Is it possible for the holiday to come in winter and for us to sacrifice amidst the snow?

Arab Weather - Eid al-Adha is usually associated in the minds of Jordanians with hot and dry weather, due to its occurrence in the summer season in recent years. However, the weather archive in the Kingdom contains some weather cases in which the atmosphere of Eid coincided with cold winter conditions, and some areas even witnessed snowfall.

The following are some of the most notable snowfall events that coincided with Eid al-Adha in Jordan over the past decades:

February 1, 2004 – Hailstorm and light snowfall in Amman

On the first day of Eid al-Adha in 2004, Amman, the capital, experienced a severe hailstorm, resulting in hail accumulations of 5 to 10 centimeters in parts of western Amman. While most of the hail melted by the morning of Eid, the higher elevations of Amman saw light, fluffy snowfall coinciding with the Eid prayer.

January 22, 2005 – Snowstorm in the south and light snow in the capital

On the second or third day of Eid al-Adha in 2005, the southern highlands of the Kingdom, particularly the Shobak region and the high mountains, were affected by a severe snowstorm that led to road closures due to heavy snow accumulation. Later that evening, the precipitation extended towards the capital, Amman, where the higher elevations experienced light snowfall, resulting in a limited snow cover.

December 30, 2006 – Cold weather precedes the holiday by a few days

Eid al-Adha in 2006 fell on December 30, a few days after the southern regions of the Kingdom were affected by a snowstorm known as the "Southern Storm," which impacted the Kingdom on December 27, bringing with it cold winter weather and rain and snowfall to the southern highlands, making the atmosphere of the Eid remarkably cold and humid.

When will Eid al-Adha return to coincide with winter in Jordan?

Because the Islamic calendar is based on the lunar cycle, the date of Eid al-Adha falls back by about 10 to 11 days each Gregorian year, meaning that it gradually passes through the different seasons of the year over a period of approximately 33 years.

According to astronomical calculations, Eid al-Adha is expected to fall during the winter season again at the beginning of the 2030s, specifically during the years 2031 to 2035, with the date of the holiday falling in December and January, which increases the likelihood of it coinciding with cold and possibly snowy weather conditions, especially in the mountainous highlands.

And God knows best.