South receives most rainfall; floods reported — JMD

AMMAN –– Several regions in the Kingdom witnessed heavy rain that caused floods as the country was affected by unstable weather conditions on Wednesday and Thursday. 

The Southern Ghor received the most rainfall over the past two days, according to Jordan Meteorological Department (JMD) Director Mohammad Samawi.  

"The recent rainfall constituted 74 per cent of the general seasonal average in the Southern Ghor area, with Ghor Safi receiving 53.7 millimetres of rain," he told The Jordan Times on Thursday.

Ghor Safi usually receives an average rainfall of 72.6 millimetres, Samawi said.

He added that the city of Maan, some 220km south of Amman, received the greatest amount of rainfall among towns in the southern region. 

"During the past 24 hours, Maan received around 19 millimetres," he said. 

Samawi noted that Jordan previously has witnessed such weather conditions during this time of the year. 

"The years 1967, 1982, 1985, 1992, 1993, 2001 and 2007 witnessed similar weather conditions in May."  

Meanwhile, the Civil Defence Department (CDD) said no injuries were reported during the unstable weather. 

"The southern region was the main area affected by the rainfall, but no one was injured," a source at the CDD told The Jordan Times.

On Thursday morning, a Royal Jordanian Air Force helicopter rescued a family in Maan Governorate's Jafer region upon the directives of Chairman of the Joint Chiefs-of-Staff Gen. Mashal Al Zaben, the Jordan News Agency, Petra, reported.

The family had been besieged by flood waters since Wednesday night. 

Students were unable to go to their schools in Maan on Thursday, according to city residents.

Ministry of Education officials were unavailable to confirm this despite several attempts by The Jordan Times to reach them.

Also on Thursday, the Greater Amman Municipality (GAM) announced a state of medium-level emergency to deal with the prevailing weather conditions, Basem Tarawneh, Amman deputy director for districts and environment affairs, said, according to Petra.

GAM began its preparations 24 hours before the unstable weather conditions started, he said, adding that the municipality is promptly dealing with the cases it receives.

Later on Thursday, the Public Security Department (PSD) said most of the Kingdom's roads were open, except for a few in the south.

The Petra-Um Saihoun, Wadi Musa-Tafileh, Rajef-Ras Al Naqab, Karak-Ghor Safi, and Tafileh-Ghor Safi main roads were closed on Thursday, a PSD statement said, adding that several side streets in Tafileh were also closed to traffic.

The department urged motorists to exercise caution, drive slowly and keep away from floods and valleys. The PSD receives emergency calls on 911 at all times.

The impact of the unstable conditions are expected to ease starting Friday, when there will be a slight chance for rain in the morning and the weather will be cloudy, according to the JMD website. 

Temperatures in Amman are forecast to reach a high of 22°C and drop to a low of 13°C on Friday. 

A slight rise in temperatures is forecast for Saturday, with mercury levels in the capital ranging between a maximum of 24°C during the day and a minimum of 15°C at night.