JMD meteorologist, Laila Shaheen tells the Jordan Times the winter solstice will begin Monday, marking the shortest day and the longest night of the year.
Following the first day of winter, the days will start to become longer and nights shorter, until they become equal on March 20, which is the spring equinox in the northern hemisphere, according to the JMD.
During marbaniyeh, the local name given to the 40 coldest days of winter, the country typically witnesses several depressions, while average temperatures in the capital range between a maximum of 12.7ºC and a minimum of 3.8ºC, according to Shaheen.
Multiple depressions, very cold weather, and cold and dry easterly winds are characteristics of marbaniyeh, during which several frost spells take hold of the country, according to the JMD.
Shaheen underscored that the Kingdom usually gets 30 per cent of its long-term annual average rainfall of 8.3 billion cubic metres during marbaniyeh, noting that it ends on January 30.
