Jordan | Called the `wave of the century` .. One of the strongest heat waves in the last 100 years affected the Kingdom in early September 2020

Arab Weather - With the beginning of September, we recall the historic heat wave that affected the Kingdom in September 2020, where, returning to the climate record, the Kingdom was affected by a strong heat wave called the "wave of the century", and it was among the strongest heat waves that affected the Kingdom during the last 100 years, and was accompanied by temperatures exceeding 40 degrees Celsius in the capital, Amman.

The wave lasted for 8 days and was considered one of the strongest heat waves since climate records began in the Kingdom.

In detail, and returning to climate records, the Kingdom was affected at the beginning of September 2020 by one of the strongest heat waves in the last hundred years, as temperatures recorded high and unprecedented levels in some areas. The heat wave was not limited to the Kingdom only, but rather extended to many countries in the Middle East, which necessitated calling it the "wave of the century". The wave was characterized by its extension for several consecutive days, which greatly affected various aspects of life in the Kingdom.

14 day weather and temperature in Amman, Jordan

The capital Amman and some other areas recorded temperatures that exceeded normal rates by a large margin, reaching nearly 45 degrees Celsius in some areas. This led to a significant increase in the demand for electricity due to the intensive use of air conditioners.

The heat wave was accompanied by extremely hot and exhausting weather, with maximum temperatures exceeding 40 degrees in many areas, and reaching 42/43 degrees in some areas of the capital Amman. The highest temperature in the world was also recorded during the second peak of the heat wave in the city of Aqaba, where it reached 48.5 degrees Celsius. The wave was accompanied by unstable weather conditions that resulted in some rain in the south of the Kingdom in its late stages, in addition to relatively hot and stifling weather during the night hours.

According to the Jordanian Meteorological Department, the "wave of the century" is considered one of the strongest heat waves witnessed by the Kingdom since the beginning of climate records, after it lasted for 8 days and during which Amman Civil Airport recorded its highest maximum temperature for the month of September on 9/3/2020, which reached about 43.0 degrees Celsius.

The strongest heat wave in history was in August 2023.

The Kingdom experienced a severe heat wave during the first half of August 2023, with the Jordanian capital Amman recording an absolute maximum temperature of 43.7°C at 1:30pm on Monday, August 14, 2023. This exceeded the previous record temperature for the same region, which was recorded twice on August 20, 2010 and July 30, 2000, and which reached 43.5°C. This is the highest since the Kingdom’s climate records began 100 years ago, highlighting the importance of this event in the history of climate records.

Scientifically, the heat dome caused the two heat waves mentioned above. A heat dome, a weather phenomenon that occurs when high atmospheric pressure traps hot air in a certain area for an extended period, was the main cause of the two severe heat waves that affected Jordan. This phenomenon causes heat to continuously accumulate inside the atmospheric dome, which increases temperatures significantly and for an extended period.