Dams 38% full, Jordan sees 67.7% of annual rainfall average

AMMAN — Rain over the weekend channelled 5 million cubic metres (mcm) of water into the Kingdom’s 14 major dams, raising storage levels to 38 per cent of the dams’ total capacity, the Ministry of Water and Irrigation said on Saturday.

By Saturday morning, the country’s 14 major dams held 128mcm of their total capacity of 336mcm, Water Minister Raed Abul Saud said in a statement e-mailed to The Jordan Times.

Around 67.7 per cent of the country’s long-term annual average of rainfall of 8.1 billion cubic metres fell over the weekend, Abul Saud said.

The cold frontier began affecting the country on Tuesday night, bringing rain to different parts of the country, according to the Jordan Meteorological Department (JMD).

Official figures show that Irbid Governorate, 85 kilometres north of Amman, has seen the highest rainfall over the weekend. On average, some 6.1mm of rain fell in Irbid, with the Samar area accumulating around 14mm of rain.

Ministry Spokesperson Omar Salameh highlighted that the recent rain will recharge aquifers and boost the current agricultural season and replenish natural pastures, describing the wet season so far as promising, compared with the previous season.

Meanwhile, head of JMD’s weather forecast department, Raed Al Khattab, said that another slight drop in temperatures is forecast for Sunday.

Khattab anticipates cold weather and cloudy skies, with heavy rain, in the central and northern parts of the Kingdom, accompanied by thunderstorms.

Temperatures on Sunday will be 9°C during the day, dropping to 3°C at night in Amman.

The weather will remain cold and cloudy on Monday, with fewer chances of rain during the day. The high on Monday is forecast at 9°C, dropping to a low of 3°C at night in Amman, according to Khattab.

The weather is forecast to stabilise afterwards, as slight rise in temperatures is expected, but will remain cold in most parts of the country, with the exception of Aqaba and the Jordan Valley, where temperatures are forecast to be higher than the nationwide average.