Public urged to be cautious in flood-prone areas

AMMAN — Adhering to guidelines and regulations decreases the impact of a natural disaster, according to the chief weather forecaster for Arabiaweather.com Omar Dajani.

Every year during October, the chances of unstable weather conditions increase, and people should especially avoid entering valleys, where floods caused by heavy rainfall could sweep them away, Dajani told The Jordan Times on Tuesday over the phone.

"We can predict the general area of rainfall, but it is hard to know which valley will flood, because even the type of cloud is different over each area," Dajani said. 

On Monday, several areas in Amman witnessed rainfall, Dajani said, noting that Marj Al Hamam and Naour areas witnessed very intense rainfall, while other areas in Amman only witnessed lightning and thunder without rain.

"Rainfall could be heavy in one area and not even reach another area only five to ten kilometres away, and people need to understand that even if the weather is still warm or hot, it does not mean there is no rain," he said.

He noted that many valleys are now blocked off to prevent people from entering danger zones. 

The new guidelines came into force following what has become known as "Black Thursday", when at the end of October 2018 the Dead Sea area witnessed flash floods after the country received heavy rain.

Rainwater from the mountains of the capital, Maeen and Madaba, among other areas, found its way through valleys before reaching the Dead Sea area.

At the time, a group of students, their teachers and tour guides, as well as family members, were swept away in a flash flood that suddenly submerged the Zarqa-Maeen Valley, where the schoolchildren were hiking. 

Twenty-one people, 16 of whom were children from the same school, were swept to their deaths while 43 others were injured.

Dajani said that the current weather instability is likely to continue on Wednesday and gradually decrease towards the weekend, noting that there is a chance of local rain showers, which could be intense in certain areas. 

However, the temperatures remain above their annual average, with mercury levels in Amman between 30°C and 31°C, with the normal average at 26°C, according to Dajani.