Warm air mass to push up temperatures by 11 degrees

AMMAN — The country will remain under the impact of a warm air mass on Sunday that will push temperatures 11 degrees above their annual average for this time of the year, according to the Jordan Meteorological Department (JMD).

The warm air mass, which started affecting the country on Saturday, is accompanied by warm and dry southeasterly winds from the Arabian Peninsula that raised temperatures way above their annual average of 15°C, a JMD weather forecaster said on Saturday.

“Temperatures between Saturday and Monday will be eight to 11 degrees above the annual average during this time of the year. It is unusual for the Kingdom to witness such warm, dry and dusty weather in early March,” the weather forecaster told The Jordan Times.

A rise in temperatures is forecast for Sunday, with warm weather during the day and southeasterly moderate to brisk winds raising dust in the southern and eastern regions. 

Temperatures will reach a high of 26°C during the day in Amman, dropping to a low of 12°C at night.

A slight drop in mercury levels is expected on Monday, but the weather will remain fair, according to the JMD, which forecast temperatures to range between 22°C and 9°C in the capital.

“Scattered showers are expected on Monday night and winds will be southeasterly moderate to brisk, raising dust,” the weather forecaster said.

Morning showers are expected on Tuesday, according to the JMD, with a slight drop in temperatures and partly cloudy weather expected.

Daytime temperatures in Amman will reach a maximum of 19°C and drop to a minimum of 7°C at night and winds will be northwesterly moderate to brisk.

Warm, dry and sand-laden southeasterly winds are characteristic of a khamsini depression, according to the meteorologist, who said the current warm air mass is not khamsini, an annual phenomenon that starts around the time of the vernal equinox, when Spring begins in the Northern Hemisphere.

The name is derived from khamsin — meaning 50 in Arabic — because it usually occurs during a 50-day time frame, between March 21 and May 10.

Khamsini weather conditions affect the eastern part of the Mediterranean an average of once a week during this period. The hot, sand-laden winds, originating from the Atlas Mountains in North Africa, annually move east of the Mediterranean Sea around this time of year and are usually preceded by unseasonably high temperatures and dry and dusty conditions.