Jordan: Red Sea depression deepens on Wednesday and Thursday, bringing active winds and dust

Arab Weather - Weather maps at the Arab Weather Center indicate that the Red Sea depression will deepen its impact on Jordan on Wednesday and Thursday. (Learn about the scientific meaning of the Red Sea depression at the bottom of the article).

Active southeasterly winds starting on Wednesday and increasing in speed over time

Weather analyses at the Arab Weather Center indicate that active southeasterly winds are expected to blow over the Kingdom starting early Wednesday morning and continuing throughout the day, leading to an increased feeling of coldness. In addition, they may cause dust waves in desert and exposed areas and may reach some mountainous areas, leading to a decrease in horizontal visibility.

On Wednesday evening, the speed of the southeasterly winds increases, accompanied by strong gusts, especially in the Jordan Valley, the Dead Sea, and some Jordan Valley areas, where the speed of some gusts may reach 70 km/h. These active winds will continue to blow over the Kingdom throughout the day on Thursday and will begin to gradually decline during the hours of Thursday/Friday night, but they will remain active at intervals, but more spaced out.

Swimming in the Dead Sea

We advise in Arab Weather to avoid swimming in the Dead Sea during the blowing of the east winds, because of the danger they pose to the lives of swimmers, as the speed of the east winds increases significantly as they descend from the mountains towards the Dead Sea and the Jordan Valley areas, which may lead to swimmers being pushed to the opposite side and the waves rising, which may pose a danger to their lives. The following are several points that explain the danger of swimming in the Dead Sea during the blowing of the east winds:

• The speed of the eastern winds as they descend from the mountainous heights towards the Jordan Valley and the Dead Sea
• High waves due to easterly winds
• The easterly winds will push the swimmers to the Palestinian side, thus doubling the risk of returning or drowning, God forbid.
• Due to the salinity of the Dead Sea, high waves may cause water to enter the eyes of swimmers, making it difficult to swim or drowning, God forbid.

High humidity at night despite southeasterly winds

Given the rainfall in the previous and upcoming days in large areas of northern Saudi Arabia, forming pools and water pools, it is expected that these southeasterly winds will not lead to an unusual decrease in relative humidity, but will rather increase, especially during the night hours, making the weather humid at night, especially on Thursday/Friday night.

Chances of thunderstorms in the far east of the Kingdom

The same weather maps indicate that the extension of the Red Sea depression will be accompanied by the emergence of gradually unstable weather conditions after the afternoon and evening hours on Wednesday. Therefore, it is expected that clouds will appear at different altitudes and provide the opportunity for random showers of rain in parts of the southern desert, accompanied by thunder at times.

Limited chances of local rain for a short period Thursday morning

The opportunity will gradually become available during the late night hours of Wednesday and dawn of Thursday for scattered showers of rain to fall in the south and east of the Kingdom, which may be accompanied by thunder at times, and it is not unlikely that they will extend to some central regions, God willing.

Why do easterly winds increase in the Jordan Valley and Dead Sea regions?

According to the specialists at "Arab Weather", the scientific reason behind the doubling of the speed of the eastern winds in the Shafa Ghor regions is attributed to the fact that the eastern winds blow on the Kingdom from the east, and when they collide with the western mountains of the Kingdom and descend towards the Shafa Ghor regions, their speed increases significantly and is accompanied by strong and sometimes severe gusts.

What is the Red Sea Depression?

The Arab World | What is the Red Sea Depression and how does its impact affect weather patterns during the fall?