Latest news with #SaudiNationalCentreofMeteorology
Gulf Insider
3 days ago
- Gulf Insider
Visits To Mecca Landmark Curtailed Over Intense Heat
The visit hours to an Islamic landmark near the Saudi holy city of Mecca have been shortened for months due to extreme heat. The Hira Cultural Centre has cut by five hours daily visits to the Cave of Hira, about 5 kilometres from Mecca, starting from last Wednesday until the commencement of the Islamic lunar month of Rabia I, corresponding to next August. The centre said that the competent authorities had issued directives to temporarily close the road leading to Mount Hira daily from 11am to 4pm because of high temperatures. The Cave of Hira is where the Prophet Mohammed (peace be upon him) received the first revelation of the Holy Quran through the angel Gabriel. The cave is a major draw to Muslims visiting Saudi Arabia to perform the annual Hajj pilgrimage or the Umrah (minor pilgrimage). The weather will be hot to extremely hot at the holy sites during the Hajj rites, the kingdom's meteorology office has forecast, amid diverse projects implemented by the kingdom to cool heat for the faithful. The Saudi National Centre of Meteorology expected that maximum temperatures at the holy sites in and around Mecca will range from 40 to 47 degrees Celsius, with an expected humidity level of 15% to 60%. Saudi Arabia has unveiled a string of projects in the run-up to this year's Hajj that starts later this week to beat the scorching temperatures and spare the pilgrims heat stress. The projects included expanding the use of cooled and rubberized roads designed to reduce the impact of heat.
Gulf Insider
05-05-2025
- Climate
- Gulf Insider
Massive Dust Storm Blankets Saudi Region of Al Qassim
A severe dust storm had hit Al Qassim region in central Saudi Arabia, shrouding vast swathes of its governorates and largely reducing visibility there, local media reported. شهدت محافظة #الرس في #السعودية عاصفة غبارية نادرة بسبب رياح هابطة قوية، شكّلت جدارًا كثيفًا من الغبار غطى السماء وقلل الرؤية مشكلة جدار غبار يتراوح ارتفاعه بين 300 و1500 متر، وقد يتجاوز 2000 متر وتحول النهار إلى ليل⁉️ — سحاب | sahab (@sahabnews1) May 3, 2025 Accompanied by strong winds, the storm that struck Saturday afternoon engulfed the region into quasi-darkness and toppled trees. Earlier, the Saudi National Centre of Meteorology (NCM) had cautioned that parts of Al Qassim would be affected by active winds that could lead to near-zero visibility and advised people to monitor weather alerts and heed safety guidelines. For Sunday's weather, the centre forecast moderate- to- heavy thunderstorms, accompanied by hail showers and dust-raising winds in parts of the Saudi regions of Jazan, Asir, Al Baha, Mecca, Riyadh, and Al Qassim. Light-to- moderate winds are meanwhile expected in parts of Ha'il in north-western Saudi Arabia, the Eastern Province, and the Northern Borders, extending to parts of Al Jawf and Tabuk in the north west. Active winds are also anticipated Sunday in Medina, limiting visibility in chunks of the region. Also read: Saudi Arabia Executes 100th Prisoner So Far This Year – Majority Are for Drug Offenses
