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First rain of the season forecast for Friday

Drop in temperatures expected on Thursday, which marks start of autumn

By Hana Namrouqa - Sep 21,2016 - Last updated at Sep 22,2016

Daytime temperatures in Amman on Thursday will be 31ºC, dropping to 20 ºC at night (Photo by Osama Aqarbeh)

AMMAN — The first rain of the season is forecast for Friday in the northern and central parts of the Kingdom, the Jordan Meteorological Department (JMD) said on Wednesday.

Humidity levels will increase and temperatures will drop below their annual average of 30 ºC as an air mass originating from the Mediterranean Sea affects the Kingdom, said JMD meteorologist Issam Yacoub.

"There will be a weak chance of scattered showers on Friday in the northern and central parts of the country," Yacoub told The Jordan Times.

A drop in temperatures is forecast from Thursday, which marks the first day of autumn, the weather forecaster said.

The autumnal equinox ends summer in the northern hemisphere and ushers in autumn, which will last for around 90 days. 

The hours of day and night are equal on the first day of autumn, according to the JMD.

On Thursday, the sun will rise at 6:25am and set at 6:33pm, giving 12 hours and 8 minutes of daylight, while the night will last for 11 hours and 52 minutes. . 

During autumn, temperatures drop gradually and the country witnesses several Red Sea troughs that cause unstable weather conditions and light rainfall.

The weather on Thursday will be moderate across the country and relatively hot at the Dead Sea and in Aqaba and the Jordan Valley, according to the JMD.

Daytime temperatures will be 31ºC, dropping to 20 ºC at night in Amman, according to the department, which forecast low-lying clouds in the northern and central regions. Winds will be northwesterly moderate to brisk at times.

Another drop in temperatures is forecast for Friday, when the weather will be moderate and low-lying clouds will cover the skies.

"Temperatures on Friday will be two degrees lower than the annual average for this time of the year," Yacoub noted.

Daytime temperatures will be 28 ºC, dropping to 18 ºC at night in the capital, while winds will be northwesterly moderate to brisk, raising dust in the desert.

A slight rise in temperatures is forecast for Saturday, when the weather will remain moderate across the Kingdom, but relatively hot in the Jordan Valley, Aqaba and the Dead Sea.

Temperatures will be 29ºC during the day and 20ºC at night in Amman, while winds will be northwesterly moderate to brisk and low-lying clouds will partly cover the skies, according to the JMD. 

Yacoub noted that next week, temperatures will remain around their annual average for this time of year, adding that hotter weather is unlikely to prevail.

"Temperatures will be around 30ºC for the rest of September, but they will start to gradually drop to 27ºC during October. In November, the average temperature is 20ºC, while in December it is expected to range around 14ºC during the day in Amman," Yacoub said.

The first rainfall is usually witnessed in mid-September or early October, while the wet season continues until February, according to the JMD.

 The Kingdom relies mainly on rainwater, but approximately 91 per cent of Jordan is arid with an average annual rainfall of 50-200 millimetres, while 2.9 per cent of the country’s land is categorised as semi-arid.

Just 1.1 per cent of Jordanian land receives an average of 400-600 millimetres of rain a year, according to official figures.

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