colder and more extreme winters and hotter, drier summers. Snow may occur in winter away from the coast, more in high humid places Waterborne silts eventually are deposited in khabari, or silt flats. Regional variations in temperature are comparatively slight, due to the relatively small size of the country. In desert plains ratels (badgerlike carnivores), foxes (notably fennecs), and civets live in territorial isolation. Yearly rainfall in the coast and Western Called shamals (from the Arabic shamāl: “north”), those periods last from 30 to 50 days and have wind velocities averaging 30 miles per hour (48 km per hour). Th… Also found are the scavenging dung beetle, myriads of butterflies, moths, and caterpillars, and the pestiferous locust that once plagued the landscape but has now been brought under control. Vipers abound in sand and rocks but, being nocturnal, are seldom seen in the heat of day. Among the snakes, all of which are feared by most Arabs, the sand cobra—relative of the sea snake—is slim, sand-coloured, and venomous. In the interior the heat is dry. The average temperature ranges from 6.5 °C (43.5 °F) in January to 26.5 °C (79.5 °F) in July and August, but the higher altitude makes the summer nights cooler. Lively and pretty, a salmon-coloured lizard, the dammūsa seeks the black beetle for food and literally dives and swims in the slipfaces of the sand dunes. Cranes, herons, flamingos, ducks, and small wading birds feed on shores and in the intermittent lakes. Mechanical weathering, which physically breaks down coarse particles into finer grains, is the most significant process in the formation of desert soils. Spiny and thorny plants also are common, including euphorbias, plants with milky juice and flowers with no petals that grow in Hejaz, and camel thorns, found everywhere. Blown sand does not rise more than a few feet (a metre or two) above the surface, except when picked up by whirlwinds, dust devils (jinn), or regional sandstorms. Desert dune sands are generally dry but can hold rainfall to depths of three feet (one metre) or more, thus nourishing xerophytes (plants adapted to survive under arid conditions). The saker falcon (an aggressive, light brown raptor) is often captured young and trained by Bedouin falconers to hunt the bustard and sand grouse. The normally barren gravel plains turn green. Arachnida (a class of segmented invertebrates) include large sapulgids (scorpion-killers), scorpions, ticks, and spiders. about 30.8° C and about 6.4° C. Along the West of the coastal mountainous range, The lammergeier (bearded vulture) lives in Asir and Yemen. Fine materials grade down to silt. average August temperature is about 30° C, and the average January The prevailing summer winds are either from the North or from Frankincense-producing tree, Dhofar region, southern Oman. In the Desert regions of Palmyra and Deir Ezzor, in the central region Winter rains may occur in the northern Rubʿ al-Khali. There also are several owls, among which a burrowing species is common. In many places temperatures rise up to 40 degrees Celsius (104 degrees Fahrenheit) or even higher every day. Flowering plants in central Arabia include examples of the convolvulus, mustard, pea, daisy, caper, iris, and milkweed families. The regions in eastern Syria have a >b>Bwh Climate; a hot Desert climate with the annual average Temperature above 18°C. The peregrine falcon is seen in Asir, saker and lanner falcons (a brown falcon with a golden cap) are found in Najd and eastern Saudi Arabia, and the kestrel is everywhere. The milkweed tree (ishar) grows to a height of 20 feet (6 metres) in Wadi Al-Bāṭin and is common in the wadis of Najd and in Wadi Bīshah.