Sandstorm blankets Kingdom as wave continues to throw searing heat


02-08-2015 11:50 PM

Ammon News - AMMONNEWS - A major sandstorm blanketed most parts of the Kingdom as an unprecedented heatwave continues to throw sweltering heat across the Middle East.

The blistering heatwave, which, according to meteorologists, peaked today, sent temperatures to 41 degrees Celsius in Amman, the highest since 2010 and since the beginning of this summer.

The southern regions, the desert and the Jordan Valley sweltered in massive heat today with the high reaching 45 degrees Celsius in the Red Sea port city of Aqaba.

Late afternoon, a massive sandstorm swept across the Kingdom, forcing airport authorities to reschedule some flights and divert 3 inbound aircraft.

The Queen Alia Airport authorities called on travelers to check their flights schedule before heading to the airport in order to remain updated for any possible changes. Police urged motorists, especially those traveling on the desert highway to exercise extreme caution by leaving a safe distance with other vehicles and avoid speeding.

The massive dust completely obscured visibility in some desert areas. The Jordan Meteorological Department said there is a chance for here-and-there intermittent thunder storms but no major rainfall is forecast anywhere.

So far, no weather-related accidents have been reported as people continue to abide by advice aired by authorities prior to the exceptional weather conditions. Electric power load is expected to reach 3,000 megawatts tomorrow while the Kingdom's generation capacity is 4,000 megawatts.

The heatwave is forecast to slightly subside over the next few days but temperature will remain in the 37-39 degrees Celsius vicinity. In other countries of the Middle East, there were reports that temperature hit a massive record high of 72 degrees Celsius in some parts of Iran. Iraq has already declared a four-day mandatory vacation as mercury levels broke the 50 degrees Celsius barrier.




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