RIYADH, 16 December 2002 — Partly cloudy to mostly cloudy weather conditions with chances of rain and thunderstorms over the northern cities of Central and Eastern regions besides southwestern areas of the country are forecast for the next four days.
The mercury will dip to 8-10 degree centigrade in Riyadh today and four degrees in Sakaka, sending a wave of cold spell across some regions, the Presidency of Meteorology and Environment (PME) said yesterday.
The capital city has already been experiencing intermittent rains with biting cold winds for the last two days. During the next five days, the rains are expected to be accompanied by thunderstorms over many cities across the Kingdom, especially over Makkah, Taif and Baha with chances of fogs impairing visibility during nights, said a forecast report of PME’s Central Forecast Office.
The whether in Riyadh is forecast to be mostly cloudy today, partly clear sky tomorrow, partly sunny on Wednesday and fully clear sky on Thursday.
The lowest temperature recorded in Riyadh yesterday was eight degrees centigrade, forcing many people to remain indoors.
Jeddah will be sunny for the next five days except on Dec. 19, when the city may experience partly cloudy weather. The sky will also be cloudy over the eastern city of Dammam today.
The weather, however, will be fair during the night and warm during mid-day over the coastal areas of Jizan province with temperature rising to 34 degrees centigrade maximum and 24 degrees minimum. Jeddah will have the maximum temperature of 33 degrees today and minimum 24 degrees whereas Dammam will have maximum 25 degrees and minimum 11degrees. The wind, mostly cold, will be blowing at 42 kmph.
Weather experts have warned the people to take precautions during thunderstorms. One should always avoid standing in open fields, on boats or on the beach, when there is a forecast of thunderstorms. A person, however, is safe inside a car or a bus or a train but he/she should stay away from the power lines, metallic objects such as plumbing lines. One should also remove external antenna or cable TV connection, if the region is more prone to thunderstorms.
Arab News tried to find out if Riyadh residents were already coming under the weather. Saudi executive Khaled Hamad Al-Saif said that “it is a bit cold, but it is a pleasant weather for me. Pleasant because the Kingdom is mostly hot throughout the year. I even choose to visit cold countries during my holiday trips.”
But K. D. Row, an Indian manager, does not agree. He missed a dinner party last night because of the inclement weather. He was forced to remain indoors to protect himself from the biting cold. “The weather has gone from bad to worse,” Row added.
Abdul Azeem, a Sudanese who works as an administration assistant, said the weather was good in the city for those who worked indoors.
“The only worry I have is the growing number of road accidents reported from various parts of Riyadh city during this foggy and rainy days.”
