are consistently over during 4 months (June, July, August and September) to reach a maximum of over in July but temperatures have been known to sometimes soar to or even above. Temperatures in January range from at night to . The annual average high temperature is and the average low temperature is . Average annual rainfall is about . The absolute highest temperature ever recorded is but the absolute lowest temperature ever recorded is . Sand storms are common before summer time (from March to June), lasting from 6 hours to 4 days. These storms vary in their intensity but in general they prevent any outdoors activity and driving becomes very hazardous. Transportation The town has a coach and taxi station which serves all major cities in the country. It is served by the Oued Irara Airport, located 8.5 km southeast of the city centre. It features domestic scheduled passenger service. Hassi Messaoud lies on the N3 national highway between Touggourt and Biskra to the north and Illizi and Djanet to the south. To the north of the town, the N49 branches off the N3 to the west, connecting to Ouargla. Localities The commune is composed of seven localities: Centre Ville Hassi Messaoud Haoud El Hamra Gassi Touil Nezla Oued Tayeh El Gassi Irara Geology The Hassi Messaoud oil field is a Cambrian sandstone reservoir 270 m thick in a dome 3300 m deep and 1300 km2 in area of the Oued Mya structural basin. The top of the dome is marked by an unconformity at the base of the Triassic, Mesozoic sediments consisting of salt, anhydrite, shale, limestone, dolomite and marl, all overlain by Mio-Pliocene sandstone. A refraction seismic survey showed the structure and the Md No. 1 well discovered oil in 1956. References External links hassimessaoud.info - a website for oil industry operators in Hassi Messaoud Neighbouring towns and cities Communes of Ouargla Province Natural gas fields in Algeria Energy in Algeria Ouargla Province