Europe is having a summer for the record books, and not in a good way. As heatwaves push much of the continent past 40°C, a question we keep hearing from travellers is a fair one: if Europe is this hot, surely Jordan must be unbearable? The honest answer is more reassuring than you might expect. Here in Amman, we have seldom seen the thermometer climb above 29°C so far this summer, while parts of Europe have been breaking all-time temperature records.
Jordan is a hot country in summer, there is no pretending otherwise. But it is a different kind of heat, in a different kind of place, and for a well-planned trip it can be far more comfortable than the humid, city-bound heat now gripping Europe. Here is how the two actually compare.
Just how extreme has Europe’s summer 2026 been?
Severe, and verifiably so. The World Weather Attribution group has described the June 2026 European heatwave as the most severe ever recorded in the region, with temperatures running 5°C to 12°C above seasonal norms across France, Germany, Italy, Spain and southern England. Spain reached 45.1°C and France hit 44.3°C, its hottest day since 1947. Germany and Poland broke all-time national records.
The human cost has been significant. The World Health Organization reported more than 1,300 excess deaths in the days after 21 June, with over 150 million people affected. Crucially, around 45% of European urban areas broke heat-stress records, a measure that combines heat and humidity. That last detail is the key to understanding why Jordan’s summer feels so different.
Is Jordan hot in summer too?
Yes, but it depends enormously on where you are. Jordan is not one climate but several, and the difference between regions is dramatic:
- Amman and the northern highlands: the most comfortable base. Sitting at around 750 to 1,000 metres, the capital typically sees summer highs in the low 30s°C and cools to roughly 18°C at night. This summer it has been milder still, rarely passing 29°C.
- The Dead Sea and Jordan Valley: Jordan’s hot spot, more than 400 metres below sea level, where daytime highs can reach 38°C to 42°C in the peak of summer.
- Wadi Rum and Aqaba: the southern desert and the Red Sea coast sometimes exceed 40°C, though Wadi Rum usually experiences cool nights as it sits at an elevation of around 1,000 metres above sea level.
So the picture is not “Jordan is cool”. It is that the places most visitors spend their evenings, the highlands, stay genuinely pleasant, while the desert and valley get very hot during the middle of the day. That is a manageable pattern, and a very different one from a European city baking around the clock.
Why does Jordan’s heat feel more bearable than Europe’s?
Two reasons: dryness and elevation. Jordan’s heat is dry desert heat, and dry air lets your sweat evaporate, which is how the body cools itself. Humid heat blocks that process. The US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration puts numbers on it: 35°C air at 65% humidity feels like a punishing 49°C. The same temperature in dry air feels far closer to what the thermometer reads.
Europe’s heatwaves have been hitting dense, humid cities where concrete traps warmth long into the night, the urban heat-island effect. Jordan, by contrast, offers dry air and real relief after dark, especially in the highlands where nights fall to the high teens. You can actually recover overnight, which is precisely what makes a hot destination tolerable.
Should you visit Jordan this summer?
Yes, provided you travel sensibly and respect the heat. With a little planning, summer is a perfectly good time to see Jordan, often with fewer crowds at Petra and better availability at the best hotels. The simple rules are these:
- Base yourself in cooler Amman and the highlands, and use the comfortable evenings.
- Visit the hot lowland sites, Petra, Wadi Rum and the Dead Sea, in the early morning or late afternoon, not at midday.
- Drink far more water than you think you need; dry heat dehydrates you quickly and quietly.
One honest caveat: when the desert and the Jordan Valley heat climbs, you need to be careful and plan accordingly. This is exactly where a well-paced private itinerary earns its keep, timing each site for the cool of the day, keeping the car and water close, and letting you enjoy Jordan rather than endure it.
While Europe contends with record-breaking heat, Jordan offers a hot but dry, beautifully clear summer, and a highland capital that has stayed remarkably mild. If you would like to travel comfortably, our team can build a private summer itinerary around the cooler hours and the cooler places. Explore our Jordan tours or get in touch to start planning.
