Place in Northern Borders, Saudi Arabia
Rafha (Arabic: رفحاء) is a town and governorate in the north of Saudi Arabia, close to the border with Iraq. It is located at around 29°38′19″N 43°30′5″E / 29.63861°N 43.50139°E / 29.63861; 43.50139. Rafha had a population of 84,536 at the 2022 Census.[1] After Arar, it is the second largest city in the Northern Borders Region (also known as Al-Hudud ash Shamaliyah). Currently the Ministry of Housing is building over 600 new villas for the local population and others and making significant improvements to the local infrastructure.[2]
Climate
Köppen-Geiger climate classification system classifies its climate as hot desert (BWh).[3][4]
Climate data for Rafha (1991-2020)
|
Month
|
Jan
|
Feb
|
Mar
|
Apr
|
May
|
Jun
|
Jul
|
Aug
|
Sep
|
Oct
|
Nov
|
Dec
|
Year
|
Record high °C (°F)
|
29.8 (85.6)
|
34.2 (93.6)
|
42.0 (107.6)
|
43.2 (109.8)
|
46.0 (114.8)
|
48.5 (119.3)
|
51.1 (124.0)
|
48.9 (120.0)
|
46.5 (115.7)
|
41.7 (107.1)
|
36.4 (97.5)
|
32.2 (90.0)
|
51.1 (124.0)
|
Mean daily maximum °C (°F)
|
17.2 (63.0)
|
20.0 (68.0)
|
25.3 (77.5)
|
31.3 (88.3)
|
37.3 (99.1)
|
41.5 (106.7)
|
43.1 (109.6)
|
43.6 (110.5)
|
40.5 (104.9)
|
34.4 (93.9)
|
24.3 (75.7)
|
18.8 (65.8)
|
31.5 (88.7)
|
Daily mean °C (°F)
|
10.7 (51.3)
|
13.1 (55.6)
|
18.0 (64.4)
|
23.9 (75.0)
|
29.8 (85.6)
|
33.5 (92.3)
|
35.1 (95.2)
|
35.3 (95.5)
|
32.3 (90.1)
|
26.4 (79.5)
|
17.4 (63.3)
|
12.2 (54.0)
|
24.0 (75.2)
|
Mean daily minimum °C (°F)
|
4.9 (40.8)
|
6.5 (43.7)
|
10.8 (51.4)
|
16.2 (61.2)
|
21.6 (70.9)
|
24.5 (76.1)
|
26.0 (78.8)
|
26.2 (79.2)
|
23.4 (74.1)
|
18.8 (65.8)
|
11.4 (52.5)
|
6.5 (43.7)
|
16.4 (61.5)
|
Record low °C (°F)
|
−5.8 (21.6)
|
−5.0 (23.0)
|
−2.0 (28.4)
|
3.0 (37.4)
|
12.1 (53.8)
|
17.1 (62.8)
|
19.5 (67.1)
|
19.0 (66.2)
|
12.2 (54.0)
|
4.3 (39.7)
|
−3.0 (26.6)
|
−5.6 (21.9)
|
−5.8 (21.6)
|
Average precipitation mm (inches)
|
13.1 (0.52)
|
8.6 (0.34)
|
12.5 (0.49)
|
10.1 (0.40)
|
3.3 (0.13)
|
0.0 (0.0)
|
0.0 (0.0)
|
0.0 (0.0)
|
0.0 (0.0)
|
2.9 (0.11)
|
18.2 (0.72)
|
9.9 (0.39)
|
78.6 (3.09)
|
Average precipitation days (≥ 1 mm)
|
1.9
|
1.7
|
1.9
|
1.9
|
0.7
|
0.0
|
0.0
|
0.0
|
0.0
|
0.7
|
2.6
|
1.8
|
13.2
|
Average relative humidity (%)
|
64
|
54
|
43
|
36
|
25
|
20
|
19
|
20
|
23
|
32
|
49
|
61
|
37
|
Source: World Meteorological Organization,[5] Jeddah Regional Climate Center (humidity 1985-2010)[6]
|
References