Climate at Ketura

The winters on Ketura are warm, pleasant, and brief. Typical winter days feature sunny skies and an afternoon temperature of about 20 degrees Celsius ( about 70 degrees Fahrenheit). It is this mild winter which makes desert agriculture viable and even profitable. Clear winter nights in the desert can be quite cold, with temperatures dropping below 10 (down to the 40s or occasionally even to the 30s Farenheit). An actual freeze is virtually unheard of. The scarce rains (about one inch per year) fall in the winter, occasionally causing flash floods. There have been a few hailstorms in Ketura's history; there has never been snow.

The summers are generally hot and oppressive. Afternoon temperatures over 37 C.(98.6 F.) are common, and often go as high as the mid 40s (over 110 F.). For this reason most out of doors work starts at sunrise and is finished by midday in the summertime. Since the humididty here is extremely low, temperatures in the 30s are still quite comfortable. However, all buildings on Ketura are air-conditioned, and in the summer months the air conditioning runs non-stop. The aridity makes dehydration a real and constant danger, so residents make a habit of drinking water regularly throughout the day.

Ketura is located 50 kilometers (31 miles) north of Eilat, in the southern Arava. Travel time by car is approximately 2 1/2 hours from Be'er Sheva, 3 1/2 hours from Jerusalem, and 4 hours from Tel Aviv. Since members do not own their own cars, and the kibbutz itself has few cars, most traveling outside the region is done by rented car, plane, or bus.

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