Jordan | The Siberian high altitude and its effects on the Kingdom

Arabia Weather - Sinan Khalaf - Day after day, and as we get closer and closer to entering the winter quadrant, specialists in Arabia Weather expect that the Siberian air high will begin to affect the Kingdom, for the first time this year, but what is the Siberian air high? What are the weather phenomena that accompany it?

What is the Siberian high?

The Siberian high is considered a center of high atmospheric pressure, originating and expanding over Siberia, at a latitude of 45 degrees in the northeastern part of Siberia. The Siberian high is centered in some periods over Turkey and extends to Iraq, and thus its effects affect the Kingdom and the Levant, and this high air is formed. As a result of intense surface cooling and dryness of the air, because its source is continental, that is, far from marine influences.

The Siberian Ridge is considered one of the steepest and strongest atmospheric heights in the world, with the atmospheric pressure at its center reaching 1083 millibars. It is worth noting that the cold, dry air is heavy, so the surface air pressure rises despite the extreme cold. The word high is not related to high temperature, but rather to high atmospheric pressure.

What are the most prominent effects of the Siberian high pressure on the Kingdom?

At the end of autumn and during the winter, the Siberian high air force affects the Kingdom’s atmosphere at intervals, accompanied by a number of phenomena, the most prominent of which are:

• Temperatures drop below normal
• It is often accompanied by dry eastern winds that increase the feeling of coldness
• The possibility of frost formation increases due to the significant drop in temperature
• The Siberian high brings stable weather free of rain chances