DAMMAM, Jun 6 (Arab News): After a mild winter and a beautiful spring, many residents of the Eastern Province were surprised when thermometers shot up to 48 degrees Celsius on Saturday in Dammam and Alkhobar.
“It is normal at this time of the year. It may get worse because this is just the beginning of summer,” said a spokesman at the Dammam Office of the Presidency of Meteorology and Environment. “There was a sudden jump in temperature on Saturday. Friday it was between 35 and 40 degrees Celsius and it shot up dramatically today,” he said.
According to the weather department, 48 degrees Celsius was among the highest temperatures the region has seen in many years. The highest temperature the region recorded was 49 degrees, and that was some years ago. He said as a result of the high temperatures, humidity has also reached unbearable levels. “It was 70 percent on Friday and it was around 85 percent on Saturday,” the spokesman said.
Summer officially begins June 21 and ends Sept. 21. “This year summer has started early. We will see weather reaching comfortable levels in the middle of September. Until that time, the climate will remain harsh,” the meteorologist said.
In the meantime, residents will just have to cope with the heat.
“When I arrived here three years ago, I thought it was a joke when local people told me that you could fry an egg on the road or on a car rooftop under the sun,” said British expatriate Tony Lewis. “Well, it is not a joke. It is a fact. You can see these roads oozing lava under the scorching heat, and the vehicle tires literally burn because of the heat. For those of us who are into sales and field work, it is particularly challenging.”
Parents of schoolchildren have requested the Ministry of Education to reduce school hours. “It is atrocious; it is too harsh for the children. My children’s schools are located in Alkhobar, and they have to make a daily trip from Dammam that takes on average 35 minutes. In this blistering heat, even the car air conditioning doesn’t work. It is particularly bad when they are coming home after 1 p.m.,” said Kholoud Maher, an Egyptian mother of two. Some schools in Riyadh have already cut down on school hours to lessen the impact of heat on children.
Afsar Faheem, a Cairo-based Indian business executive who is currently visiting the Eastern Province, said he did not realize the weather was this hot until he saw the readings on his car’s dashboard. “This is the norm in Saudi Arabia. You have air conditioning all around, and so you don’t feel the heat. It is only when you go out that you realize what is happening,” he said, noting that Egypt much cooler at this time of year. The beaches of Alkhobar and Dammam are quiet and empty. “The regular beach activities such as barbecuing and beach football have come to a standstill because of the intense humidity. You can barely breathe in this weather,” said Pakistani businessman Amjad Qureshi.
Of course, the hot weather also creates opportunities for some.
“The best places to go in the evenings are the shopping malls these days,” Qureshi said. “Businesspeople are capitalizing by going in for summer sales and huge bargain prices.”