Massive sandstorm engulfs parts of Jordan

Massive sandstorm engulfs parts of Jordan

A massive sandstorm swept through several areas of Jordan, including the city of Azraq and the capital Amman, on October 15, 2023. The event resulted in drastically reduced visibility and poor air quality, prompting local authorities to issue multiple safety warnings.

Ancient city of Petra flooded after 6 months’ worth of  rain in a day, Jordan

Ancient city of Petra flooded after 6 months’ worth of rain in a day, Jordan

Popular ancient city of Petra, Jordan experienced unusually heavy rains on December 26, 2022, resulting in severe flooding that forced around 1 700 people to evacuate the archeological site. Tourist routes at the site have been reopened on December 27 and movement across the city restored.

Flash floods leave at least 4 fatalities in Jordan and Saudi Arabia

Flash floods leave at least 4 fatalities in Jordan and Saudi Arabia

Heavy rainfall has been affecting western Jordan and neighboring Saudi Arabia since February 5, 2021, causing flash floods that resulted in four fatalities and property damage. Heavy downpours particularly affected Al Mafraq and Ma'an governorates in Jordan, as…

Extreme rainfall events wreak havoc across the Middle East

Extreme rainfall events wreak havoc across the Middle East

The Middle East has been hit by several waves of severe storms over the past 30+ days and registered anomalously high amounts of rain in very short periods. For some of the regions, the storms were the worst in decades. More than 50 people were killed. Severe storm…

Major flash floods hit ancient city of Petra, Jordan

Major flash floods hit ancient city of Petra, Jordan

Heavy rain caused severe flash flooding in Jordan's ancient city of Petra, the kingdom's main tourist attraction, on Friday, November 9, 2018. Nearly 4 000 people were forced to evacuate. At least 12 people were killed in the country's central and…

Dead Sea disappearing day by day

Dead Sea disappearing day by day

The Dead Sea has been drying up at a dramatic rate in recent decades as a result mostly of human demands for water. But instead of letting the historic body of water continue to disappear, some scientists are getting increasingly serious about trying to save it.In the m

Fault-finding coral reefs can predict the site of coming earthquakes

Fault-finding coral reefs can predict the site of coming earthquakes

In the wake of the devastating loss of life in Japan, the urgent question is where the next big earthquake will hit. To answer it, geologist Prof. Zvi Ben-Avraham and his doctoral student Gal Hartman of Tel Aviv University's Department of Physics and Planetary Scien