Makkah is located in the Hijaz region of Saudi Arabia amidst the Sirat Mountains, and is nestled in the Valley of Abraham. It is around eighty kilometers East of the Red Sea. The Hijaz region is a mountainous barrier region with few natural resources, save gem fields located near Makkah that continue to produce the turquoise that is used in Bedouin jewelry.

The climate of Makkah was described by the Arab Geographer Maqdisi in 966 C.E. as a combination of "suffocating heat, deadly winds, and clouds of flies." The climate of the region is much the same today as Maqdisi described it so long ago. Saudi Arabia, in general, is a very arid country. The nation has no rivers or permanent streams and averages only 5 inches of rainfall per year. In addition to that, Makkah, located in the Valley of Abraham, has also traditionally had to deal with flash floods due to the inability of the surrounding terrain to absorb the rainfall when it does occur. Above is a picture of the Holy Mosque, flooded, with the Kaba in ruins. The fear of flash floods and the aridity of the region have forced the government to do major work on the infrastructure. One of the improvements, that occurred during the expansion of the Holy Mosque, was the construction of a drainage network established to prevent the flooding pictured here. Also, a water pipeline has been constructed connecting the city to a major desalination plant on the Red Sea at Shuaybah to ease the strain on the limited water supply. These technological advances have allowed Saudi Arabian citizens to effectively avoid the hazards associated with the natural climate and conditions, although water scarcity is still an issue during the Hajj when hundreds of thousands of pilgrims descend upon the city, overrunning it's water supply. Water is bottled or bagged ahead of time and distributed to avoid the inevitable shortage.

For current weather conditions in Makkah click here.