‘Dragon’ cold front forecast to bring weekend sandstorms, heavy rainfall

AMMAN — A cold front, dubbed “The Dragon” by regional news outlets, is expected to grip the Kingdom on Thursday, bringing sandstorms followed by heavy rainfall.

 “On Thursday, temperatures will remain above the annual average, and clouds will gather gradually during the day, with south-easterly winds coming from the desert, bringing dust,” Chief Weather Forecaster at Arabiaweather.com Omar Dajani told The Jordan Times on Wednesday over the phone. 

Following the dusty weather, the chance of rainfall will increase, with thunderstorms forming in random areas around the Kingdom, Dajani said, noting that throughout Thursday, temperatures will remain high and the weather warm.

As of Thursday night, Dajani said “the gusts could reach a speed of 110 kilometres per hour, and will raise large quantities of dust around the Kingdom, followed by the thunderstorms, which are expected to start from Aqaba and spread to the rest of the Kingdom”.

On Friday morning, thunderstorms will be concentrated in Badia areas to the east, while south-westerly winds originating from Egypt are expected to make the weather dusty in the rest of the Kingdom, Dajani said.

“Aqaba’s waves, which are usually as high as 10 to 20 centimetres, will be exceptionally high on Friday. It is advised to avoid swimming and sailing on that day,” the forecaster said. 

On Friday afternoon, towards the evening, the cold front’s impact will become visible as temperatures significantly drop and the weather becomes colder, Dajani said, noting that the conditions are forecast to continue until Saturday morning.

The forecaster warned of the danger of brisk winds, urging people with respiratory conditions to take caution during sandstorms.

On Thursday, temperatures in Amman are forecast to see a high of 22°C during the day and a low of 13°C at night, while on Friday temperatures are expected to range between 13°C and 9°C, according to Arabiaweather.com.

Temperatures on Thursday in Aqaba are forecast to reach a high of 25°C during the day and a low of 15°C during the night, while on Friday temperatures are expected to range between 16°C and 13°C.