Page 104 - A Hand book of Arabia Vol 1 (iii) Ch 4,5

I
F fSIC'AL CHARACTER 147

in t|l0 eastern scarp arc the Kharid (said to be perennial),
ilr.im itself somewhere in the sands cast, of Jauf, and Wadis
w loses
Tiban, which lead south-eastwards towards the coast
/{.mu and
nf the Gulf of Aden.
Climate

'Flic climate of Yemen naturally varies very greatly, both, in
temperature and rainfall, according to altitude and district. The
coast is extremely damp^ and, though the sea-breezes lower the
temperature, the excessive humidity makes the heat very trying.
Heavy winds are prevalent from the sea, from nprth-west in summer
and south-west in winter, both uncomfortably damp. Winds
'from the east usually bjring sandstorms, but rain seldom reaches
the coast. The Tihamah is fiercely hot by day and fairly cool at
Mj„ht, but it is comparatively free from the enervating dampness
oAhe coast-line ; its rainfall is scanty and irregular. The maritime
,
ranges and intramontane plains have a feverish climate with close,
muggy nights, especially in the rainy season among the loot-hills ;
i
lmt°as one approaches the higher elevation the air become^* more i
healthy and bracing. The principal rainfall occurs in spring ; but,
on the higher ground, in summer as well, and then chiefly as
thunderstorms.
On the maritime ridge, at 5,000 ft. and over, winter fogs are
prevalent; mists come up from the ravines in the early after­

noon, and lie thick till next morning and sometimes all next
day; they are not, however, without their advantages, as they
favour the growth and development of the coffee plant. This zone,
with its regular rainfall, due chiefly to the influence of the SW.
monsoon, may be considered as the most favoured district of Arabia;
broadly speaking, however, the district has two rainfalls, one in
early spring and another in late summer with the NE. monsoon.
The plateau has a much drier climate, of which that of San‘a
,nay be taken as fairly typical. Here it may be described as cool >
;lI'd pleasant all the year round : the nights are cold in winter but
10 cfays warm, and in summer the heat, though considerable, is not
"ppressive owing to the dryness of the air; a difference of more
Um 20° may be sometimes observed between the wet- and dry-bulb
u'rmometer readings in May. The eastern plateau has much smaller
‘t,xu css certain rainfall than the west, the bulk of which may be
nn!nCted *n summer l the periods of fall, however, are often short,
has °°a^ ^am*nes are not uncommon. The eastern scarp is hot and
SU(l^1 ^anty rainfall, which decreases eastward. Here the season of
precipitation as there is extends from November to February.
K 2