13 March 1990, with 25 mm of rain in 24 hours.
What was the windiest day in Palmyra?
The windiest day measured in Palmyra between 1940 and 2025 was 22 February 1955, with winds reaching 57.5 km/h.
What is the warmest month in Palmyra?
The warmest month in Palmyra is July (29.3 °C on average); the coldest is January (6.1 °C).
How much does it rain in Palmyra?
Palmyra receives on average 93 mm of precipitation per year, spread over about 23 rainy days.
Is it sunny in Palmyra?
Palmyra gets on average 11.1 hours of sunshine per day, roughly 4,052 hours per year over 1940-2025.
What is the biggest single-day snowfall in Palmyra?
The heaviest 24-hour snowfall measured in Palmyra between 1940 and 2025 was 18 December 1971, with 10.1 cm.
Are there tropical nights in Palmyra?
Yes: Palmyra has on average 68 tropical nights per year (temperature staying above 20 °C), over 1940-2025.
What was the most extreme apparent temperature in Palmyra?
In Palmyra, between 1940 and 2025, the highest apparent temperature reached 46.6 °C on 23 July 1998, and the lowest was -15.3 °C on 5 January 1942.
Compare Palmyra with another city
Pick a second city: its normals will be set against these, indicator by indicator.
Nearby cities
The climate around Palmyra