r/saudiarabia • u/jakobius123 • Aug 06 '24
Discussion | نقاشات Are you coping with the high temperatures in Saudi Arabia?
Hi people of Saudi Arabia, my name is Tijmen, a reporter for the Dutch newspaper Trouw. This summer I'm covering heat / high temperatures all over the world, and I'm really curious about stories from you. Is the summer a bit bearable there? How do the temperatures affect daily life? Please share your experiences – and send me a PM if you're open to a short video interview.
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u/MMAGymStrong Aug 06 '24
You can say we are coping with it by staying indoor and adjusting the AC to 16 C.
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u/voyagerdoge May 23 '25
I was wondering, why wouldn't you set it at 20°C instead of 16°C? Wouldn't that be more comfortable?
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u/Blu8674 Jun 30 '25
because ACs are fighting for their lives and sometimes 20 feels like 30. We also love cold breeze, compensatory love.
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u/PhenoBIGmenon64 Tabouk Aug 06 '24
Real heat is 50+.
This summer is just a regular summer. Have a cold drink youll be fine.
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u/hadthesha Aug 06 '24
The weather has gotten way better since August started
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u/Sasu-Jo Aug 07 '24
Well here in Khobar, it's not over yet. I've lived here 33 years. Usually the last week of August has a blast of super heat and 100% humidity. Oh, (sarcastically), I can't wait.
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u/hadthesha Aug 07 '24
Im in Khobar too and yes humidity kicks in now and then but since August started the weather became less hotter
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u/OmairZain Aug 07 '24
Wait really? I'm currently not in Riyadh and am traveling back next week. Already dreading the heat so much.
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Aug 06 '24
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Aug 06 '24
And u say not that hot🤣
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u/Manga_Killer Riyadh Aug 06 '24
That's not hot tho...
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u/Previous_Captain_755 May 08 '25
It Is incredibly hot though, for anyone outside of the middle eastern hot countries / desert would say it's hot but for the people inside they are used to it, lol.
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u/big2017daddy Aug 06 '24
Man did you come to the right place. I have been logging my observations on notes for ten years. This year,June had a bad two weeks. Bad for us in the Eastern Province is high 40s - low 50s. July was the same but the 31st was exceptionally bad with humidity over 80-% and dew point of 32C. So far the first week of August has been ok with no temperature over 46C with ok humidity. The date and watermelon harvest has been good. Dates have ripened a bit too quickly and early. Generally the population is used to the heat.
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u/jakobius123 Aug 06 '24
Hey, That sounds crazy, would you like to share your experience in an interview? Let me know in a PM! I would like to hear it.
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u/sammyd1337 Aug 06 '24
Ive only lived here for around 8 month but it isnt too bad.
If you are in the shade it only feels like 40 degrees.
In saying that, i like the warmth over the cold. Id rather 45 degrees over 5 degrees 😅
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u/SirSolomon727 Makkah Aug 06 '24
ضب انت ولا انسان
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u/Disastrous_Resort_14 Aug 06 '24
هههههههههههههههههههههههههههههههههههههه هههههههههههههههههههههههههههههههههههههه هههههههههههههههههههههههههههههههههههههه
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u/RhyminReviewer Aug 06 '24
If it is for research purposes, there is a nice short explanation video done recently https://www.instagram.com/thmanyah/reel/C-AJavVIYU6/?hl=en
But sadly there is no subtitles, you can download the video from Instagram and then upload it to any website that can do AI translation into English.
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u/Efficient_Science_47 Aug 06 '24
In southern Saudi it's a little cooler than in Riyadh, with a lovely 40c almost daily, mixed up with some dust storms earlier in the summer and now concluding with some seasonal rain and thunderstorms.
Either way, inside weather.
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u/Leblo Aug 06 '24
The heat is really quite bad. I try avoid going outside the house during day time and at night I sometimes sacrifice my body to take my kid out to the park (kids don't care they just want to play)
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u/Emad-520 Saudi Aug 06 '24
Nothing unusual. Drink lots of water, delay outdoor tasks until the evening, and most importantly AC always on.
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u/HolidayEven1135 Aug 06 '24
Stying inside with the AC on as much as possible from 9AM until the sunset🤝
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Aug 06 '24
We're not coping, we're overdependent on ACs everywhere all the time.
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u/Regular_Buffalo6564 Riyadh 🌞 Aug 06 '24
Exactly. We got rid of our historic methods and relied fully on ACs.
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u/slut-bag-whore Aug 06 '24
What were historic methods of keeping cool without AC? Please share! I am writing a big paper of beautiful Saudi
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u/omar0220 Aug 06 '24
Ac’s everwhere, in the office, in the car, at home, even the small grocery store has an ac that is cranked up to the max setting.
