Last week’s depression raises amount of rainfall by 3-24% around Kingdom

AMMAN — The latest depression has increased the total amount of rainfall for this season by 3 to 24 per cent of the long-term annual average of rain around the Kingdom, Jordan Meteorological Department (JMD) Director Mohammad Samawi said on Saturday. 

Samawi told the Jordan News Agency, Petra, that the department’s figures showed that Ras Munif registered the highest rainfall of 105.5 millimetres (mm), followed by Baqura with a total of 91.6mm.

The northern and central regions witnessed the highest rainfall rates during the recent depression, which affected the Kingdom between last Tuesday and Thursday, with the northern region receiving 93.7mm, which equals 19 per cent of its annual average, the JMD director noted.

The western central region registered a total of 59.4mm of rainfall, constituting 14 per cent of its annual average, compared to 23.9mm of rain in the eastern central region, which forms 19 per cent of its annual average, he added.

A JMD report showed that during the current wet season, the northern region received 33 per cent of its annual average of rainfall, while the western central regions received 31 per cent, and the eastern central parts registered 27 per cent. 

Seasonal climate maps of international weather centres, accredited by JMD, have a 60 per cent expectation for rainfall in January, February and March to equal or exceed the annual average, while temperatures for the same months are forecast to be 0.7°C higher than the average.