Bethlehem in Spring

In spring (March, April and May), Bethlehem sees average daytime highs around 24°C and overnight lows near 13°C, with 73 mm of rain over about 12 wet days across the season. It is the 3rd-warmest season and the 2nd-wettest season.

Over the season highs climb from about 18°C in early March to 30°C by late May. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 67% of the time across spring, and the air most often feels dry.

Spring is Bethlehem's best season of the year to visit on our travel score. For the whole year in context, see Bethlehem's year-round climate.

Avg daytime high
24°C
3rd-warmest season
Avg overnight low
13°C
Rainfall
73 mm
12 wet days
Avg wind
8 km/h
Travel score
7.6
best season of the year
Months
Mar · Apr · May

Temperature in Bethlehem in Spring

Average highAverage lowShaded bands: 10–90% of days

Over the season highs climb from about 18°C in early March to 30°C by late May.

A typical spring day in Bethlehem reaches about 24°C and drops to 13°C overnight. The warmest of the three months is May, the coolest March.

10°20°30°MarAprMay

How spring really feels in Bethlehem

Once humidity and wind are folded in, spring brings about 0 days that feel above 32°C and 0 that feel at or below 0°C.

Days feeling ≥ 32°C
0
heat index over the day's high
Days feeling ≤ C
0
wind chill below the day's low

spring sits comfortably in between — no days that feel dangerously hot or drop to a hard freeze once humidity and wind are folded in.

Bethlehem 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.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan15° / 7710.110.24.8
Feb16° / 679.510.85.3
Mar19° / 10°46711.87.0
Apr24° / 13°183.212.88.4
May29° / 16°91.913.67.3
Jun32° / 19°10.4145.5
Jul34° / 21°0013.94.3
Aug34° / 22°0013.24.2
Sep32° / 20°30.612.25.3
Oct28° / 17°203.911.27.1
Nov22° / 13°376.210.47.6
Dec17° / 548106.0

Cloud cover in Spring

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 67% of the time across spring.

0%25%50%75%100%MarAprMay

Chance of precipitation in Spring

Any precipitation

Bethlehem gets around 73 mm of rain over 12 wet days across spring. The line is the day-by-day chance of measurable precipitation.

0%10%20%30%40%MarAprMay

Humidity in Spring

DryComfortableHumidMuggyOppressiveMiserable

Most of spring feels dry — the stacked bands show each day's mix of comfort levels, read off the dew point.

0%25%50%75%100%MarAprMay

Wind in Spring

Winds average 8 km/h across spring.

051015MarAprMay

Sunrise & sunset in Spring

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 11 h 18 min in early March to 13 h 54 min by late May. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AMMarAprMay

Solar energy in Spring

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day across spring, about 6.5 kWh/m².

02468MarAprMay
Planning a trip in spring

Hazard calendar for Bethlehem

In seasonPeak

In spring, Bethlehem overlaps its dust season. The full year is below, with each hazard's peak months called out.

Bethlehem sees seasonal dust haze (May), heaviest in May.

Dust
Jan
Feb
Mar
Apr
May
Jun
Jul
Aug
Sep
Oct
Nov
Dec

Is spring a good time to visit Bethlehem?

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.

7.6
Sightseeing
1st-best month of the year
6.4
Beach & pool
3rd-best month of the year

spring is one of the better times to visit Bethlehem for general sightseeing. The water and warmth also suit a beach or pool day.

What to pack for Bethlehem in Spring

From spring's temperature range, rain chance, sun and wind — what's worth putting in the bag.

In spring, Bethlehem sees daytime highs around 24°C and nights near 13°C. Pack light clothes and sun protection. About 12 days see rain.

light clothessun protection

Sea temperature near Bethlehem in Spring

The nearest coast averages about 19°C across spring — the other half of the beach question. The full-year curve and swim-comfort zones are below.

The sea at the nearest coast (about 58 km away) is warmest in August at about 28°C and coldest in February near 18°C.

It's comfortable for a long swim from May 1 to Dec 27 — about 7.9 months when the water holds above 20°C.

15°20°25°30°JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecbracingcoolrefreshingwarmtropicalcomfortable to swim
Sea temperature (°C)Comfort
Jan19Cool
Feb18Cool
Mar18Cool
Apr19Cool
May21Refreshing
Jun25Warm
Jul27Warm
Aug28Tropical
Sep28Warm
Oct26Warm
Nov24Refreshing
Dec21Refreshing

UV index in Bethlehem in Spring

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV across spring averages around 8 — enough to warrant sun protection. The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.

Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Bethlehem peaks around June 18 at about 11 (extreme) — 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 — every month of the year.

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecModerateHighVery highExtremeVery highHighModerateJun 18UV 11Jan 11UV 3
UV index (midday)Level
Jan3Moderate
Feb4Moderate
Mar6High
Apr7Very high
May10Very high
Jun11Extreme
Jul11Extreme
Aug11Extreme
Sep10Very high
Oct6High
Nov5Moderate
Dec3Moderate

Air quality in Bethlehem in Spring

GoodModeratePoorUnhealthyVery unhealthy

Average fine-particle pollution (PM2.5) through the year — so you can see where spring falls, not just the annual average.

Air quality in Bethlehem is worst in December — around 70 µg/m³ PM2.5 (unhealthy), about 2.0× the cleanest month (July, 35 µg/m³).

Modeled monthly averages (CAMS reanalysis, 2015–2024).

020406080JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecUnhealthyPoorUnhealthyDec 2070 µg/m³Jul 2135 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan68Unhealthy
Feb68Unhealthy
Mar63Unhealthy
Apr58Unhealthy
May50Poor
Jun40Poor
Jul35Poor
Aug36Poor
Sep41Poor
Oct48Poor
Nov64Unhealthy
Dec70Unhealthy
Location & terrain

Where is Bethlehem?

Bethlehem sits at 31.7°N, 35.2°E, 775 m above sea level, in Palestinian Territory. The nearest listed city is Bayt Jālā, 2.0 km away.

Old CityEast JerusalemAl ‘AyzarīyahMa‘ale AdummimShu‘fāţBayt Ḩanīnā

Topography around Bethlehem

How much the land rises and falls, and what covers it, within 3, 16 and 80 km of Bethlehem.

Within 3 km, the terrain around Bethlehem has significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 382 m around an average of 719 m above sea level; within 16 km, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 966 m; within 80 km, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,683 m.

The land around Bethlehem is covered by artificial surfaces (51%) and grassland (30%) within 3 km, grassland (38%) and artificial surfaces (20%) within 16 km, and bare terrain (26%) and grassland (23%) within 80 km.

3 km
382 m
16 km
966 m
80 km
1,683 m
treesshrubsgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwater
Spring weather nearby: Bayt Jālā 2.0 km · Battir 8.0 km · Old City 8.0 km · East Jerusalem 9.0 km · Al ‘Ayzarīyah 10 km · Ma‘ale Adummim 12 km · Shu‘fāţ 13 km · Bayt Ḩanīnā 14 km

Palestinian Territory travel facts

Power plugs
Type C / H
230 V · 50 Hz
GDP per capita
$3,171
2025
Happiness
4.7 / 10
World Happiness, 2025
Safe drinking water
81%
of population, 2024
Homicide rate
0.6
per 100k, 2022
Road deaths
5.3
per 100k/yr, 2016
Income group
Lower middle
World Bank
English
Low
EF EPI 463

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 Bethlehem (31.7049°, 35.2038°, elevation 775 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.