Jordan · Jordan
August
The hottest month — avoid Petra in the afternoon, focus mornings on heritage and evenings on the sea and desert.
Worth considering
#12 of 12 months
There are better months for Jordan — see the full ranking below.
See when to go instead →Climate
High
36°C
Low
22°C
Rain
0mm
Sun
12.5hrs/day
30-year climate normals · Open Meteo ERA5
How August scores in Jordan
Weather
Average
Value
Very good
Crowds
Very good
Events
Average
Atmosphere
Above average
What you gain in August
- ↑August offers the same desert stargazing conditions as July but with the Perseid meteor shower (August 11–13) peaking over Wadi Rum — viewing the Perseids from a Wadi Rum desert camp with zero light pollution is a genuinely rare experience; camps typically move their mattresses to the open sand for the peak night
- ↑Aqaba's underwater world is at maximum diversity in August: larger pelagic visitors (including barracuda schools and occasional hammerheads beyond the reef edge) use the Red Sea rift current, and the resident reef populations of napoleon wrasse, moray eels, and the famous Rainbow Reef anemonefish are all active
- ↑Petra By Night (candlelit Siq walk, Mon/Wed/Thu) in August heat is best approached as an evening experience rather than a full-day add-on — the 8–9pm start time means the daytime heat has dissipated, the Treasury is lit by 1,500 candles, and the lack of crowd activity later in the evening makes it one of Petra's most atmospheric experiences
What you sacrifice
- ↓August is the peak heat month with temperatures matching July — the same warnings apply with greater force; Petra afternoon temperatures in the main basin and the Monastery trail reach 38–40°C and are not compatible with safe hiking
- ↓Dust storms (khamsin) can affect Jordan in late August — a regional dry wind bringing Saharan dust that reduces visibility and coats everything with fine orange powder; typically passes within 24–48 hours but disrupts outdoor photography and activities
- ↓The Dead Sea continues to shrink and salinity continues to increase — the northern shore (where the main resorts are located) is increasingly rocky and salt-crusted; entering the water at designated beach areas rather than directly from the shore is strongly recommended
How August compares to October (best month)
| Factor | August | October ★ |
|---|---|---|
| Weather | 4 | 10 |
| Value | 7 | 5 |
| Crowds | 7 | 4 |
August in other destinations
Lisbon (26.5°C)Barcelona (28.6°C)Tokyo (32.1°C)Bali (29.9°C)Santorini (26°C)Paris (24.3°C)New York (27.7°C)Marrakech (35.8°C)Amsterdam (21.4°C)Maldives (30.3°C)Rome (30.4°C)Bangkok (31.5°C)Istanbul (28°C)Vienna (25.9°C)Seoul (29°C)Dubrovnik (28.5°C)Rio de Janeiro (25.9°C)Kyoto (33.7°C)Phuket (31.3°C)Cape Town (17.2°C)Prague (26°C)Amalfi Coast (31°C)Mexico City (23°C)Medellín (29°C)Fiji (26°C)London (24°C)Sydney (18°C)Iceland (14°C)Tulum (33°C)Dubai (42°C)Singapore (32°C)Hoi An (33°C)Chiang Mai (31°C)Miami (33.3°C)Florence (31.8°C)Queenstown (9°C)Madrid (35.2°C)Porto (27°C)Edinburgh (19°C)Copenhagen (22°C)Budapest (28°C)Kraków (24°C)Tbilisi (31°C)Palawan (30°C)Hanoi (32°C)Osaka (34°C)Goa (30°C)Cusco (20°C)Buenos Aires (15°C)Mykonos (30°C)Zanzibar (26°C)Sri Lanka (30°C)Costa Rica (25°C)Cancun (32°C)Krabi (32°C)Athens (33°C)Seville (36°C)Cartagena (31°C)Siem Reap (31°C)Havana (32°C)Split (30°C)Taipei (34°C)Kuala Lumpur (32°C)Valletta (32°C)Ho Chi Minh City (32°C)Hawaii (31°C)Cappadocia (32°C)Dominican Republic (32°C)Jamaica (33°C)Tanzania (23°C)Seychelles (26°C)Nepal (27°C)Azores (27°C)Bora Bora (26°C)Los Angeles (28.5°C)Cairo (38.2°C)Kenya (24°C)Jaipur (32.8°C)Las Vegas (40.1°C)San Francisco (18°C)Madeira (28°C)Vancouver (23.3°C)Muscat (38.5°C)Lima (17.2°C)Cinque Terre (29°C)Kotor (32°C)Tel Aviv (32°C)Santiago (15°C)Bogotá (19°C)Bruges (22.4°C)Penang (32.3°C)Lombok (30.4°C)Cape Verde (29.5°C)Fez (37.2°C)Kerala (29°C)Kigali (26°C)Hong Kong (31°C)Oslo (23°C)Auckland (14°C)
Climate data: 30-year normals (1991–2020) from Open Meteo ERA5 reanalysis. Scores compare months within Jordan, not across destinations. Methodology →