Khamasin depression forecast to bring hot, dry conditions ahead of eid

AMMAN — Dusty weather and an increase in temperatures is expected during the last days of Ramadan and the first days of the eid holiday, with temperatures reaching up to 40°C, Arabia Weather, a private weather forecasting company, reported. 

“The Kingdom will be affected by a khamasin depression as of Friday,” Mohammad Al Shaker, Arabia Weather CEO, told The Jordan Times. 

Khamasin depression is a form of a thermal depression; also named “Khamsiniyah”. The name is derived from khamsin —  meaning 50 in Arabic — because it usually occurs over 50 days, from March 21 until May 10. 

“The Khamsiniyah depressions are formed in the Sahara and North Africa in the spring as a result of the decrease in atmospheric pressure due to the high temperature there compared to the temperature of the Mediterranean water, which becomes cold after the winter season. These depressions push the surface winds laden with dust from the Sahara towards the East,” according to Arabia Weather’s website. 

Shaker added that the depression will be accompanied by a hot air mass and dry air current, and therefore, “a significant rise” in temperatures will be seen in various areas of the Kingdom. 

“Temperatures will be higher than the annual average,” Shaker added. 

On Saturday, the effect of the khamasin depression will increase, resulting in a significant increase in temperatures in addition to dusty, hot and dry weather conditions. 

“Weather will be extremely hot in the Jordan Valley, the Dead Sea and Aqaba,” Shaker said. 

Shaker stated that the northwesterly winds will be moderate to brisk at times, especially in the Badia area, which might cause heavy dust storms and result in low visibility in the southern and eastern parts of the Kingdom, including the main desert highway.

“The impact of the khamasin depression will temporarily decline on Sunday,” Shaker stated. 

On Sunday, likely the last day of Ramadan, the Kingdom will witness a drop in temperatures. Weather will be warm and winds will be moderately active although dusty weather will continue, especially in the desert. 

Shaker added that on Monday another depression is expected for the Kingdom and the weather is forecast to be relatively hot and dry. 

On Tuesday, the impact of the depression is expected to increase, bringing more hot and dusty weather, especially in the southern and eastern parts of the Kingdom, according to Shaker. 

Shaker added that at night temperatures are expected to rise due to the impact of the khamasin weather conditions, as the weather becomes warm during night hours in several areas of the Kingdom. 

“Temperatures in Jordan Valley and Dead Sea are expected to reach 40°C by the weekend,” Shaker added, while temperatures in the capital will be around 30-35°C during the weekend, and are expected to further increase on Saturday.