Heatwave imposes lifestyle changes on Amman residents, visitors

AMMAN — The latest bout of hot weather affecting the Kingdom in the past week has changed some behaviours among Jordanians and guests seeking to adapt with temperatures bordering on 40°C in the capital.

During the seasonal depression originating from the Indian subcontinent, which started affecting Jordan on Thursday, temperatures reached 37°C during the day.

Jordan Meteorological Department Director Mohammad Samawi said the heatwave will continue until the end of this week, with temperatures remaining five degrees above their annual average, reaching 37°C in Amman and between 34°C and 36°C in mountainous areas.

In Aqaba and the Jordan Valley, temperatures are expected to hit 43°C, while mercury levels could reach 40°C in the badia, Samawi said in a statement carried by the Jordan News Agency, Petra.

The highest temperatures in Amman this past week were registered on Saturday, standing at 37.6°C, while mercury levels rose to as high as 43.8°C on Friday in the Jordan Valley and to 42.8°C in Aqaba.

Several heatwaves have been registered in July over the past years, according to the statement, with temperatures rising 10 degrees above their annual average in 1992, and mercury levels reaching 43.5°C in Amman in 2000.

Other heatwaves registered in July were in the years 1978, 2002, 2007, 2010 and 2012.

Coping with heatwave

Mohammad Khalaf, a Jordanian expatriate from Saudi Arabia currently visiting his family in Amman, said the “very hot” weather over the past few days has pushed Jordanians to adopt a lifestyle similar to Saudis’.

“It is noticeable that people go out more during the evening,” he told The Jordan Times, adding that he does not go on any “unnecessary” visits during daytime to avoid sunstroke.

The heatwave, along with the summer vacation season, have shifted peak traffic hours from the regular morning and afternoon periods to a new evening period from 9pm to midnight, according to an official at the Greater Amman Municipality (GAM).

Ayman Smadi, executive director of GAM’s transport and traffic department, said major traffic jams occur in shopping areas and entertainment centres, and air-conditioned malls are also go-to places for families over the weekends.

“We notice a continuation of Ramadan’s patterns, as local residents and visitors on vacation enjoy going out late at night,” he told The Jordan Times Sunday over the phone, expecting the current trend to continue until school starts.

Smadi added that random parking for short periods of time at restaurants, and wedding celebratory processions are also exacerbating traffic jams, citing a “real issue with parking lots”.

Nonetheless, GAM’s alternative services, including the frequent shuttle buses in downtown Amman with a route from the Raghadan complex and terminals at the Muhajireen area, allow drivers to park in slightly far areas and commute by bus, he said, adding that GAM is studying similar services in Abdali and Jabal Al Hussein.

As his job as a taxi driver requires spending many hours in the streets, Ali Edwan avoids driving at noon; instead he goes home for a nap.

“I work from around 6:30am until 11:30am, then I go home and stay there until around 3pm to avoid the hottest period of the day,” he told The Jordan Times, adding that the weather is still hot when he gets back to work, but “one has to make ends meet.”

The father of three said the “active” evening period makes up for the “slow business” during the day, and he stops very frequently at supermarkets and on-the-road cafés for cold water and juice. 

Mohammad Hassan, a worker at an on-the-road café in north Amman, said demand on slush drinks and cold drinks has significantly increased since the heatwave started affecting the Kingdom last week.

“Fewer people are buying coffee and tea,” the Egyptian told The Jordan Times, noting that guests and visitors driving cars with non-Jordanian licence plates are also frequent customers.

For some, however, like Hala Farouqi, a fourth year student at the University of Jordan, juices and cold drinks are not enough to alleviate the summer heat.

She decided to skip the summer course at university altogether.

“I decided not to risk the daily drive in the sun,” she said, adding that her experience with the summer course last year was worrisome, as small dark spots started appearing on her hands due to sun exposure.

The Civil Defence Department has advised the public against going out during the hottest hours of the day between noon and 3pm to avoid exhaustion and heatstroke.

People should also drink lots of fluids and natural juices to stay hydrated and avoid drinks that contain sugar or caffeine because they cause the body to lose fluids, the department said, urging people to wear light and loose clothes, hats and sunglasses, particularly those who work outdoors or are exposed to the sun.