Jeddah: The story of the scorching “Fohn winds” that made the city of Jeddah one of the hottest cities in the world!

Weather of Arabia - Sinan Khalaf - The coastal city of Jeddah overlooking the Red Sea experiences on some summer days a struggle between two different types of winds, some of which are moderate and affect them most days of the year, and some of which are blazing, raising temperatures to record levels, sometimes reaching 50 degrees Celsius!

The winds of Fohn, which if blowing, make the city of Jeddah the hottest city in the world

This type of wind is neither tolerated nor desired by the residents of the city of Jeddah, and what we are talking about here is a wind known internationally as the “Fuhn wind,” which for the city of Jeddah is a very hot eastern wind descending from the mountains of Mecca and Taif towards the city of Jeddah. It increases in heat and flames as it crosses the mountain slopes, reaching... To the city of Jeddah, its moderate weather is transformed into fiery weather, and its ferocity is only broken by the entry of northwestern winds coming from the sea.

Returning to the climate archives of previous years, we notice that the Fohn winds blew on the city of Jeddah in a number of years with varying intensity, the most notable of which happened in the world in 2015 AD, specifically on August 20, when the hot, dry eastern Fohn winds blew on the city of Jeddah, descending from the mountains of Mecca and Taif, gaining more heat. Through its path over the slopes and valleys, it reaches the city of Jeddah and causes record temperatures that reached 50 degrees Celsius! To be classified as one of the hottest cities in the world on that day.

The second type: the usual northern winds

As for the second type, they are the usual northern winds that affect the city of Jeddah most days of the year and make its climate radically different from the climate of Mecca. These winds are less hot coming from the sea and work permanently to cool the atmosphere.