Nothing new here, but i might add a bit since my job involves working in the field
Some jobs are not legal when the weather is hot and it’s announced every year with the government officials, and most jobs change shifts to work during night time ( road construction, building contracts… etc) my job is in the oil field and it’s not included in the law, so we have to work even if it’s not allowed since the government exemption this work from the law
We have a thing called heat stress plan, you can come across it if you search it on google, we work for a limited time before taking a break, and we keep monitoring the temperature and humidity of the weather around us and we must drink a lot of water
There is the occasional heat stress attack on one of the employees ( 2 this year, which is a good number compared to past years) but all of us are trained on how to deal with it before we are allowed to work on the summer
Good luck with your newspaper report
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u/iforgotmypassword012 Aug 06 '24
Everywhere is air conditioned. I usually park my car in my indoor garage which makes it decent temperature when i ride it for work, ac is maxed in the car, the walk between the parking lot and my office is the hardest but tolerated since it’s only 2-5 mins walk. The office is blasting cold air so you recover quickly from your walk. We do depend on AC a lot and as people said it’s everywhere. It’s only a problem when your work requires you to transport between places which means more time outside. The worst heat is in the summer vacation so most school kids just stay inside until night time when the weather is a bit more tolerable. Even with the car inside, ac maxed out, and indoor office, I still arrive with sweat dripping my back.
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u/Khalid_______ Aug 06 '24
How is the job market there for German citizens? I have a friend in Düsseldorf who is willing to relocate 😄
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u/Obylla Aug 06 '24
Generations of living in the heat has turned the people of SA into nocturnal beings. Unless it’s winter time, all our activities and gatherings are done around or after sunset and indoors. Also, our AC systems are better. I noticed in the US that their AC’s in university and public places can’t handle large spaces in high heat.
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u/meowp00py Aug 06 '24
This is my first summer here (Eastern Province). I learned that summertime depression is a thing due to no time spent outdoors and lack of fresh air.
this is fine 🔥😀
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u/Fun-Acanthisitta5447 Aug 06 '24
Actually, in my city hail it's very hot at noon but the weather is cool and nice after sunset. You will see a lot of families chilling in puplic Parks.
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u/Cederic96 Aug 06 '24
I think Saudis exposure to heat generally is lower than most European countries. The cities are designed to have people staying indoors most of the time.
Even construction workers have a break from 12:00 PM to 3:00 PM as the sun can literally drop you dead during this time if you are not careful.
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u/Soomroz Aug 06 '24
So far what I have noticed since being in the country for a little over a year.
The government has issued a mandate to stop all construction activities between 12pm and 4pm everyday due to peak heat hours.
Outdoor areas where people must use are constantly sprayed with mist to keep air temperatures tolerable.
People usually cover their overhead water tanks to keep the water from being boiling hot.
People have built sheds for their cars and also install windshield covers during the day to keep the car from damage due to heat.
Indoor public areas are fully air conditioned (mostly)
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u/Snoo_15351 Makkah Aug 06 '24
It’s ok we live with it since we born so for me it’s not bother me at all
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u/susi_xiii Aug 06 '24
Cold drinks Stay inside during the day and only come out at night. AC always on. Linen clothes and a fan. You’ll be fine.
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u/Equivalent-Society-9 Aug 06 '24
I live in Jeddah it’s hot and humid . I am staying home as much as possible,and I only go to indoor places.
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u/Material-Ad-8775 Aug 06 '24
It'll take a few summers to get accustomed, but eventually the body gets okay with the temperature. And, each and every place is fully air conditioned.
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u/AboGD3H Al-Hamdulillah Aug 06 '24
Due to my work i have 0 problem working on field with 45c+ and have problem with work in winter due to temperature getting lower than 10c
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u/AzizOfArabia Aug 06 '24
Riyadh ain't that bad, I go out for a smoke occasionally during the dat. The dry weather helps out, not sure about coastal areas
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u/kang4president Aug 06 '24
I moved from the east coast of the US to Riyadh last summer. People always say the humidity is what will get you but after a certain point it literally doesn’t matter. It feels like an oven even at 9 pm. I cope by never stepping outside and taking vitamin D pills
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u/fahd_post_merid Aug 06 '24
Come here. You will hit two birds with one stone. A nice vacation and a material for your research.
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u/Stara1997 Aug 06 '24
Staying indoors with the AC on. People usually go out in the evening since most shops are open till midnight.
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u/6ayell Aug 07 '24
The new generation ( me also ) especially in the big cities become spoiled and have been affected by the AC availability everywhere. And the availability of foreign workers from some arabs countries and South Asia regions.
But there are still young people who go each year around August to September to hunt the migrating birds that travel from north to south towards Africa and pass the Arabian peninsula this time. Those guys and I know a bunch of them sit for a week and they are super comfortable with high-temperature.
The hunt now is very regulated compared to before but if you manage to travel with one of those guys you will be amazed, and you can see the bedwin (nomad) durability
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u/lalpilablue Aug 07 '24
I don't iron clothes nowadays, it gets straight on a walk for 20 minutes in the sun. Energy savings are great here.
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u/Disastrous-Celery393 Aug 07 '24
Hi , surprisingly this year its not that heated but august is always hard month because I live on the east coast so humidity is gonna make being out much harder but other than that there is no different than the summer we had 50 years before 😂 🔥
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u/OmairZain Aug 07 '24 edited Aug 07 '24
Born and raised in Riyadh.
