Ramadan this year is in winter... Has it ever snowed during the holy month?

Arab Weather - This year, the holy month of Ramadan falls during winter, raising the question: Has snow ever fallen in the Kingdom during this blessed month? Looking back at climate records, we find that snow has fallen in Jordan and the Levant during Ramadan in several years. One of the most notable instances of snowfall during Ramadan occurred in 1998, when snow fell in many parts of the Levant, including Jordan, as a result of a deep low-pressure system accompanied by a very cold air mass that affected the region at that time.

Snow in Ramadan and Taraweeh prayers in white in 1998

In the climate archive that takes us back to the year 1998 AD, specifically on January 11, a deep high-pressure system covered the entire European continent, and as a result, a very cold, polar air mass rushed in, which worked to form a low-pressure system that centered over Syria at noon, and with it, snow began to fall in the high mountains in the north and south of the country, while at that time, the capital Amman and the rest of the cities witnessed, since the hours of dawn, a rainstorm accompanied by fierce winds and heavy intermittent hail.

Snowfall quickly spread to cities in central Jordan, including the capital Amman, around sunset – the time of breaking the fast! Some Jordanians witnessed the snowfall while others were preparing to pray and eat their pre-dawn meal. Upon finishing and returning to their work, they were surprised to find more than 10 centimeters of snow covering the streets of western Amman, with roads completely closed. The snowfall was slightly less in the eastern neighborhoods of the capital. Public works vehicles, along with the Jordanian Armed Forces, then began clearing the blocked roads.

As the day of January 12 dawned, Jordanians in Amman were playing with about 30 centimeters of snow while fasting without tiring or getting bored! The weather was very cold with widespread freezing amid sub-zero temperatures, and the minimum recorded that night in the high neighborhoods of the capital was between -2 and -4 degrees Celsius, while it dropped below -8 degrees Celsius in the Shobak Mountains in the south of the Kingdom.