Heatwave grips Kingdom through Tuesday, public urged to take precautions
JMD has issued several public safety warnings, urging residents to avoid direct sunlight during peak hours and to stay hydrated. It also cautioned against reduced visibility due to dust in desert areas during evening and nighttime hours. (See story on page 2)
The heatwave is expected to continue on Sunday and Monday, with hot conditions forecast over high mountainous areas and extremely hot weather elsewhere. There is a slight chance of brief, light, and scattered afternoon showers in parts of the south and east. Winds will remain moderate to active from the northeast to northwest, stirring dust in desert regions.
By Tuesday, the weather will remain hot across most of the Kingdom and extremely hot in the Badia region, the Jordan Valley, Dead Sea, and Aqaba. Clouds at medium and high altitudes are expected to persist, with moderate to active winds in desert regions, according to JMD.
The National Electric Power Company (NEPCO) said that the load on the national grid on Saturday reached 3,900 megawatts.
NEPCO director general Sufian Bataineh said that the company is raising its readiness to handle electrical loads during the heatwave, the Jordan news agency, Petra, reported.
He said that the Kingdom's electrical system, both in the transmission and generation networks, has increased its readiness to meet electricity demand, adding that the company has completed its regular and preventive maintenance programs, supported by 'sufficient' generation capacity to absorb the loads resulting from the rising temperatures.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Al Bawaba
11 hours ago
- Al Bawaba
Jordan heatwave kills 1 man and injures 2
ALBAWABA - A man died in Jordan after suffering from a heatstroke, while two other individuals were hospitalized and are undergoing treatment due to the ongoing heatwave that hit the country this week, as reported by the local Jordanian news outlet, Al Ghad. According to local medical reports, several individuals were hospitalized in the past two days due to suffering from heatstroke, among them was an Arab man who arrived at the hospital in a critical condition. However, the man passed away shortly after he was admitted to the intensive care unit. Jordan recorded temperatures that exceeded 47 degrees Celsius, as officials urged citizens to stay inside to avoid direct contact with the sun, drink plenty of water, and limit physical outdoor activities. Officials also released a statement prohibiting construction workers from working between 12 p.m. and 4 p.m. Officials also advised against leaving children and the elderly inside closed vehicles, even for a short period. Additionally, university students were also advised to study and work from home. The ongoing heatwave also caused several electrical wires to catch fire across the country, as electricity usage spiked from prolonged air conditioner use.
Jordan Times
a day ago
- Jordan Times
Thousands battle Greece fires as heatwave bakes Europe
PATRAS, Greece — Greece on Wednesday battled to contain more than 20 wildfires including one menacing its third-largest city Patras as a heatwave stoked blazes and forced the evacuation of thousands in southern Europe. Spain, Portugal, France, Italy, the Balkans and Britain have this week wilted in high temperatures that fuel wildfires and which scientists say human-induced climate change is intensifying. Since dawn on Wednesday, 4,850 firefighters and 33 planes were mobilised across Greece on what promised to be "a very difficult day", fire service spokesman Vassilis Vathrakogiannis said. A fire near the ancient Mycenaean archaeological site of Voudeni, just seven kilometres (four miles) from Patras, threatened forested zones and homes, and the area was covered by a thick cloud of smoke, an AFP journalist reported. Fierce wind "is hampering the task of water bombers, and is making collecting water at sea more difficult", the president of the firefighter officers' union, Kostas Tsigkas, told public broadcaster ERT. In the western Achaia region in the Peloponnese, to which the coastal city of Patras belongs, around 20 villages were evacuated on Tuesday. Other fronts were burning on the popular tourist island of Zante and the Aegean island of Chios, scarred by a huge wildfire in June that ravaged more than 4,000 hectares. The Greek coastguard said it had helped evacuate nearly 80 people from Chios and near Patras. The national ambulance service reported 52 hospitalisations from Achaia, Chios and the western town of Preveza, including "a small number of firefighters", mostly for respiratory problems and minor burns. Temperatures are due to come close to 40C in parts of western Greece on Wednesday, including the northwest Peloponnese, national weather service EMY forecast. After Greece requested four water bombers from the EU Civil Protection Mechanism to bolster its resources, leftist opposition party Syriza criticised the conservative government's preparation for the fires that hit every year. Greece needed "a bold redistribution of resources in favour of civil protection", an "emphasis on prevention", better coordination and new technologies in its civil protection system, Syriza said. 