HAIL: Thursday was recorded the coldest day in the city of Hail with the temperature dipping to minus 5.
The minimum temperature is likely to remain as low as minus 2 C over the next three days, and the maximum not exceeding 15 degrees Celsius, according to a weather forecast by the Presidency of Meteorology and Environment (PME).
Last year, the lowest temperature recorded in the Kingdom was in Jubbah town, about 100 km from Hail, where the temperature dropped to minus 10 Celsius. The entire northern part of the Kingdom can expect a severe cold spell during the next few days.
Al-Watan daily reported yesterday that many water pipelines cracked due to the chill and early-morning frost covered the windshields of cars making it difficult for people to venture out. Schools were told to suspend outdoor activities until the cold spell is over. Officials at girls’ schools in the neighboring Al-Jouf province, have ordered about 2,500 heaters for 460 schools.
Farmers in the region fear the cold wave would destroy crops as it happened last year. Agriculture officials estimated last year that frost-related damage cost farmers a total of SR50 million.
“We attentively listen to weather reports because extreme weather conditions — heat, rain or cold — affect our farm production,” said Nasser Al-Shammari, a farmer in Hail.
It was reported last year that extreme cold in the region killed several people, although no specific death toll was released.
Tariq Ashmawi, director of crisis management at the PME, said temperature in Riyadh could fall to zero degree over the next four days as a result of cold wave in the northern region.
Even farmers in southern Najran province, which borders Yemen, are worried about the cold spell.
Several farms scrambled to cover their crops with tarps to protect against frost-related damage to the produce. The Kingdom’s southwestern region can also be subject to low wintertime temperatures due to the higher altitudes. Layers of visible early-morning frost and light layers of snow were seen in southern city of Abha last winter. The Kingdom's northern region also typically sees desert snowfall somewhere in the region every winter.
Director General of Agriculture in Al-Jouf Fahd Al-Darbas advised farmers in the region to be careful when irrigating farms during these cold snaps. Drip irrigation is better during sub-zero nighttime temperatures because wet leaves can become frozen, die and fall off the plant during a freeze.
