The Saharan Desert covers the majority of this climate zone in Libya and is considered by some to be one of the least hospitable places on Earth. The area is hot, arid and can experience extreme variations of temperature within a day, with summer daytime temperatures reaching over 50C and dropping drastically during the evening¹. Winter sees daytime temperatures in the region of 27C, falling to well below freezing overnight, with the lowest ever recorded temperature of -15C being in the Tibesti Mountains, which though mainly situated in Chad, has a small extension in southern Libya².

Precipitation is rare and irregular in this climate, with an average annual rainfall of just 0-50mm per year and an annual average humidity of below 35%. Al-Kufrah, an oasis town in southeastern Cyrenaica, has the title of one of the driest areas of the world, receiving only 0.0338 inches of rainfall in any given year⁴.

Ghibli, is a dry, hot, desert dust bearing wind, that spreads south to south easterly across Libya, descending from the interior highlands and sweeping across the Libyan Desert towards the Mediterranean Sea. The Ghibli occurs mainly during the spring and early summer, but can also occur throughout the year. It usually lasts between one to four days and carries large quantities of sand dust which turn the Libyan sky red and greatly reduce visibility⁵.

The areas of Libya included in this climatic zone are part of a small band of semi-arid steppe, which include the regions of the Al Jufrah Plain, the Nafusah Plateau and Tripoli to the North West of Libya and a small area of the Derna district to the North East. This climate classification covers a region that receives rainfall below potential evapotranspiration (the sum of water evaporation and transpiration from surface to atmosphere), but not as low as the Arid Desert Hot climate. Also, comprising two different regions, means the conditions in this climate zone vary from the North West to the North East⁶.

North West nad North East Libyan Arid Hot Steppe Climate

The temperature in the North West region sees an average August temperature of 26.5C, but has on occasion been known to reach 44C. Nightfall in August sees a lowering to 18C. January registers the lowest temperature at an average of 10.2C, falling to an average of 3C overnight. The temperatures in the North East during August can reach 29C during the day and stay at a very warm 24C through the night.The winter months see an average of 21C in daylight hours and a fall to an average of 10C at night⁷.

Precipitation in the North West is at its lowest in July and August when it registers 0mm of precipitation, rising to its highest level of 57mm in January. However, the North East experiences a low of 1mm of precipitation in June, rising to 260mm in November⁸.

Humidity in both areas is considered high, with the average in the North West being 68% and the North East with a slightly higher average of 73%⁹.

The wind speed varies in both regions. The North West shows average speeds of between 15 and 23km per hour throughout the year. Whereas the North East details average speeds of between 11.6 and 21.96km per hour, the lowest being registered in October and the highest in February¹⁰.

The Cold Arid Steppe Climate includes areas of Al Kharruba, Al Jabal Akhdar and Derna. This climate tends to be located in the higher altitude areas of the temperate zones, particularly those adjoining the Mediterranean climate zones¹³.

The temperatures in this climate usually favour warm to hot arid summers, and cooler winters, with summer daytime temperatures reaching an average high of 34C and a night time low of 20C. The winter months are colder with an average daytime high of 15C and a night time low of 7C¹⁴.

The precipitation of the zone varies throughout the year, with an average annual rainfall of 260mm, the majority of which occurs between the months of October and February. Humidity levels for the zone are fairly consistent, ranging from 57% in May to 68% throughout July¹⁵.

This climatic zone can be found in the eastern parts of the northern coast of Libya, and includes the very northernmost areas of Al Marj, Al Jabal Al Akhdar, and Derna¹⁶. The temperatures vary throughout the year, with the region seeing an average daytime summer temperature of 23-24C, during the months of July and August, and falling to a low of 12.5C in January and February¹⁷.

Precipitation is seen mainly in the month of November, with an average rainfall of 254mm¹⁸. Humidity in the eastern region is high, and ranges between 69% to 78%, throughout the year, with July showing the highest annual level¹⁹.

Wind speeds in these regions average 23km per hour, with a high of 34.8km in July, which sees the highest level, with gusts reaching upto 37.9km.Footnote²⁰.