Temperatures in the north, east, center and parts of the west of the Kingdom soared to over 50 degrees Centigrade Monday, June 21 – the summer solstice. Jeddah recorded a temperature of over 50 degrees Centigrade between 1:00 P.M. and 2:00 P.M. Monday, said Shaher Abo Hameedi, head of the General Administration of Analysis and Forecasts at the Presidency of Meteorology and Environment (PME). He said there were two main reasons for the high temperatures in Jeddah: the noontime sunlight falling at an angle of 23.5 degrees north of the Kingdom heating up the western areas, and a warm air mass hitting the east and center of the Kingdom with northeasterly winds. Thermometers in vehicles recorded noon temperatures above 60 degrees Centigrade, which Hameedi described as inaccurate. He said the temperature announced officially by the presidency is the air temperature under the shade, as the thermometer is kept in a box and is two meters above the ground. Keeping the temperature monitoring equipment under direct sun was against the norms followed in weather monitoring worldwide, he said. But even on the summer solstice, when the day was not only hot but also the longest of the year, a Saudi Gazette team found construction workers out in the open. Ali Al-Baloshy, a Pakistani worker, was seen filling a water bottle from a refrigerator located near the building where he was working. “I am trying to cool myself by putting some cold water on my head,” he said. “We are working to feed our families and Allah will protect us,” responded Mohammed Abdul Atheem, an Egyptian worker, when he was told about the health hazards of working under the scorching sun. The Ministry of Labor has prohibited working in sun-exposed conditions from midday to 3:00 P.M. during the months of July and August. The new regulations, which come into effect in 2011, exempt oil and gas company staff and emergency maintenance workers, while stipulating that they must adhere to procedures governing protection from sunlight. The Ministry of Labor reiterated Article 236 of the Labor Law which penalizes violations with “a fine of between SR3,000 and SR10,000 and/or closure of the facility for a minimum of 30 days – or permanently”. Blistering summer temperatures coupled with a sandstorm caused power failures in the western region. The skyrocketing demand for demand for electricity to power air-conditioners forced eight power turbines to go off line causing several cities to lose their power, said the Saudi Electricity Company. “Blackouts are taking place this summer because of an increase in the electrical loads,” company official Ahmed Al-Dubekhi said in a recent statement. Meanwhile, PME spokesman Hussein Al-Qahtani denied claims that his organization “hides true temperatures to avoid affecting the work of the public and private sectors”. “There's no reason for us to hide temperature figures from the public, and it does not serve our interests,” Al-Qahtani said. “We announced last Monday that temperatures had reached 50 degrees in Al-Ahsa.” Al-Qahtani said that recent temperatures are not necessarily above average, and noted that Al-Ahsa recorded a temperature of 51 degrees Centigrade in 2007. “We announced that figure at the time, and if any region records a higher figure we will announce that too,” he said. According to Al-Qahtani, the PME works to protect the public by revealing true figures measured in accordance with international standards recognized in 148 countries. Figures from other authorities, Al-Qahtani said, may be influenced by other factors. “Other indicators may be affected by external influences like asphalt temperatures and glass and car exhausts which serve to give higher figures on gauges in city streets,” he said. The PME measures temperature, humidity, air pressure and wind speed, and has 40 temperature gauges across the Kingdom taking readings every hour. An Egyptian man in Al-Ardhiya Al-Shamaliya, meanwhile, reportedly died of heatstroke on Saturday after temperatures in the region of Al-Makhwa exceeded 50 degrees Centigrade. The man initially fainted and was taken to a nearby hospital where he was diagnosed as having suffered “serious sunstroke”, but after being discharged, he complained of renewed pains and returned to the hospital where he died shortly after his arrival. The Eastern Province, meanwhile, recorded three days ago its second death in a week attributed to the extreme temperatures in the region when an Egyptian in Hafr Al-Batin succumbed to sunstroke. Al-Hayat Arabic daily said that the 45-year-old carpenter died in the Al-Aziziya District shortly after returning home from work on Saturday. He had reportedly spent “long hours” working under the sun at a building site. A six-year-old Indian girl had died the previous week from suffocation after being left inside a school minibus. – Okaz/SG – Additional reporting by Abdullah Al-Yousef and Ibrahim Al
