What types of climates are found in Jordan?
Jordan features a dominant arid subtropical climate with variations based on altitude: cold winters and hot summers on the central plateau (700-1200m), higher temperatures in the Jordan Valley below sea level, and mountainous climate in the south up to 1854m altitude.
The dominant climate: subtropical arid
Most of Jordan experiences a subtropical arid climate characterized by fairly cold winters and sunny, hot summers, moderated by the altitude of the central plateau which extends between 700 and 1200 meters.
Climate variations by region
- Central plateau: climate moderated by altitude, cold winters, hot but bearable summers
- Jordan Valley: located below sea level, mild winters and very hot summers
- Southern mountains: mountain climate up to Jabal Umm Dami (1854m), coolest areas
- Eastern and southern deserts: desert climate with significant temperature variations
Precipitation and particular phenomena
Rainfall remains rare, concentrated from November to April with a winter maximum (December-February). It varies from 250-450mm in the northwest to less than 100mm in desert areas. Wadis (dry river beds) can fill up suddenly during intense rainfall.
Jordan sometimes experiences sandstorms coming from Egypt, particularly in spring and autumn.
Key points
Only the northwestern zone benefits from a semi-desert climate with some green areas above 1000m. The rest of the territory remains desert.