Why is Egypt milder than Iraq during summer?

tij
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Why is Egypt milder than Iraq during summer? Jul 27, 2020 16:37:18 GMT -5 aabc123, Ethereal, and 1 more like this

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Post by tij on Jul 27, 2020 16:37:18 GMT -5

Even though Cairo is ~3 degrees further south than Baghdad, and away from the Med and the Red Sea coasts, it merely has 22/35c in summer vs 26/44c in the latter city. vs. Even Aswan, well inland and nearly 10 degrees further south than Baghdad, has cooler highs than Baghdad with 41/26c. What is the reason for why Iraq is exceptionally hot & Egypt is surprisingly mild for their respective latitudes?

Last Edit: Jul 27, 2020 17:38:46 GMT -5 by tij

srfoskey
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Why is Egypt milder than Iraq during summer? Jul 28, 2020 12:37:43 GMT -5 nei, tij, and 1 more like this

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Post by srfoskey on Jul 28, 2020 12:37:43 GMT -5

I think Cairo may still receive some oceanic moderation. And the Nile Delta looks a lot greener than the Fertile Crescent on satellite imagery, so that may play a role. Aswan is slightly higher in elevation than Baghdad, but not enough to fully account for the difference in temperature.

"Perhaps some day in the dim future it will be possible to advance the computations faster than the weather advances and at a cost less than the saving to mankind due to the information gained. But that is a dream." -Lewis Fry Richardson in 1922

Donar
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Why is Egypt milder than Iraq during summer? Jul 30, 2020 2:48:27 GMT -5 Säharan Düst Störm, srfoskey, and 5 more like this

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Post by Donar on Jul 30, 2020 2:48:27 GMT -5

Minor latitude differences don't play a big role in summer, Baghdad even receives slightly more energy due to longer days. As srfoskey said, Baghdad is also more continental and I think the nearby Zagros Mountains have an impact (rugged terrain -> more surface to heat up, and I think the northeasterly trade winds can cause foehn effects).