Climate

 

The climate is greatly influenced by the desert to the south and the Mediterranean Sea to the north, due to the lack of natural barriers. The coastal regions have a Mediterranean climate with moderate temperatures and enough rain during the winter months for grain farming. In Tripoli average temperatures are 30 deg C (86 deg F) in summer and 8 deg C (46 deg F) in winter; annual precipitation averages 380 mm (15 in) and falls mainly in winter. The mountains of the Jabal Al-Akhdar attract considerably more reliable rainfall in winter and early spring, while in summer the heights are cooler than the surrounding plains. Semiarid conditions predominate in the AL MARJ and JAFFARA plains, and in the southern deserts frequent periods of drought occur.

A scorching wind which is hot, very dry and sand laden, called the "GHIBLI" and can raise the temperatures in a matter of hours to between 40 deg C and 50 deg C, occasionally blows into the usually humid coastal towns. The wind is most noticeable in W Libya and is often associated with the spring solstice.