What is the Köppen climate of Cairo, Egypt?

The Köppen climate of Cairo, Egypt, is BWh. This code describes a hot desert climate, defined by extremely low precipitation and temperatures high enough for the hot-desert category.

Cairo lies beside the Nile in an otherwise arid region of northern Egypt. The river supports dense settlement and agriculture, but it does not make the city’s broader climate humid or temperate. Rainfall is sparse and generally occurs during the cooler months, while summers are long, intensely hot, and very dry. Dust and sand storms can arrive from the Sahara, especially from March through May.

The code is sometimes confused with BSh, the hot semi-arid classification, but Cairo’s rainfall is too limited for that category. BSk is cold semi-arid, and BWk is cold desert; neither fits Cairo’s consistently hot setting. Rare unusual weather, such as graupel reported in Cairo’s eastern suburbs in December 2013, does not alter the city’s long-term Köppen classification.