Rafha
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Rafha
رفحاء | |
|---|---|
City and Governorate | |
  Rafha Location in Northern Borders Province | |
| Coordinates: 29°38′19″N 043°30′05″E / 29.63861°N 43.50139°E | |
| Country |  Saudi Arabia |
| Province | Northern Borders |
| Population (2022)[1] | |
• Total | 84,536 |
| Time zone | UTC+03:00 (SAST) |
| Area code | 014 |
Rafha (Arabic: رفحاء) is a city and governorate in northern Saudi Arabia. It is part of the Northern Borders Province and is located near the border with Iraq. As of the 2022 census, it has a population of 84,536.[1]
Overview
[edit]Rafha is the second-largest city in the Northern Borders Province, after Arar. It is situated approximately halfway between Hafar al-Batin and Arar, making it a key location in the province.[2]
Etymology
[edit]The name "Rafha" originates from a nearby hill (known locally as a qārah) situated to the northwest of the current city. The hill itself was named after a woman called Rafha, who lived with her family in the vicinity. According to local tradition, there was a small depression (known as a quwayrah) to the east of the area that was also called Rafha. When a well was later dug beside this location, it was named "Bir Rafha" (Rafha Well). Over time, the entire settlement came to be known by this name.
Climate
[edit]Köppen climate classification classifies its climate as hot desert (BWh).[3][4]
| Climate data for Rafha (1991-2020) | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Record high °C (°F) | 29.8 (85.6) |
34.2 (93.6) |
42.0 (107.6) |
43.2 (109.8) |
46.0 (114.8) |
48.5 (119.3) |
51.1 (124.0) |
48.9 (120.0) |
46.5 (115.7) |
41.7 (107.1) |
36.4 (97.5) |
32.2 (90.0) |
51.1 (124.0) |
| Mean daily maximum °C (°F) | 17.2 (63.0) |
20.0 (68.0) |
25.3 (77.5) |
31.3 (88.3) |
37.3 (99.1) |
41.5 (106.7) |
43.1 (109.6) |
43.6 (110.5) |
40.5 (104.9) |
34.4 (93.9) |
24.3 (75.7) |
18.8 (65.8) |
31.5 (88.7) |
| Daily mean °C (°F) | 10.7 (51.3) |
13.1 (55.6) |
18.0 (64.4) |
23.9 (75.0) |
29.8 (85.6) |
33.5 (92.3) |
35.1 (95.2) |
35.3 (95.5) |
32.3 (90.1) |
26.4 (79.5) |
17.4 (63.3) |
12.2 (54.0) |
24.0 (75.2) |
| Mean daily minimum °C (°F) | 4.9 (40.8) |
6.5 (43.7) |
10.8 (51.4) |
16.2 (61.2) |
21.6 (70.9) |
24.5 (76.1) |
26.0 (78.8) |
26.2 (79.2) |
23.4 (74.1) |
18.8 (65.8) |
11.4 (52.5) |
6.5 (43.7) |
16.4 (61.5) |
| Record low °C (°F) | −5.8 (21.6) |
−5.0 (23.0) |
−2.0 (28.4) |
3.0 (37.4) |
12.1 (53.8) |
17.1 (62.8) |
19.5 (67.1) |
19.0 (66.2) |
12.2 (54.0) |
4.3 (39.7) |
−3.0 (26.6) |
−5.6 (21.9) |
−5.8 (21.6) |
| Average precipitation mm (inches) | 13.1 (0.52) |
8.6 (0.34) |
12.5 (0.49) |
10.1 (0.40) |
3.3 (0.13) |
0.0 (0.0) |
0.0 (0.0) |
0.0 (0.0) |
0.0 (0.0) |
2.9 (0.11) |
18.2 (0.72) |
9.9 (0.39) |
78.6 (3.09) |
| Average precipitation days (≥ 1 mm) | 1.9 | 1.7 | 1.9 | 1.9 | 0.7 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.7 | 2.6 | 1.8 | 13.2 |
| Average relative humidity (%) | 64 | 54 | 43 | 36 | 25 | 20 | 19 | 20 | 23 | 32 | 49 | 61 | 37 |
| Source: World Meteorological Organization,[5] Jeddah Regional Climate Center (humidity 1985-2010)[6] | |||||||||||||
See also
[edit]- Provinces of Saudi Arabia
- List of governorates of Saudi Arabia
- List of cities and towns in Saudi Arabia
References
[edit]- ^ a b "Places in Rafḥā' (Northern Borders Region, Saudi Arabia) - Population Statistics, Charts, Map, Location, Weather and Web Information". www.citypopulation.de. Retrieved 5 February 2024.
- ^ Kingdom of Saudi Arabia Ministry of Housing. [full citation needed]
- ^ "Average Temperature, weather by month, Rafha weather averages". en.climate-data.org. Archived from the original on 15 December 2019. Retrieved 11 August 2023.
- ^ "Climate graph, Temperature graph, Climate table". en.climate-data.org. Archived from the original on 3 March 2016. Retrieved 12 August 2023.
- ^ "World Meteorological Organization Climate Normals for 1991-2020 — Rafha". National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Retrieved 6 February 2024.
- ^ "Climate Data for Saudi Arabia". Jeddah Regional Climate Center. Retrieved 29 January 2016.