'Worst breeding ground' At the other end of the Mediterranean, wildfires continued to dominate the news in Spain, where cooler temperatures and greater humidity were expected to help control blazes in which two people have died. Authorities in the northwestern region of Castile and Leon, where flames have threatened a world heritage Roman mining site, said almost 6,000 people from 26 localities had been evacuated from their homes. Bushy undergrowth and searing temperatures that have baked Spain for almost two weeks had created "the worst possible breeding ground for this situation", Castile and Leon's civil protection head Irene Cortes said. A total of 199 wildfires have scorched nearly 98,784 hectares across Spain this year, more than double the area burned during the same period in 2024. Neighbouring Portugal deployed more than 1,800 firefighters and around 20 aircraft against five major blazes, with efforts focused on a blaze in the central municipality of Trancoso that has raged since Saturday. Strong gusts of wind had rekindled flames overnight and threatened nearby villages, where television images showed locals volunteering to help the firefighters under a thick cloud of smoke. "It's scary... but we are always ready to help each other," a mask-wearing farmer told Sic Noticias television, holding a spade in his hand. Italian firefighters had extinguished a blaze that burned for five days on the famed Mount Vesuvius and spewed plumes of smoke over the Naples area. In Britain, temperatures were expected to peak at 34C in the country's fourth heatwave of the summer. The UK Health Security Agency warned of "significant impacts" on health and social care services for the parts of central and southeastern England where the harshest heat was forecast.
Jordan Times
a day ago
- Jordan Times
Heatwave continues, relief expected by weekend
AMMAN — The Kingdom remains under the grip of a heatwave, with dusty and extremely hot conditions expected to continue through Wednesday, according to the Jordan Meteorological Department (JMD). Daytime temperatures are expected to soar across the country, accompanied by clouds at various altitudes, with scattered showers, potentially accompanied by thunder, are expected in the southern regions. At night, temperatures will remain relatively high, with medium to high clouds present and light north to northwesterly winds. By Friday, the heatwave is expected to ease, with further drops in temperature, according to JMD. Weather conditions will be relatively hot in highlands and hot elsewhere. Northwesterly winds will remain moderate, occasionally active. Night temperatures will cool in most areas, though the Jordan Valley, Dead Sea, and Aqaba will stay relatively warm. On Saturday, temperatures will continue to decline, nearing seasonal averages. The weather will be relatively hot across most regions and hot in the Jordan Valley, Dead Sea, and Aqaba. Northwesterly winds may stir dust in desert areas. Nighttime conditions will be generally mild. The Zarqa meteorological station, operated by JMD, recorded its highest-ever maximum temperature on Tuesday since climate records began over a century ago, reaching 44.8°C. This new high surpasses the previous record of 44.6°C, set on August 20, 2010, and again on August 13, 2023, according to JMD. JMD confirmed that Zarqa has officially joined the list of stations breaking historic temperature records, becoming the first to register a new record this year amid the continuing heatwave affecting the Kingdom. Meanwhile, Energy and Minerals Regulatory Commission (EMRC) said that the national electricity grid recorded its 'highest-ever' power demand on Tuesday evening. The commission said that the system logged a peak load of 4,765 megawatts at 7:38pm on Tuesday, marking the highest in the country's history and reflecting the intense strain placed on the grid during the ongoing heatwave. Despite the record-breaking demand, the commission confirmed on Wednesday that the electrical system remained stable and operated efficiently. While some limited and individual power outages were reported, the commission described them as typical for advanced power networks under extreme weather conditions. 'These incidents were handled swiftly, showcasing the grid's ability to respond effectively under pressure.'
