As temperatures hit the highest peak across the Kingdom, Jeddah residents are complaining of not being able to travel for long hours to spend their Eid holidays.

With the summer still in full swing, warnings are being issued about exposing oneself to the blazing heat. Arab News spoke to some residents who decided to travel despite the scorching heat, while the others stayed home and canceled Eid outings during the afternoons to avoid the climate.

“Long hour drives in this weather is impossible,” says Ammar Mahmoud, an Indian resident. “The heat even beats the coldest temperature on the car AC. Especially in the afternoons, it gets worse. While traveling to Abha on the Eid day, we had to frequently stop by baqalas and buy cold fizzy drinks and ice cream to freshen up.”

Samar Farhan, an expatriate housewife, said, “When planning a trip, one of the first things we consider is the weather condition. I am very safety conscious and concerned about my family’s safety.”

Farhan says that her youngest daughter Amina, was affected by the heat during their trip to Madinah last year.

“The biggest mistake we made was to drive to Madinah by car in extremely terrible weather, rather than book seats on an air conditioned Saptco bus. The car’s AC couldn’t take the heat too that it failed to keep us cool.”

She added: “Amina was 3-years-old then, and she got a severe rash on her face and hands. When we took her to the doctors, he warned us about the dangers a normal human being can face due to exposure to extreme heat.”

Shams Mohammed, another Jeddah resident, says that he and his friends don’t mind the extreme heat and that they are used to it.

“It has always been hot in the kingdom,” he said. “We made plans for the Eid holidays and we didn’t cancel any because of the bad heat.”

Mohammed says that people living in the kingdom need to put up with the weather and enjoy the Eid holidays. “One does not always get holidays, so we must not miss the opportunity, instead travel and go out to spend time with the family.”

“This weather has been terribly unbearable and it’s a disappointment to many that it fell at the time of Eid holidays,” says Abdullah Ameen, a Yemani resident in Jeddah.

“My friends and I planned to travel for the Eid holidays and unfortunately we had to put it off because of the humidity.






Most of us are used to spending our time indoors with the air conditioner on all day long.”

He added: “We can’t even go to places like Corniche or Obhur for some sea breeze, unless it is night because the temperature is so high. I hope the weather gets better toward the end of the year at least.”