AMMAN — The director of the
Jordan Meteorology Department (JMD), Raed Al-Khattab, announced that Wednesday, June 21, 2023, will coincide
with the
summer solstice, signaling the beginning of the astronomical summer
for this year.
اضافة اعلان
Khattab explained that the solstice will occur at 6:55pm. On
this day, the sun will rise from the extreme northeastern angle, with an
inclination of 61 degrees precisely at 5:30am, and it will set at the extreme
northwestern angle, inclined at 299 degrees, at 7:45pm.
This alignment will result in a day duration of 14 hours and
15 minutes, making it the longest day of the year. Conversely, the night will
be the shortest of the year, lasting only 9 hours and 45 minutes, Hala News
reported.
Seasonal impact and weather patterns
During the summer solstice, the sun will be directly
overhead the Tropic of Cancer, situated approximately 23.5 degrees north of the
equator.
Khattab noted that the Kingdom typically experiences
hot weather and
occasional heatwaves during this period due to the influence of the
Indian monsoon, which can extend as far as the middle of Europe.
Temperatures can soar above 45°Cin certain regions,
particularly in the Badia, the Jordan Valley, and Aqaba. However, there are
instances when moderate summer weather prevails as the high-pressure system
from the eastern Mediterranean extends over the kingdom, resulting in the
cooling effect of west-to-northwest winds.
This leads to temperatures around the average for the summer
season.
Historical temperature records and rainfall possibility
Khattab provided
historical temperature data, stating that
the average maximum temperature in the capital city of Amman during the summer
season, calculated from 1991 to 2020, is 32.5°C, while the average minimum
temperature is 20.3°C.
The highest recorded
maximum temperature in Amman was
43.5°C, occurring on July 30, 2000, and August 20, 2010, which is 11.0°C above
the average.
On the other hand, the lowest recorded minimum temperature
was 10.2°C, falling 7.2°C below the average, noted on June 31, 1958.
Regarding the entire Kingdom, Khattab mentioned that the
highest recorded maximum temperature during the summer season was 50.1°C at the
Deir Alla on September 4, 2020.
Conversely, the lowest recorded
minimum temperature was
0.4°C at the Shobak station on September 17, 2004. The season may also witness
summer rainfall, as evidenced by a recent event in 2012 when Irbid city
recorded 9.2mm of rain on June 22.
Heatwaves and seasonal forecasts
According to climate records at the JMD, the capital city of
Amman has experienced a total of 72 heatwaves during the previous summer
season. The most recent one occurred in summer of 2022, lasting for eight days
from August 27 to September 3.
On August 29, 2022, Amman recorded a maximum temperature of
41.4°C, which was 8.5°C above the average for the same day.
Seasonal forecasts from global numerical models indicate
that the average temperature during the summer months of 2023 is expected to
surpass the average by approximately 0.5°C to 1.5°C in most regions of the
Kingdom.
The probability of this forecast reaching 80 percent.
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