By Mohammed Dawood

Okaz/Saudi Gazette

JEDDAH —The temperature started soaring in all regions of Saudi Arabia and is expected to remain high for much of the next few months.

According to the General Authority of Meteorology and Environmental Protection, the temperatures hit 36 degrees Celsius in Jeddah, 38 degrees in Riyadh, 39 in Dammam and 40 in Hafr Al-Batin on Saturday. The hottest city in the Kingdom on the day was Makkah where the mercury rose to 41 degrees on the Celsius scale.

The weather authority also forecast thunderous rain and strong winds in Najran, Jazan, Asir, Baha, Riyadh, Qassim, Al-Jouf and the Northern Border provinces. It said the strong winds would kick up dust, considerably reducing visibility in these regions.

The authority said the surface winds in the Red Sea would gain speeds of between 18-40 km/h in the westerly to northwesterly direction.

Dr. Khaled Abdulaziz, a consultant in internal medicine, warned fasting people against exposing themselves to direct rays of the sun because this could lead to dehydration.

He advised them to consume lots of fluids after breaking the fast to compensate for the water loss during the day.