Heavy snow, rain expected as of Wednesday night — JMD

AMMAN — The Kingdom will be affected on Wednesday night by a very cold polar front and a depression that are expected to bring rain and heavy snow, the Jordan Meteorological Department (JMD) said on Monday.

The polar front and depression, which will be centred over Cyprus, are forecast to push daytime temperatures around 10°C below their annual average of 13°C during this time of the year, while nighttime temperatures will dip below zero, according to the JMD.

On Tuesday, the weather will be cold and partly cloudy with scattered showers in the north and centre of the country. Temperatures in Amman will range between 11°C during the day and 3°C at night, while winds will be southwesterly moderate to brisk.

Cold and cloudy weather will prevail on Wednesday with scattered showers in the northern and central regions, and at night the country will be affected by the polar front and depression, according to the JMD.

Precipitation will become heavy on Wednesday night, especially in the north, with thunderstorms expected, and snow will start to fall over high mountainous areas after midnight, the JMD said.

Winds will be southwesterly moderate to brisk, raising dust in the badia, while temperatures in the capital will reach a high of 10°C and drop to a low of 4°C.

The impact of the polar front will intensify on Thursday as more cold winds blow towards the Kingdom and the depression centred over Cyprus also deepens, JMD Director General Mohammad Samawi said, adding that temperatures will drop and the weather will be very cold with heavy rain and thunderstorms.

Snowfall is forecast over high mountains, extending at night to areas 800 metres above sea level and higher, which includes the capital, according to Samawi.

Winds will be westerly brisk with gusts at times and temperatures in Amman will be 6°C during the day, dropping to zero at night.

A further drop in temperatures is expected on Friday, in addition to more snow, Samawi said.

“Snow will fall over areas 600 metres above sea level and higher,” he added. 

Temperatures in the capital will reach a maximum of 3°C during the day and drop to below zero at night, while winds will be westerly to southwesterly brisk, turning to northwesterly moderate to brisk at night.

JMD meteorologist Laila Shaheen said the impact of the polar front and depression will prevail on Saturday, when the weather will be cold with snowfall expected to continue during the day.

“As of Saturday night, the snowfall will gradually stop,” Shaheen added.

Noting that the accuracy of its weather forecasts for Thursday and Friday stands at 80 per cent, the JMD called on authorities to start taking precautionary measures as of Wednesday afternoon and urged the public to follow its daily weather forecast.

The department issued several weather-related warnings, including low visibility caused by low-altitude clouds and due to dust in some desert areas, flood formation in valleys and low lying areas, slippery roads due to snow accumulation and strong winds.

“Snow accumulation is expected to be high in various parts of the country. The impact of the approaching polar front and depression is expected to be stronger than early January’s blizzard,” Shaheen told The Jordan Times.