Aleppo, Syria's largest city, sits on a plateau in the northwest of the country at around 380 metres above sea level, on the edge of the Syrian steppe at approximately 36.20°N, 37.16°E. Its inland position gives it a cold semi-arid climate (Köppen BSk) — hot, dry summers and cool, wetter winters — with a wide seasonal range.

Summer, from June to September, is hot, dry and sunny, with July and August the hottest — highs around 36–37°C — with very low humidity, so the heat is dry and the nights cool noticeably. Rain is entirely absent for months, hot dusty winds sweep in from the steppe, and cloudless skies dominate the long dry season.

Winter, from December to February, is cool and the wettest season, with January the coolest month — highs around 10–12°C and nights near 1–2°C, with frost frequent and occasional snow that can settle briefly. Most of the year's rain falls in these months, brought by Mediterranean systems, along with grey, damp spells.

Aleppo is dry, receiving only around 300–330 mm of precipitation a year, concentrated between November and April with a winter maximum, while the long summer from June to September is completely rainless. Live rainfall, humidity, and pressure readings for the city are shown in the panels above.

Aleppo sits on the threshold of the Syrian steppe, receiving just enough winter rain to have supported rain-fed wheat farming for millennia — a precarious margin. The prolonged drought of the late 2000s, among the worst on record, drove hundreds of thousands of farmers from the surrounding countryside into the cities.

To follow any single measurement in Aleppo more closely, use our live instruments: the online barometer for atmospheric pressure, the thermometer for temperature, the hygrometer for humidity, the anemometer for wind speed, the wind vane for wind direction, and the rain gauge for rainfall.