Climatology
This page presents Jordan's climate context for the current climatology, 1991-2020, derived from observed, historical data. Information should be used to build a strong understanding of current climate conditions in order to appreciate future climate scenarios and projected change. You can visualize data for the current climatology through spatial variation, the seasonal cycle, or as a time series. Analysis is available for both annual and seasonal data. Data presentation defaults to national-scale aggregation, however sub-national data aggregations can be accessed by clicking within a country, on a sub-national unit. Other historical climatologies can be selected from the Time Period dropdown list. Data for specific coordinates can be downloaded for in the Data Download page.
Observed, historical data is produced by the Climatic Research Unit (CRU) of University of East Anglia. Data is presented at a 0.5º x 0.5º (50km x 50km) resolution.
Jordan's climate ranges between a more Mediterranean climate to a desert climate, but the land is generally very arid. Winter temperatures in the southern and northern highlands range between 9-13°C, while the deserts regions range from 19-22°C. In the Jordanian Valley, summer temperatures range between 38-39°C, while in the desert regions, they vary between 26-29°C. About 75% of precipitation falls during the winter. Jordan's climate is influenced by the Dry Sirocco (Khamsin) winds, which can lead to large temperature anomalies, with increases of up to 15°C. The Shammal Winds are also an influencing factor, blowing from the north and northeast and causing high daytime temperatures.
- The annual maximum temperature has increased by 0.3-1.8°С since the 1960's.
- The annual minimum temperature has increased by 0.4-2.8°С since the 1960's.
- The mean annual temperature has increased by 0.89°С since 1900.
- Global Historical Climatology Network (GHCN) data for the country indicates a 2.92 mm/month per century reduction in average annual precipitation since 1900.
- The majority of local station records indicate that precipitation dropped from 94 mm to 80 mm during the last 10 years for the period 1937/38 to 2004/2005.
- Annual precipitation rates show decreases at most meteorological stations.
This section provides the options to visualize historical climate data for different timeframes via map and annual cycle chart.