Balad in Spring
In spring (March, April and May), Balad sees average daytime highs around 31°C and overnight lows near 18°C, with 48 mm of rain over about 9 wet days across the season. It is the 3rd-warmest season and the 2nd-wettest season.
Over the season highs climb from about 22°C in early March to 40°C by late May. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 65% of the time across spring, and the air most often feels dry.
Spring is Balad's 2nd-best season to visit on our travel score. For the whole year in context, see Balad's year-round climate.
- Avg daytime high
- 31°C
- 3rd-warmest season
- Avg overnight low
- 18°C
- Rainfall
- 48 mm
- 9 wet days
- Avg wind
- 12 km/h
- Travel score
- 5.3
- 2nd-best season
- Months
- Mar · Apr · May
Temperature in Balad in Spring
Over the season highs climb from about 22°C in early March to 40°C by late May.
A typical spring day in Balad reaches about 31°C and drops to 18°C overnight. The warmest of the three months is May, the coolest March.
How spring really feels in Balad
Once humidity and wind are folded in, spring brings about 39 days that feel above 32°C and 0 that feel at or below 0°C.
The story in spring is heat — humidity pushes the afternoon "feels like" well above the raw temperature.
Balad weather by month
How the three spring months (March, April and May) compare with the rest of the year — the season's months are highlighted.
| Month | High / Low (°C) | Rainfall (mm) | Wet days | Daylight (hours) | Travel score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 16° / 7° | 36 | 6 | 10 | 5.9 |
| Feb | 19° / 8° | 29 | 4.4 | 10.7 | 7.1 |
| Mar | 24° / 12° | 27 | 4.4 | 11.7 | 8.2 |
| Apr | 31° / 18° | 16 | 2.8 | 12.8 | 5.8 |
| May | 37° / 23° | 4 | 1.4 | 13.7 | 1.8 |
| Jun | 42° / 28° | 0 | 0 | 14.2 | 0.0 |
| Jul | 45° / 31° | 0 | 0 | 14 | 0.0 |
| Aug | 45° / 30° | 0 | 0 | 13.3 | 0.0 |
| Sep | 41° / 26° | 0 | 0.1 | 12.2 | 0.2 |
| Oct | 34° / 20° | 12 | 1.7 | 11.1 | 3.8 |
| Nov | 24° / 13° | 28 | 3.7 | 10.2 | 8.1 |
| Dec | 18° / 8° | 34 | 5.2 | 9.8 | 6.8 |
Cloud cover in Spring
The sky is clear or mostly clear about 65% of the time across spring.
Chance of precipitation in Spring
Balad gets around 48 mm of rain over 9 wet days across spring. The line is the day-by-day chance of measurable precipitation.
Humidity in Spring
Most of spring feels dry — the stacked bands show each day's mix of comfort levels, read off the dew point.
Wind in Spring
Winds average 12 km/h across spring.
Sunrise & sunset in Spring
Daylight runs from about 11 h 12 min in early March to 14 h 06 min by late May. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.
Solar energy in Spring
Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day across spring, about 6.5 kWh/m².
Hazard calendar for Balad
In spring, Balad overlaps its dust season. The full year is below, with each hazard's peak months called out.
Balad sees seasonal dust haze (March–September), heaviest in May.
Is spring a good time to visit Balad?
Our two travel scores rate spring for general sightseeing and for beach or pool weather — 0 (poor) to 10 (ideal), averaged across the three months.
spring is a reasonable time to visit Balad for sightseeing. The water and warmth also suit a beach or pool day.
What to pack for Balad in Spring
From spring's temperature range, rain chance, sun and wind — what's worth putting in the bag.
In spring, Balad sees daytime highs around 31°C and nights near 18°C. Pack light clothes and sun protection. About 9 days see rain.
UV index in Balad in Spring
Clear-sky midday UV across spring averages around 6 — enough to warrant sun protection. The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.
Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Balad peaks around June 13 at about 9 (very high) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near January 11 at about 3 (moderate).
The index reaches 3 or more — the level where the WHO recommends sun protection — in 10 months of the year.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| UV index (midday) | 3 | 3 | 5 | 6 | 8 | 10 | 5 | 8 | 5 | 5 | 4 | 3 |
| Level | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | High | Very high | Very high | Moderate | Very high | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate |
| UV index (midday) | Level | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 3 | Moderate |
| Feb | 3 | Moderate |
| Mar | 5 | Moderate |
| Apr | 6 | High |
| May | 8 | Very high |
| Jun | 10 | Very high |
| Jul | 5 | Moderate |
| Aug | 8 | Very high |
| Sep | 5 | Moderate |
| Oct | 5 | Moderate |
| Nov | 4 | Moderate |
| Dec | 3 | Moderate |
Air quality in Balad in Spring
Average fine-particle pollution (PM2.5) through the year — so you can see where spring falls, not just the annual average.
Air quality in Balad is worst in December — around 90 µg/m³ PM2.5 (unhealthy), and holds fairly steady the rest of the year.
Modeled monthly averages (CAMS reanalysis, 2015–2024).
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PM2.5 (µg/m³) | 88 | 85 | 84 | 79 | 79 | 68 | 65 | 68 | 72 | 85 | 82 | 90 |
| Level | Unhealthy | Unhealthy | Unhealthy | Unhealthy | Unhealthy | Unhealthy | Unhealthy | Unhealthy | Unhealthy | Unhealthy | Unhealthy | Unhealthy |
| PM2.5 (µg/m³) | Level | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 88 | Unhealthy |
| Feb | 85 | Unhealthy |
| Mar | 84 | Unhealthy |
| Apr | 79 | Unhealthy |
| May | 79 | Unhealthy |
| Jun | 68 | Unhealthy |
| Jul | 65 | Unhealthy |
| Aug | 68 | Unhealthy |
| Sep | 72 | Unhealthy |
| Oct | 85 | Unhealthy |
| Nov | 82 | Unhealthy |
| Dec | 90 | Unhealthy |
Where is Balad?
Balad sits at 34.0°N, 44.1°E, 53 m above sea level, in Iraq. The nearest listed city is Ad Dujayl, 20 km away.
Topography around Balad
How much the land rises and falls, and what covers it, within 3, 16 and 80 km of Balad.
Within 3 km, the terrain around Balad has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 13 m around an average of 48 m above sea level; within 16 km, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 28 m; within 80 km, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 224 m.
The land around Balad is covered by cropland (37%), trees (27%) and artificial surfaces (23%) within 3 km, cropland (64%) within 16 km, and bare terrain (46%) and cropland (36%) within 80 km.
Iraq travel facts
- Travel advisory
- Level 4
- Do Not Travel
- Power plugs
- Type C / D / G
- 230 V · 50 Hz
- Prices
- ≈ 38% of US
- price level, 2025
- GDP per capita
- $5,410
- 2025
- Happiness
- 5.2 / 10
- World Happiness, 2025
- Safe drinking water
- 60%
- of population, 2024
- Homicide rate
- 9.5
- per 100k, 2013
- Road deaths
- 27.3
- per 100k/yr, 2019
- Income group
- Upper middle
- World Bank
- English
- Very low
- EF EPI 406
- Religion
Sources: World Bank, US State Department, World Happiness Report, WHO/UNICEF, EF EPI, CIA World Factbook.
Data sources
Temperature, precipitation, cloud, humidity, wind and solar figures are a 1991–2020 climatology for Balad (34.0149°, 44.1457°, elevation 53 m), computed from hourly ERA5 reanalysis — contains modified Copernicus Climate Change Service information. Sun figures are astronomical calculations, not observations. City data © GeoNames, CC BY 4.0. Map outlines from Natural Earth (public domain); interactive map © Google.