Amman, the capital of Jordan, sits on the Transjordan plateau in the northwest of the country, spread across a series of hills at around 700–1,000 metres above sea level, at approximately 31.95°N, 35.93°E. Its altitude and its distance inland give it a semi-arid climate with Mediterranean characteristics (Köppen BSk/Csa) — mild, relatively rainy winters, partly cooled by the elevation, and hot, dry, sunny summers, partly tempered by that same altitude.

Summer, from June to September, is hot, dry and reliably sunny, with July and August the hottest — average highs around 31–32°C. The elevation keeps it from being as scorching as the low deserts and the Jordan Valley, and a Mediterranean breeze often blows in the afternoon, while the low humidity and cool nights make the heat far more bearable than the raw figures suggest. Rain is essentially absent for months on end.

Winter, from December to February, is mild but cool, with January the coldest month — average highs around 12–13°C and lows near 3–4°C. Sunny spells alternate with periods of wind, rain and thunderstorms, and during cold outbreaks from the north the temperature can drop to freezing or below, occasionally bringing snow — more often and more heavily in the higher western districts of the city, as in the notable snowfalls of 2003 and 2013.

Amman is dry, receiving only around 250–300 mm of rain a year, almost all of it falling between November and March with a peak in December and January, while it essentially never rains from June to September. The western, higher parts of the city are cooler and catch a little more rain and snow than the lower eastern districts. Live rainfall, humidity, and pressure readings for the city are shown in the panels above.

Amman's weather is shaped by its hilltop plateau setting, which moderates both the summer heat and, through the higher western neighbourhoods, produces a real gradient in temperature and snowfall across the city. Its most disruptive weather comes with the Khamsin, a hot, dry, dust-laden wind off the Arabian desert that blows mainly in spring and autumn and can raise the temperature by 10–15°C within hours while filling the air with sand.

To follow any single measurement in Amman more closely, use our live instruments: the online barometer for atmospheric pressure, the thermometer for temperature, the hygrometer for humidity, the anemometer for wind speed, the wind vane for wind direction, and the rain gauge for rainfall.