Local information/Topography

From Wikimania 2011 • Haifa, Israel

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destination: Local information/Topography
source update: 2010-08-23
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Haifa Bay

Haifa is situated on the Israeli Mediterranean Coastal Plain, the ancient Via Maris between Europe, Africa, and Asia.

Topography

The city is located on the northern slopes of Mount Carmel and around the Haifa Bay, the city is split over three tiers:

  • The lowest – "Down Town" (In Hebrew: "HaIr HaTachtit" - "העיר התחתית") is the center of commerce and industry including the Port area.
  • The middle level is on the slopes of Mount Carmel and consists of older residential neighborhoods;
  • The upper level consists of modern neighborhoods looking over the lower tiers. The Carmel Centre where the venue is located is on this level. From here there are views across the Galilee Hills region of Israel towards Rosh HaNikra and the Lebanese border.

Haifa has a large number of beaches on the coast.

The Carmel Mountain on which Haifa is built have several valleys, called wadi(s) or vadi(s) (ואדי / وادي) in Hebrew and Arabic. The three main ones are: wadi Lotem, wadi Amik and wadi Si'ach. For the most part these valleys are undeveloped natural corridors that run up through the city from the coast to the top of the mountain.

Marked hiking paths traverse these areas and they provide habitat for wildlife including Wild Boar, Golden Jackals, Egyptian Mongoose, Chameleons and much more.

Thus Haifa, though a relatively large city, often has wild boar passing through resident’s gardens while the cry of jackals is almost a nightly serenade through much of the city.

Panorama of Haifa

Climate

Haifa has a Mediterranean climate with hot rainless summers and cool, rainy winters.

The average temperature in summer is 26 °C and in winter, 12 °C.

Snow is rare in Haifa, but temperatures around 6 °C can sometimes occur in mid winter, usually in the early morning.

Humidity tends to be high all year round, and rain usually occurs between September and May. Annual precipitation is approximately 629 mm.

Weather in Haifa
Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Yearly
Ave. Hi temp(C°) 17 17.5 19.6 23.9 26.2 29.3 31.1 31.4 29.9 28 24 19.2 24.8
Ave. Low temp(C°) 8.9 8.7 10.5 13.6 17.2 20.6 23 23.6 21.7 18.5 14.1 10.9 15.9
Ave. Precip Days 13.9 11.7 8.6 3.6 1.4 0 0 0 0.8 3.9 8 11.8 63.7
Ave. Precip Amount (mm) 124.9 92.2 52.8 23.6 2.7 0 0 0 1.2 28 77.4 135.5 629.1

(source: Israel Meteorological Service)

Expected weather during the conference

The average temperature in summer is 26 °C, with high humidity

Weather data from www.ims.gov.il
Month August
Mean temperature - maximum 31.4°C (88.52°F)
Mean number of days with max temp > 30 deg C (86 F) 26.2
Mean temperature - minimum 23.6°C (74.48°F)
Mean number of days with min temp < 5 deg C 0
Mean total precipitation 0 mm
Mean days with rainfall 0