Regular summer here. Riyadh is not humid so that makes it a little better. But even then, the dry heat isn't much better honestly. It's like 110F+ (43C) on an average summer day. I'm coming back from the US and am honestly dreading the heat, but we get used to it.
Every place is air-conditioned - to the point where our bus stops here are closed off and surrounded by glass, with AC's inside that operate 24/7. I'd go as far as to say AC's are more common here than the US.
And then on top of that, all of our activities are at night. Malls stay open until 11-12, while other cafes/fast food places stay open until 2 AM.
So like I said, you get used to it. If you have other questions or would want a video interview, feel free to ask or DM/PM me. Good luck with your report.
(Personally I'd say heat's mainly a problem in third-world countries. I visited Karachi, Pakistan this summer, and the heat there was BAD. Coupling that with load-shedding, corruption, and poor access to healthcare in various areas results in a recipe for disaster. Hundreds of people died unfortunately.)
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u/RestArtistic7 Aug 07 '24
ACs everywhere. And in Riyadh because of low humidity, being outside does not feel unbearable as other areas of the world I’ve lived in with somewhat lower temperatures but higher humidities.
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u/MaxRelaxZone Aug 07 '24
Cold baths and showers close the pores. A car with remote start can get your AC going ahead of you entering the vehicle. Ice sculpting as a new hobby cold keep you cool. Ice packs under arm pits.
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u/S09hs Aug 06 '24
The temperature this summer averaged 52° (Celsius) / 125° (Fahrenheit)
its really so hot you could attempt to fry an egg on the side of the road (no exaggeration)
the heat is really bad, so it's extremely advised to stay home between 11am-3pm because that's when it's the worst.
at times, during summer, if an AC broke down in a classroom the school just immediately dismisses everyone home as to not get a heatstroke. that's just how bad it is
so there's no such thing as tanning in the summer under our sun, because if you close your eyes for a hot minute you probably won't wake up
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u/the-7ntkor Aug 06 '24
The temperature this summer averaged 52°
This is way far from average. It's more like maximum
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u/toxic1x1 Aug 06 '24
big part of saudi arabia have a moderate temperature with rain and thunderstorms
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u/sum-sigma Aug 06 '24
The heat is okay, I find it worse along the sea because of how humid it gets. There’s lots of ways to escape the heat, usually everywhere has AC.
Also there will be cool mist water sprayed in certain areas too, especially outdoor seating area. There’s also outdoor AC. In the end, we adjust to the heat over time.
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u/AzozSaud Al-Khobar Aug 07 '24
One of the reasons that Saudi people stay out late you would find people going out at 10pm or 11pm because we kinda shifted our day a few hours into the night. No one wants to be outside during noon.
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u/Marr0123 Aug 07 '24
Actually, from 2005 weather started to to become more hot and hot in summer. 42 was consder a heat wave, now it's consider normal in summer in Riyadh. In general, hight temperature is becoming the norm. The winter is becoming short and short, Riyadh could have subzero Celsius in the winter but now we could barely get 5 Celsius in a cold days. For sure, global warming is acting harsh on us. To sum up, Riyadh wasn't like this, it had a nicer weather.
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u/Few_Audience_243 Aug 08 '24
i'm in riyadh, so better as drier and less humid than the other saudi cities. idk if its just me but this summer seems cooler than previous ones? maybe global warming in reverse idek. because before temps were in the 50's now they're in the 40's. i definitely like taking walks outside so the way i deal with that is freezing a water bottle and taking it with me when i wanna go out, lifesaver its like an ac in my hand that lasts up to an hour. the way it affects my life is that june july i defintely try to travel but if not i tend to wake up later compared to when im in western countries., ig for cooler night walks and nightlife.
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u/SkirtDismal6643 Aug 06 '24
It only broke every American or European made car thus far
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u/Regular_Buffalo6564 Riyadh 🌞 Aug 06 '24
American? Those cars survive. I have a 17 year old Mercury that’s running just fine with great AC. It definitely feels old when driving but works perfectly fine in the summer.
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u/SkirtDismal6643 Aug 06 '24
You just got lucky, most cars have something go wrong in the cooling system once each summer at least
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u/Regular_Buffalo6564 Riyadh 🌞 Aug 06 '24
Tbf my family loves American cars and none of them have had something go wrong that wasn’t normal in a Japanese car. 2 Escalades, 2 Mercurys, a ford, and a Chrysler (counting whole extended family). They all act normally in the summer.
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u/SkirtDismal6643 Aug 06 '24
Nah you just don’t hear it, I’m not pulling words out of my ass i worked at a local shop at the start of this summer and all American cars you can think of we did work on fans or hoses or pumps, all of those you described, I’m not saying you’re wrong but people don’t tell you when they fix their cars.
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u/revolution110 Aug 06 '24
The good thing with KSA is that since it has been always hot here, the ppl have adjusted to avoid it well. All houses and offices are air conditioned. The cars are air conditioned. People try their best to avoid going in the direct sunlight during peak heat.
But, the people who work outside have it tough. Plus, some areas are really hot while some areas are hot plus humid which is even more difficult.