Climate zones in Syria, 1991 to 2020
Share of Syria's classified land in each Köppen-Geiger zone in 1991 to 2020. Zones under 0.05% are left out. The 264,504 map cells used cover 100% of the country's outline (about 185,949 km²).
By major group: B (arid) 83%, C (temperate) 17%, D (cold (continental)) 0.3%.
Syria has no single dominant climate. The biggest zone, BWh (hot desert), covers only 45% of its classified land in 1991 to 2020, followed by BSh (25%) and Csa (16%). 5 zones each cover 1% or more of it. In plain terms, hot desert means very dry and hot. Under the middle-of-the-road scenario (SSP2-4.5), 24% of its land is projected to be in a different zone by 2071 to 2099, with the biggest gain going to BWh (hot desert).
How Syria's zones have changed and may change
Each row compares a map with 1991 to 2020. "Share in a different zone" is the share of the country's area whose class is different from 1991 to 2020. Future rows are model projections under an emissions scenario, not forecasts.
| Map | Share in a different zone | Different major group | Biggest gain | Biggest loss |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1901 to 1930 (past) | 40% | 7.7% | BWh +21.8 percentage points | BSk -11 percentage points |
| 2071 to 2099, SSP1-2.6 (low emissions) | 16% | 2.9% | BWh +8 percentage points | BWk -5 percentage points |
| 2071 to 2099, SSP2-4.5 (middle of the road) | 24% | 5.8% | BWh +13.7 percentage points | BSk -5.8 percentage points |
| 2071 to 2099, SSP5-8.5 (high emissions) | 35% | 9% | BWh +23.6 percentage points | Csa -8.1 percentage points |
For the past row, the comparison runs the other way: the 1901 to 1930 map against 1991 to 2020.
Zone shares by map
| Zone | 1901 to 1930 | 1991 to 2020 | SSP1-2.6 (2071 to 2099) | SSP2-4.5 (2071 to 2099) | SSP5-8.5 (2071 to 2099) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| BWh Hot desert | 23% | 45% | 53% | 59% | 68% |
| BSh Hot semi-arid (steppe) | 20% | 25% | 29% | 29% | 23% |
| Csa Hot-summer Mediterranean | 22% | 16% | 14% | 11% | 7.9% |
| BSk Cold semi-arid (steppe) | 19% | 7.5% | 3.3% | 1.7% | 0.6% |
| BWk Cold desert | 15% | 5.7% | 0.7% | 0.1% | - |
| Csb Warm-summer Mediterranean | 1.3% | 0.4% | 0.2% | 0.2% | - |
| Dsb Warm-summer continental with dry summer | 0.4% | 0.3% | 0.1% | 0.1% | - |
Percentages are of the country's classified land in each map. A dash means under 0.05%.
Cities in Syria and their climate zones
| City | 1991 to 2020 | 2071 to 2099, SSP2-4.5 |
|---|---|---|
| Aleppo | BSh Hot semi-arid (steppe) | BSh Hot semi-arid (steppe) |
| Damascus | BSk Cold semi-arid (steppe) | BSh Hot semi-arid (steppe) |
| Homs | Csa Hot-summer Mediterranean | BSh Hot semi-arid (steppe) |
| Latakia | Csa Hot-summer Mediterranean | Csa Hot-summer Mediterranean |
Zones found in Syria
Data: Beck et al. (2023), CC BY 4.0; country outlines from Natural Earth. In 1901 to 1930 the most common zone was BWh. See data sources and licences.