Why does snow remain on Lebanon’s highest mountaintops into early summer?

Snow remains on the highest mountaintops of Lebanon into early summer primarily due to the significant amount of precipitation that falls as heavy snow at these high altitudes during the winter months.1

While the country generally experiences a Mediterranean climate characterized by hot, dry summers and mild, humid winters, the Lebanon Mountains and Anti-Lebanon Mountains reach elevations—such as Qurnat al-Sawda at 10,131 feet—where temperatures are significantly lower than on the coast. Because nearly all of the region's annual precipitation occurs during the winter, the accumulation of snow at these high elevations is substantial enough to persist well into the warmer summer season.231