What to Expect When Traveling to Palestine in the Winter: When you think about the Middle East, what may come to mind are hot and dry desert days. The weather is Palestine is mainly comfortable and enjoyable throughout the year. Yet, depending on what time of year you travel to Palestine, you may experience the extremes of the seasons here. Those extremes being summer’s scorching heat or winter’s chilling atmosphere. The hottest months in Palestine are July and August and the coldest months are January and February. Any other time of year, the climate remains pleasant.
Traveling to Palestine in July will be vastly different than traveling to Palestine in January. Should you decide to come to Palestine in the winter, you can expect for it to be fairly cold. However, don’t go too far to expect to see snowfall. Snow is quite rare in Palestine. In one given winter, there may be one or two days of snow, if that.
If you happen to be in Palestine to experience the beauty of this land cloaked in white, consider yourself fortunate. If a decent amount of snow covers the grounds, snowmen will be made and snowball fights will be had. Since Palestine is not used to frequent snowfall, Palestinians do not quite know how to handle the snow like people from snow-prone cities know how to handle the snow.
Given that winters in Palestine typically range from 10-15°C (and at times can drop close to freezing), we advise for you to pack several layers and jackets for your winter trip. These temperatures may not seem cold to you, depending on what part of the world you are from. Though, in Palestine it can feel colder because of the lack of central heating indoors.
Many Palestinian homes have a gas heater that families gather around to keep warm during the winter months. Because of the cold, you can also expect to keep your jacket on for much of the winter months in Palestine, whether you are indoors or outdoors. However, once you spend some time here you will find yourself getting used to the cold. Or at least managing it well.
To keep you warm in the chill of winter, cups upon cups of tea and coffee will be made. These hot beverages are served all year-round in Palestine, but something about the cool of winter brings about an extra supply of steaming tea and coffee. To brave the cold, expect multiple cups of tea and coffee as well as hot foods.
When you visit Palestine in the winter, you will start longing for the times of day when coffee and tea is prepared. If only to hold something hot in the palm of your hand and warm up your fingers. There is a beauty about winters in Palestine and we hope you come to experience the beauty of it for yourself.