JEDDAH: The Meteorology and Environmental Protection Authority (MEPA) has rejected a report that the Kingdom will be hit by unusual and heavy storms over the coming three months. At a press conference here Tuesday, Prince Turki Bin Nasser Bin Abdul Aziz, President of MEPA, said his organization is the only body authorized to monitor weather conditions and issue reports. Prince Turki's comments came after some newspapers cited Russian Meteorology Center report showing that an unusual cold front would hit most parts of the Kingdom over the next three months. The report also predicted that above-average rainfall would hit central parts of the country. Prince Turki said MEPA was not connected in any way with the report and that it lacked “credibility”. He said all international centers involved in weather research depend on the results of the statistical weather forecasting samples which analyze the movement of the wind in the stratosphere and changes in the average temperature of the surface of the oceans. Weather stations also monitor changes in the El Ni?o and La Ni?a-Southern Oscillation (ENSO), he said. ENSO is a periodic climate pattern – warm and cold respectively – which occurs across the tropical Pacific Ocean every three to seven years. ENSO causes extreme weather such as floods, droughts and other weather disturbances in many regions of the world, according to Wikipedia. He said all these elements used in weather forecasts did not show that the Kingdom would be hit by a severe winter and heavy downpours. On preparations for Haj, Prince Turki said the authority has assigned weather forecasters and analysts at the holy sites, Makkah, Madina and also on highways to monitor the weather and air quality. Apart from this, there are highly trained climate specialists stationed at the Civil Defense emergency centers to provide a summary of the weather forecasts to the Civil Defense. The authority has also updated its Haj website which is linked to the Civil Defense Command and Control Room and its Operation Room at the holy sites. Prince Turki said this webpage provides weather reports on the autumn season corresponding to this year's Haj. It also provides weather forecasts for five consecutive days, which are updated daily. It also provides a daily weather forecast report for Makkah.
