RIYADH — Hussein Al-Qahtani, the official spokesperson for the National Center of Meteorology (NCM), confirmed that the Kingdom will enter the final third of winter by the end of next week, with no indications of a harsh winter ahead. Al-Qahtani emphasized that recent weather reports from the NCM debunk misleading claims circulating online, which the center had previously denied. In its weather report for Saturday, the NCM forecasted moderate to heavy thunderstorms, accompanied by hail and active winds, that may lead to flash floods in Jazan, Asir, and Al-Baha regions, extending to parts of Makkah. Light to moderate rainfall is also expected in parts of Madinah, Qassim, Riyadh, and the Eastern Province. Fog formation is likely in some areas of these regions as well as in Tabuk, the Northern Borders, and Al-Jouf. The NCM report highlighted surface wind patterns over the Red Sea, predicting northeasterly to northerly winds, shifting to northwesterly during the evening, with speeds ranging from 20 to 42 km/h in the northern and central parts. Southern to southwesterly winds at 10 to 30 km/h are expected in the southern part, reaching speeds over 50 km/h near the Bab al-Mandab Strait, accompanied by thunderclouds and rainfall. Wave heights will range from 1 to 2 meters in the northern and central parts and from 0.5 to 1.5 meters in the south, occasionally exceeding 2 meters near Bab al-Mandab. The sea state will vary from moderate in the north and center to light to moderate in the south, becoming rough near Bab al-Mandab with thunderclouds. In the Arabian Gulf, surface winds will be northerly to northwesterly in the northern and central parts and northeasterly to northerly at 10 to 25 km/h in the southern part. Wave heights are expected to range from 0.5 to 1 meter, with the sea state being light.
