The Climate of Tunisia

In Tunisia, the climate is Mediterranean on the northern coast, with mild, rainy winters and hot, sunny summers, while it is semi-desert or desert in inland areas. The east coast, from the Gulf of Hammamet towards the south, receives little rainfall, which decreases from north to south, to the point that the southernmost part (from the Gulf of Gabès to the border with Libya) is desert. However, temperatures along the whole coast are typical of the Mediterranean climate, with highs around 16/18 °C (61/64 °F) in winter and 32/33 °C (89/91 °F) in summer .In contrast, in the inland areas of the center-south, occupied by the desert, summer is very hot.

Location

Continent :Africa

Region : Northern Africa

Coordinates :34°00′N 9°00′E

Area :Ranked 93rd

• Total : 163,610 km² (63,170 sq mi)

• Land : 95%

• Water :5%

Coastline :1,148 km (713 mi)

Borders :

Total land borders: 1,424 km

Algeria 965 km, Libya 459 km

Highest point Jebel ech Chambi / 1,544 m

Lowest point : Chott el Djerid / -17 m

Longest river : Medjerda River / 450 km

Floods

On Saturday September 22, 2018, torrential rains hit the northeast of the Cap Bon peninsula in Tunisia, causing the water level to rise by 1.7 meters. The storm poured about 200 millimeters of rain over Nabeul, the highest rainfall since the institute began keeping records in 1995.

A young victim of Floods

November 13, 2019 : A12-year-old schoolgirl from the city of Fernana, in the province of Jendouba, was killed on Tuesday when she returned home from school ,because of flash floods caused by heavy rains swept .

The Tunisian Ministries of Education and Higher Education and Scientific Research suspended classes in all educational institutions in a number of governorates as a result of the heavy rainfall.

Flood damage

A-Material damage:

1. Homes, bridges and roads are destroyed.

2. Floods very often lead to power outages. Many homes are without electricity

3.Drinking water is lacking

4. Farmers are affected Because their fields are devastated

B- Human damage:

Many people perish during the floods. They can die drowned or hit by rubble swept away by the current. We do not find all the people because some disappear underwater, dragged by the power of water. It is also difficult to evacuate the injured

Floods' Effects

Health effects : anxiety , depression , illeness , infection , injury , death
Sources of vulnerability : socio-economic ,destruction of the infrastructure

Tornado

1.When a tornado happen :

A tornado is a very intense whirling storm manifested by a cloudy funnel (the tuba) tuned to the base of a cumulonimbus and accompanied by rain or even a thunderstorm or hail. 99% of them spin clockwise in the southern hemisphere and counterclockwise in the northern hemisphere. The tornado can rise and fall successively and only touch the ground from time to time in its path.

2. A tornado took place Sunday, August 25, 2019 in the village of Fartouna in El Mida under the governorate of Nabeul. The passage of this tornado was fortunately not violent. The climatic phenomenon did not cause much damage. Some shrubs were uprooted and a power cut occurred in one of the districts of Fartouna.

The damage of a tornado:

The damage caused by these tornadoes is devastating. They are caused not only by wind but also by pressure. Indeed, during the passage of the tornado the speed of the drop in pressure observed can trigger a real explosion of the buildings where it occurs. These large vortices can lift debris several kilometers above sea level and carry it for several kilometers.

Despite advances in tornado alert and detection systems, which have reduced the number of deaths, mortality and damage from tornadoes are still high at the regional level.

Classification of tornadoes according to the FUJITA scale

Echelle , Vents maximums , Conséquences

1.F0 : 120 km/h : antennes tordues, petites branches d'arbre cassées, caravanes déplacées

2.F1 : 180 km/h : aspire l'eau, caravanes renversées, arbres arrachés

3. F2 : 250 km/h :toitures soulevées, structures légères brisées

4. F3 : 330 km/h : murs renversés, projectiles de grandes dimensions

5. F4 : 420 km/h : arbres emportés, constructions solides rasées

6. F5 :520 km/h : fortes structures envolées, gros projectiles

Earthquakes :

A 5.1 magnitude earthquake was recorded in central Tunisia, on the night of Sunday May 20 to Monday May 21, 2018 at 12:18 universal time (01:18 French time), according to data published by the Institut d Geological Survey of the United States (USGS). The epicenter was located about sixty kilometers north - northwest of the city of Gabès (110,000 inhabitants) and only 10 kilometers deep .

Drought

Drought is a reduction in precipitation over an extended period.

This rain shortfall creates a water shortage that damages crops, livestock, and other human activities. A drought has both direct and indirect impacts. It directly reduces farmers' crops. It indirectly causes job and business losses in the farmers’ communities and around the world.

Critical Drought

during years 1987, 1988 and 1989, Tunisia experienced a critical drought, never observed previously what motivated to rationalize the use of water (both surface and underground) to cope with significant water deficits. The national strategy for adapting ecosystems to change also reveals that changes in climate will have serious consequences for water resources, ecosystems, agro-systems (olive production, animal husbandry, field crops, etc.).

Effects

Water resources, mainly groundwater will decrease by 28% in 2030. At the level of ecosystems, rising temperatures may increase the risk of large fires in

the northern regions.

Fires in Tunisia: because of climate change

Tunisia is struck by a resurgence of fires, from Bizerte to Kairouan. Since May 2019, more than 500 fires have destroyed crops and forests. An increase of 120 fires compared to the previous year. And the fire season is far from over. The country has been hit by drought for several years

Stop wasting water

Stop climate degradation

1. Take Shorter Showers

2.Stop Wasting Water in the Sink

3.Reuse Water

4. Clean less, but clean clever .

5.Fix those leaks .

6. Invest in a Water Saving Equipment .

7. Collect rain water.

8 .Always turn the water off when you brush your teeth.

9 .Tell your children not to play with the hose and sprinklers.