PME: Warnings issued 24 hours before storm

JEDDAH: The Presidency of Meteorology and Environment (PME) has claimed it sent out warnings of strong winds and heavy rainfall 24 hours before last week’s storm that wreaked havoc over the holy sites, including toppling a crane at the Grand Mosque that caused the death of 111 people and injury to over 300 others.
Abdul Aziz bin Omar Al-Jasser, president of the PME, said: “We sent out warnings in this regard 24 hours (before the storm) and delivered the information to the competent bodies.”
He said this type of inclement weather normally occurs between summer and autumn. There was likely to be rain over Makkah, the holy sites and Taif, he was quoted as saying by a local publication on Wednesday.
Recently, Al-Jasser opened the Mina observatory which has begun to provide meteorological and environmental information every hour.
It would be operational throughout the year to serve Makkah, he said.
He also launched the electronic portal for weather reports during Haj. The information will be transmitted to the Command and Control center in Mina, which includes hourly predictions, and a 10-day forecast, on the weather for Mina, Muzdalifah, Makkah, Madinah and Jeddah.
The PME functions according to the orders of Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman and the country’s leadership to ensure that pilgrims perform their rituals safely, he said.
The PME operates automatic observatory stations in Makkah, Madinah and Jeddah and along the Red Sea coast.
It also accesses information from satellites and weather radars, under the supervision of experts, he said.
The body also provides information on air quality and levels of pollution for agencies operating during the Haj, to ensure a safe environment for pilgrims.
The PME has also been criticized recently for failing to provide sufficient advance warning of last Tuesday’s sandstorm that blanketed Jeddah.
However, in response, it said the weather was too unpredictable to issue a definitive statement at the time.