Saudi Arabia braces for hotter summer and increased rainfall in July and August

The National Center for Meteorology (NCM) has forecast higher-than-average temperatures across central, northern, and eastern Saudi Arabia during the peak summer months of July and August. The seasonal climate update, released through the Saudi Press Agency, is based on weather data collected between 1991 and 2020.

According to the NCM, as the Saudi Gazette reports, temperatures in Riyadh, Qassim, Hail, the Eastern Province, and the Northern Borders region are expected to rise by at least 1 degree Celsius in July.

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In August, the temperature is expected to reach 1.2 degrees Celsius in Jouf, Tabuk, Qassim, Hail, and the eastern regions.

The report also forecasts above-normal rainfall in several southern and western regions. These include Najran, Jazan, Al-Baha, Asir, and parts of Makkah and Madinah, south Riyadh, and the eastern areas.

Rainfall in other parts of the Kingdom is expected to remain within the normal seasonal range.

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The summer forecast reflects the Kingdom’s long-term climate and recent weather trends. For example, Jeddah recorded the country’s highest-ever June temperature at 52°C in 2010.

Al-Ahsa saw a record high of 51.3°C in July 2024, while Dammam and Al-Qaisumah reached 51°C in August 1998 and 2021, respectively.

In terms of rainfall, the southwestern region of Jazan experienced the heaviest one-day rainfall in August 2024, recording 113 millimetres.

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Jazan also held the record for July, with 67.6 millimetres in 1995. Sharurah, located in Najran province, recorded 53.8 millimetres of rain in a single day in June 1996, the highest for that month.

Due to the extreme heat expected during the summer, Saudi authorities enforce bans on working under direct sunlight during specific hours to ensure worker safety, as reported by Arab News.