RIYADH, 15 January 2005 — The Kingdom is shivering it out as a sudden cold wave has brought the mercury down across the country, especially up north in Sakaka to minus 1 degree Celsius.
Some Saudi schools have closed a week ahead of the Haj vacation to allow children, especially those in the first to third grades, to take respite from the cold snap, which has caught the inhabitants in its icy grip for the last three days. The sudden drop in temperature from a high of 14 degrees C a week earlier has been attributed to the freezing temperatures in Sakaka, where the mercury is hovering between 1 and -1 degree C.
Abu Abdul Wadoud, whose sons study in a government school in the first and third grades, told Arab News that he received notice from the school’s principal intimating the closure of the elementary classes due to the cold spell. “It is biting cold and dark at 6 a.m., when my son has to get up. He cries saying it is still night. This early closure is a welcome announcement both for children and parents.”
Owais Ali Mirza, who came by car from Dammam to Riyadh, said it was so cold out in the desert that it was almost impossible to hold a cup of tea at a wayside restaurant. “I was shivering and spilling tea in the saucer till my friend came to my rescue. He noticed that I had stood still shivering down to my boots.”
And in the capital, hordes of people are flocking to major hypermarkets and the downtown Al-Batha shopping complex in search of warm clothing, blankets and woollen caps/undergarments. “Demand for winter wear, including weather garments, has gone up by more than ten percent,” a Saudi cashier at a hypermarket on Takhassusi Street told Arab News.
He added that despite the cold wave, rush of customers still continues mainly due to two factors — the start of Haj holidays and promotional offers from hypermarkets. The cold wave has also reduced the flow of customers to eateries, especially open air restaurants.
Dr. Musharraf Ali Khurshid, chief pharmacist at Abdulrahman Al-Mishary Hospital, said children and elderly people are prone to infection from influenza as well as sore throat and chest congestion. “If not treated in time, it could develop into pneumonia in the case of elderly patients,” he observed.
Children have been cautioned against going out at night as they are vulnerable to infection, especially if they are weak. “When they are physically weak, the outside cold makes them susceptible to infection. So they had better stay indoors,” Dr. Suresh, pediatrician at a local polyclinic, told Arab News. He added that people should continue to drink water during winter, as otherwise they could suffer from dehydration leading to other complications. “Whether they feel thirsty or not, they should drink water.”
Meanwhile, hundreds of workers belonging to a multinational company are suffering inside their portacabins in the Dhiraiya area without room heaters. They sleep huddled together, with the outside night temperature hovering between 3 and 4 degrees C.
“It is very cold outside and our company has not made any arrangement to provide room heaters. It is extremely difficult to have a shower or sleep properly,” the company’s employees told Arab News on condition of anonymity.
