Damascus, the capital of Syria and among the oldest continuously inhabited cities on earth, sits on a plateau at around 680 metres above sea level, in an oasis at the foot of Mount Qasioun, sheltered from the Mediterranean by the Anti-Lebanon mountains at approximately 33.51°N, 36.29°E. It has a cold desert climate (Köppen BWk) — hot, dry summers and cool, wetter winters.

Summer, from June to September, is hot, dry and sunny, with July and August the hottest — highs around 36–37°C — though the altitude and extremely low humidity make the heat dry and the nights cool markedly, sometimes to around 18°C. Rain is entirely absent for months, and the sky stays cloudless.

Winter, from December to February, is cool and the wettest season, with January the coolest month — highs around 12–13°C and nights near 2–3°C, with frost frequent and occasional light snow. What rain the city receives falls in these months, brought by Mediterranean systems that clear the Anti-Lebanon range.

Damascus is very dry, receiving only around 130–150 mm of rain a year — desert levels — because the Anti-Lebanon mountains block the moist Mediterranean air; what falls comes between November and April, while the long summer is completely rainless. Live rainfall, humidity, and pressure readings for the city are shown in the panels above.

Damascus owes its existence to the Barada River, which flows down from the Anti-Lebanon mountains to water the Ghouta oasis — the green belt that has sustained the city for millennia in the rain shadow of the range. As the river has dwindled and groundwater been drawn down, that ancient oasis has steadily shrunk.

To follow any single measurement in Damascus 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.