Kingdom Finds Itself in IceboxRaid Qusti, Arab News
RIYADH, 13 January 2008 — Go outside this week and you are likely to hear the sound of knees knocking and teeth chattering because it is c-c-c-cold out there.
Riyadh, typically one of the world’s warmest capital cities, is not so hot now with temperatures plummeting to near-record lows. Even though temperatures during daytime in the capital last week hovered around 13 degrees Celsius; during the evening it was another story when the city officially reached the freezing point: 0 degrees Celsius (32 Fahrenheit).
When people all over the Kingdom thought this year’s winter could not get worse, meteorologists are saying even colder weather is on the way.
Hassan Al-Qahtani, spokesperson for the Presidency of Meteorology and Environment’s Central Forecast Office, said the cold spell, which has gripped the Kingdom for the past month, would continue through next week.
Hassan Al-Qahtani, spokesperson for the Presidency of Meteorology and Environment’s Central Forecast Office, said the cold spell, which has gripped the Kingdom for the past month, would continue through next week.
Al-Qahtani attributed the cold spell to high pressure in northern Saudi Arabia, which is unleashing northwesterly winds flowing toward lower pressure. The holy city of Makkah was inundated on Friday by heavy rains, and showers are expected to continue in many cities, particularly in the Eastern Province.
“Many media reports are saying that this is the worst cold spell that had ever hit the Kingdom in the past four decades,” Al-Qahtani said. “That is not true.”
The capital, according to him, has had colder days. In 1992, Riyadh recorded its coldest temperature ever: Minus 4 degrees Celsius. Jeddah also has had colder days; it recorded 11 degrees Celsius in the evenings in 1992. The coldest temperature for Madinah was minus 1 in 1973. As for the Qassim region, the coldest temperature recorded was minus 4 in 1992.
The Central Forecast Office reports that the coldest recorded temperature in Saudi Arabia in the past 40 years was in Turaif, where in 1973, it was minus 11 degrees Celsius.
Northern parts of the Kingdom have been worst hit by this winter’s cold snap. The cities of Tabuk, Arar and Hail witnessed snowfall for the first time in many years. Several schools in those cities halted youngsters’ morning exercise, according to local reports. Some mosques also combined prayers due to the cold weather.
The capital, according to him, has had colder days. In 1992, Riyadh recorded its coldest temperature ever: Minus 4 degrees Celsius. Jeddah also has had colder days; it recorded 11 degrees Celsius in the evenings in 1992. The coldest temperature for Madinah was minus 1 in 1973. As for the Qassim region, the coldest temperature recorded was minus 4 in 1992.
The Central Forecast Office reports that the coldest recorded temperature in Saudi Arabia in the past 40 years was in Turaif, where in 1973, it was minus 11 degrees Celsius.
Northern parts of the Kingdom have been worst hit by this winter’s cold snap. The cities of Tabuk, Arar and Hail witnessed snowfall for the first time in many years. Several schools in those cities halted youngsters’ morning exercise, according to local reports. Some mosques also combined prayers due to the cold weather.
The chilly weather, however, has had no adverse effect on the enthusiasm of Internet users, many of whom took the opportunity to record the images of northern cities covered in snow on YouTube.com.
So bundle up; stay warm, and have a good laugh about it next July.
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