Temperatures in many parts of the Kingdom reached 50 degree Celsius in some hours of the day on Tuesday. The observatory at King Abdulaziz University in Jeddah recorded 49.47 degrees Celsius, two degrees less than Monday’s 51.8 degrees Celsius.

Visibility was low in some parts of the Kingdom as a result of dust in the eastern, central and western parts of the country. Tuesday was the longest day of the year — the summer solstice — which means the earth’s north and south axis tilted 23.5 degrees towards the sun.

A number of people in various parts of the country have reportedly fallen ill as a result of the hot weather. However, Dr. Muhammad Bajubair, director of emergency in the Western Province and director of Al-Thager Hospital in Jeddah, said he did not notice any substantial increase in illness due to the change in weather.

“We have not called additional staff for emergency services and have not supplied additional medicine or equipment for hospitals’ emergency wards,” Bajubair said in defense of his argument.

Mansour Al-Mazroui, director of the center of excellence for climate change research at KAU, told Arab News that the Kingdom has seen extreme weather this year. “Last winter in the Kingdom was a bit warm and we have not seen temperatures going below zero as it used to be,” he said. Al-Mazroui said Saudi Arabia could face hotter weather in coming years. He also advised the public not to go outside at noon and to avoid the sun.