The climate in Jordan

Climate zone: Subtropics of the northern hemisphere

For 8 months, the average temperatures are over 25 degrees. Pleasant water temperatures of up to 26 degrees even invite you to bathe in the warm season. The warmest and rainiest part of the country is Ma’an. The coldest is Irbid. Due to the warmer temperatures, the best time for traveling is from July to August. Less attractive are the cold months from November to March.

Temperature records of the last 63 years

The hottest temperature measured from 1960 to January 2023 was reported by the Ghor Safi weather station. In July 2018, the record temperature of 49.3 °C was reported here. The hottest summer from July to September, based on all 5 weather stations in Jordan below 930 meters altitude, was recorded in 2010 with an average temperature of 31.0 °C. This average temperature will normally be measured every four to six hours, thus also including the nights. Normally, this value is 27.8 degrees Celsius. The average maximum daily temperature at that time was 38.5 °C.

The coldest day in these 63 years was reported by the Mafraq weather station. Here the temperature dropped to -7.6 °C in January 2008. Mafraq lies at an altitude of 683 meters above sea level. The coldest winter (January to March) was in 1992 with an average temperature of 6.7 °C. In Jordan, it is usual to have about 4.9 degrees more at 11.7 °C for this three-month period.

The most precipitation fell in January 1974. With 7.6 mm per day, the Amman Airport weather station recorded the highest monthly average of the last 63 years.

Data basis and methodology

The data from the individual measuring stations are based on the archives of the German Weather Service, individual values averaged and supplemented by own elements. In order to determine a representative national average, average values were first calculated for each part of the country, which were then summarized at the national level. Thus, if a disproportionate number of weather stations are located in a small area, their number does not affect the national average. There are 5 stations in Jordan itself. In 2 cases, neighboring but nearby weather stations were also used to obtain more accurate values.