Cold air mass forecast to subside by Thursday night

AMMAN — Rainfall during this time of the year is good news for farmers of wheat and barley, an official at the Agriculture Ministry said on Wednesday, expecting an abundant yield of grain this year.

As official figures indicate that 118 per cent of the country’s long-term annual average of rainfall of 8 billion cubic metres has been achieved, the ministry’s spokesperson, Nimer Haddadin, said that increased soil humidity will result in higher cereal production this season.

“Wheat and barley are highly dependent on rainfall, and this year’s rain has been sufficient. However, rain during this time of the month is particularly good for wheat, which is about to sprout,” Haddadin told The Jordan Times.

Farmers grow wheat across the Kingdom, but the grain is mainly cultivated in Irbid and the Houran plains in the north; Madaba and Husban in the central region; and Arrabeh in the southern Karak Governorate.

The country produced between 20,000 and 25,000 tonnes of wheat in 2015 due to “excellent rainfall that year”, according to the ministry, which indicated that wheat production in 2014 stood at 12,000 tonnes.

The Kingdom, which consumes 80,000 tonnes of wheat per month, imports over 96 per cent of its wheat needs, as domestic production covers only around 4 per cent of demand.

Haddadin highlighted the positive impact of this week’s rain on the agricultural sector, citing an old saying amongst farmers that rain in April revives crops.

“The recent rain will prolong spring, increase green spaces across the country and boost natural pastures,” he noted.

By Wednesday morning, the country’s 10 major dams held 200 million cubic metres (mcm) of water or 61.46 of their total capacity of 325mcm, Water Minister Hazem Nasser said in a statement e-mailed to The Jordan Times, noting that during this time last year, the dams held 213mcm.

Jordan received 288.1mcm of rain between Tuesday and Wednesday morning, according to the Water Ministry, which said that Balqa Governorate received the highest rain amounts, while Aqaba in the south received the lowest.

The recent rain was brought by a relatively cold air mass that started affecting the Kingdom on Tuesday, bringing below-average temperatures and heavy rain in different parts of the country.

The Jordan Meteorological Department (JMD) said the impact of the relatively cold air mass is forecast to subside by Thursday night, with temperatures rising back to their annual average temperatures on Friday.

The relatively cold air mass caused temperatures to drop by 5ºC to 6ºC below their annual average of 21ºC for this time of the year, a JMD meteorologist told The Jordan Times, adding that a slight rise in temperatures is expected on Thursday, but the weather will remain relatively cold and cloudy.

Chances of scattered showers are forecast for Thursday in the northern and central regions, according to the department’s website, which said that temperatures will be 19ºC during the day, dropping to 9ºC at night in Amman and winds will be northwesterly moderate.

Spring weather is expected for Friday, when temperatures will be 23ºC during the day and 11ºC at night in Amman, according to the JMD, which expected the weather to further warm up on Saturday, with temperatures ranging between a high of 26ºC and a low of 12ºC in the capital.