Hot spell delays rain in the Kingdom — forecaster

AMMAN — Late rainfall in the Kingdom is attributed to a “wide-range” hot spell that has affected the eastern Mediterranean region for the past two weeks, a weather forecaster said on Thursday.

On the other hand, Western Europe and the Maghreb areas have been witnessing storms and heavy rainfall almost every day, said Omar Dajani, the chief weather forecaster for Arabiaweather.com.

Temperatures are currently two to three degrees higher than their annual average of 26°C to 27°C for this time of year, Dajani noted.

Olive harvesters, among others, wait for the first rainfall in late September and early October, the meteorologist said, noting that the late rain would negatively affect this year’s olive produce.

“Amman usually witnesses two days of rain in October,” he told The Jordan Times, adding that the actual rain season in the Kingdom starts in mid-November.

But the past few years experienced similar conditions, where rain did not pour until November, Dajani said.

“The Kingdom is not expected to witness rainfall during the next 10 days,” he said, voicing hope for a change in the weather forecast.

As for the weekend weather, fair conditions are expected in mountainous areas, and relatively hot weather is forecast in other regions of the Kingdom on Friday, according to the Jordan Meteorological Department (JMD).

Temperatures in Amman will range from a high of 30°C to a low of 16°C.

Weather conditions for Saturday and Sunday will be similar to Friday, with a high of 29°C in the capital during the day, dropping to 16°C at night, according to the JMD.