🇱🇧Lebanon

Lebanon spans 33°03′–34°41′N as a small (approximately 10,452 km²) Eastern Mediterranean country bordering Syria and Israel/Palestine, with a 225 km coastline. It is dominated by two parallel mountain ranges — the Mount Lebanon range running parallel to the coast (Qurnat as Sawda 3,088 m, the country's highest peak, snow-capped in winter and the inspiration for the country's cedar-on-snow flag) and the Anti-Lebanon on the Syrian border (Mount Hermon 2,814 m) — separated by the fertile Beqaa Valley running northeast–southwest.

This produces a remarkable climate spectrum compressed into 50 km of east–west span, featuring hot-summer Mediterranean (Csa) on the coast (Beirut, Tripoli, Tyre), warm-summer Mediterranean (Csb) and humid continental (Dsa / Dsb) on Mount Lebanon's western slopes with deep winter snowpack at altitude, cold semi-arid (BSk) on the Beqaa Valley floor, and tundra (ET) tendency on the highest peaks.

Beirut averages 14°C in January and 28°C in August with 850 mm rainfall almost entirely November–April, with rainless Mediterranean summers. Tripoli records 13°C in January and 27°C in August with 800 mm. The Cedars of Bsharri at 1,800 m average −1°C in January and 18°C in August with 1,400 mm and reliable winter snowpack supporting Lebanon's small ski sector. Zahlé in the Beqaa Valley averages 6°C in January and 24°C in August with 600 mm.

Lebanon experiences extreme weather across multiple seasons. Mount Lebanon snowstorms occurred in February 1992. Severe wildfires struck in October 2019, affecting highland regions and triggering ecological and social disruptions. Multi-year drought intensified through 2020–2021, with the Litani River reaching historic low flows in 2021, reducing summer water supply. Flash flooding affected Beirut in December 2019. Snowpack decline on Mount Lebanon is accelerating and reducing summer water availability. Eastern Mediterranean marine heatwaves are intensifying, threatening marine ecosystems and coastal infrastructure.

Our archive covers 0 Lebanese cities with daily ERA5 reanalysis data going back to 1940.