Saudi Arabia forecasts record-breaking heat during Hajj 2024

The Saudi National Center for Meteorology (NCM) has predicted extremely hot weather, strong surface winds, dust and thunderstorms at holy sites of the Kingdom during Hajj 2024.

Addressing a press conference on Tuesday, CEO NCM Aymen bin Salem said holy sites, Makkah and Madina, are expected to experience 45 to 48 degrees Celsius temperature in the afternoon.

However, Tiaf is likely to receive light rains during the season, which would affect weather in Makkah, Madina, and other areas of the Kingdom due to the high humidity level of 60 percent.

According to Ghulam, the weather forecasters made an executive plan to monitor the impacts of climate change around the clock at holy places, including Makkah, Madinah, airports, ports, and main roads.

The department installed mobile radar to monitor the sky over the Grand Mosque and Prophet's Mosque and mobile stations to monitor upper atmospheric layers, which will provide satellite images for potential weather phenomena.

Moreover, Saudi meteorologists prepared a media centre for pilgrims at Mina to provide services to them, including those with special needs. 

The center will broadcast daily weather bulletins and messages across 12 media channels to ensure the safety of pilgrims inside the holy sites.

As per media reports, as many as 2.5 million faithful from across the world, including  179,210 from Pakistan will perform Hajj this year.

The Kingdom has been witnessing severe impacts of climate change for months, as it had experienced torrential rains and urban flooding in previous months.