'MILITARY REPORT ON PERSIA. VOLUME IV, PART I.' [‎42v] (89/168)

r
76
The heat is never excessive on the top of the plateau
but in mid-summer it might be advisable to march by
night rather than by day. In the garmeir it is so hot from
April to October that campaigning would be impossible;
the nights there, however, are chilly from November to
March. There 13 no very extreme cold on the plateau
November to March are cold, especially January and
-b ebruary ; the night temperature in these two months is
usually 9-10 degrees below freezing point. Very rarely
temperatures below zero are registered as late as March.
Snow usually falls during January and February, but
not before or after. Roads are occasionally blocked by it
even as low as Bam, but it seldom falls there or anywhere
off the plateau.
, f. n ^ erm Sn town a prevailing west wind blows almost
daily from April to October, raising large and sometimes
very oppressive sand and dust storms. On the Sarvistan
plain and from Tehrud to Abariq, a high bitterly cold wind
b ows all tlie winter. In summer the breeze is cool on the
plateau; but down below there are hot winds, which, across
the Lut, are intensely and dangerously hot.
The only other climatic condition which would interfere
vuth the marching of troops, is the melting of the snow in
the spring, causing floods in the rivers, which are, however,
very seldom unfordable at the places where the main
caravan routes cross them.
Artesian well boring has been tried, but was not success-
.v!!: ier .V S 8 fine , suppl - v of water in Kerman city, but,
owing to the open channels through which it runs, it is
hit? them 11 ™' and WeUS ar6 n0t Safe ’ aS SeW&ge percoIates
fn? po f ess a f ? rtiIe soil > an d a climate equally suitable
for palm trees and many upland products. The water is
ZrllTfT 263 - C ?° l north wind litigates the sum
mer heat of Bam, and the mountain villages of the Jabal
Banz range afford cool retreats close at hand.
(c) Bandar Abbas.
cZ^. kW ;- „ , T,le °t Bandar Abbas is notorious for its heat
and unhealtlimess. The summer heat is almost intolerable,