The western region of the Kingdom experienced searing heat yesterday, with Jeddah witnessing dust storms and scorching heat.
Makkah province witnessed soaring temperatures that reached 46 degrees Celsius, according to Presidency of Meteorology and Environment (PME) spokesman Hussien Al-Qahtani. He said easterly winds contributed to the rise in temperatures.
Al-Qahtani estimated that today’s temperatures would return to the more normal range of 40 to 43 degrees, but warned of a continuance of hot weather in Jeddah and the eastern and central parts of the Kingdom. The PME also forecast that this morning’s weather would be dusty, as northeasterly winds bring dust storms. Yesterday the wind blew at a speed of 15 to 38 km/h northwesterly to westerly. The temperature at noontime reached 45 degrees with 80 percent humidity, with visibility being reduced in certain areas to 5 km.
According to PME continuous wind activity raised dust and reduced visibility in Najran, and parts of the southwest and west of the Kingdom including Makkah, Madinah highways and coastal areas.
"What made people feel the heat yesterday was due to the hot air not the temperature. However, people differ in terms of feeling the heat as those who are overweight, for instance, are affected by high temperatures more than others, as are people suffering from diabetes," Al-Qahtani told Arab News.
"The type of clothes one is wearing also makes a difference in the heat," he said, adding summer began May 20 and people can expect temperatures to average between 37 and 49 degrees. Dr. Sami Badawoud, Jeddah's Health Affairs director, told Arab News the ministry's hospitals emergency rooms did not record any increase in the number of patients. Badawoud, however, advised people, especially children and the elderly, to drink more fluids, and called for workers not to work directly under the sun and take a break at least once every three hours.
— Fouzia Khan contributed to the report.
Temperature rises as hot easterly wind blows across Makkah areas
