Atmospheric instability behind flash floods in the arid country
Heavy rainfall in Azraq Camp caused floods and infrastructure damage. Photo: UNHCR / Twitter Jordan faced heavy floods and hailstorms on May 29, 2023 after heavy rains the night before. A man died and a teenage boy was reported missing, reported Saudi Arabia-based newspaper Arab News.
Heavy overnight rain on May 28 in the southern and eastern parts of the country triggered flash floods, which inundated large farmland areas, the report said. Many were forced to leave homes and find refuge in shelters.
The thunderstorm was the result of atmospheric instability prevailing in the country, said the Jordan Meteorological Department.
A man, believed to be in his 30s, was driving in Al Shamiyah in the north-east of Aqaba when his car was swept away, according to Egypt-based Middle East News Agency (MENA). A 13-year-old boy has also been reported missing in the eastern city of Zarqa.
The capital Amman, nearby cities of Salt and Madaba and the northern governorate of Irbid were battered by hailstones and rainfall, causing widespread damage to property and vehicles, the report added.
The heavy rainfall caused floods andinfrastructure damage in Azraq camp for refugees of the Syrian Civil War, leaving families without shelter, tweeted United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees for Jordan.
Jordan's climate ranges between a more Mediterranean climate to a desert climate, but the land is generally very arid, according to the World Bank.
The country sometimes experiences flash flooding in the spring, reported MENA. Poor infrastructure often results in the rapid accumulation of water in the streets. The rain came after weeks of heavy dust and dry conditions across much of the kingdom.
In December 2022, 17,000 visitors had to be evacuated from a famed archaeological site in Petra region in the country as heavy rains triggered flooding at the UNESCO World Heritage Site. Heavy rains and water from surrounding mountains poured into the city in the south of the kingdom.
The country had also reported two major flash floods in 2018, according to Arab News. The first one led to deaths of 21 people — most of them children — near the Dead Sea. The tourism and education ministers had resigned over the Dead Sea flooding.
Two weeks later, another flood in November 2018 killed at least 12 people.
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