Being a vast country; Iran has regions with different temperatures even at a specific period of time. In fact it offers all sorts of climates and conditions. The climate is influenced by Iran’s location between the subtropical aridity of the Arabian Desert areas and the subtropical humidity of the eastern Mediterranean area. Depending on the season and the areas you plan to visit, you need to pack accordingly.
Although the climate of Iran varies greatly, the country has four distinct seasons spread throughout the year including spring, summer, autumn, and winter. However, not all parts of Iran experience all the four seasons. The most common and easily distinguished seasons are summer and winter.
To understand the climate, we can divide the country into three parts: The Caspian Sea, The Plateau and The kavir Desert.
The Caspian Sea: Along the coast overlooking the Caspian Sea, the climate is mild, almost Mediterranean, with fairly mild, rainy winters and hot, humid summers. The Caspian Sea is actually a huge salt lake, and the coast is situated about 20 meters below sea level. In the western part, winter is a bit colder than in the eastern part.
The Plateau: Much of Iran is covered by high plateaus and mountain ranges. The plateaus experience high temperature variations between winter and summer, and have a continental climate in the north, with cold winters and hot summers, while the climate is sub-tropical in the central-southern part, where winters are a bit milder, and summers are scorching and sunny. In summer, the Iranian plateau heats up a lot, so much so that a thermal low pressure forms, but because of the low humidity, the heat is usually bearable, at least when the temperature is not too high.
The kavir Desert: The Kavir desert is a large, arid and inhospitable area, located south-east of Tehran. There are sand dunes, but also salt lakes fed by rivers flowing down from the mountains, which are dried for much of the year, partly because of the strong evaporation. Here, winter is quite cold, while summer is hot.
The South: The southern part of Iran, compared with the rest of the country is really a world apart, in fact, it is warm and hot for most of the year, semi-desert and with virtually no winter. In winter, cold air masses can sometimes lower the temperature, and there may be some frosts at night. Only the northern part is relatively rainy.
Sun glasses is the most important piece you will need. Lightweight Cotton clothes are advised in the summer, with a sweater for cooler evenings, especially in the inland areas. Waterproof medium wear is recommended for the winter, and warmer clothing for the mountainous areas of northern Iran.
