NCM forecast: 50% higher than normal rate of rain in some Saudi regions during winter

Saudi Gazette report

JEDDAH — The average rain this year will be 50 percent higher than the normal rate in parts of the regions of Al-Qassim, Madinah, Hail, Eastern Province and the Northern Borders Region. The amount of rain will be around average in the rest of the regions in the Kingdom, according to the forecast of the National Center of Meteorology (NCM).

The center issued a detailed report on forecasts of the prevailing climate condition in the Kingdom during the current winter season, which began in December and would continue until February 2024.

The report showed that parts of the regions of Riyadh, Eastern Province and Hail will witness rainfall with average amounts of 50 percent higher than the normal rate during the month of January while the regions of Tabuk, Al-Jouf, and the Northern Borders will witness it in the month of February.

The NCM stated that the probability of seasonal surface temperatures rising by a degree and a half would reach 80 percent as the change is higher than the normal rate in all regions of the Kingdom. The report expected that the northern regions of the Kingdom would be affected by cold air masses, causing a decrease in average seasonal temperatures, and that the decrease in average maximum and minimum temperatures would extend from the north of the Kingdom to its south. The pattern of average temperatures would also be characterized by a rise towards the south, west and southwest of the Kingdom.

The current month of January is witnessing a rise in temperatures with a probability of reaching between 50-70 percent in all regions of the Kingdom. The average temperature is higher than average by a degree and a half in most regions of the Kingdom with the exception of parts of the regions of Riyadh, Makkah, Madinah, Al-Qassim, Hail, and the Eastern Province where the average temperature would be one degree higher than the average.

During February, the temperature is expected to rise with a probability of up to 70 percent in all regions of the Kingdom, and it is expected to be higher by a degree and a half in all regions of the Kingdom.