Hail is the coldest, with temperatures dropping to -10 degrees Celsius... Temperature report in Saudi Arabia

The National Center for Meteorology in Saudi Arabia issued a significant climate statistical report on Thursday, highlighting historical temperature records and revealing the lowest temperatures and frost occurrences recorded in various regions of the Kingdom during the winter seasons (December, January, and February). The report covered a 40-year period, from 1985 to 2025, relying on the center's accurate climate database.

Hail breaks records with -10

In a fascinating detail about the Kingdom's climate history, the report revealed that the city of Hail holds the record for the lowest temperature recorded in the Kingdom over the past four decades. The city registered a record low of -10 degrees Celsius on January 16, 2008. The year 2008 is considered exceptional in Saudi Arabia's climate history, as many cities experienced unprecedented waves of severe cold.

Hail was not the only city on the list of extremely cold cities; Al-Qurayyat in the Al-Jawf region came in second, recording -9 degrees Celsius in the same month of 2008. Tarif in the Northern Borders region also recorded -8 degrees Celsius in several years, while Al-Jawf recorded -7 degrees Celsius in February 1989, reflecting the geographical nature of the northern regions, which are directly affected by polar air masses.

List of the coldest cities and their geographical distribution

The report clarified that the severe cold waves were not limited to the north only, but extended to include central and eastern regions of the Kingdom, where very low temperatures were recorded in other major cities during the study period, including:

• Arar: 6.3 degrees Celsius below zero.
• Rafha: 5.8 degrees Celsius below zero.
• Riyadh (the capital): 5.4 degrees Celsius below zero.
• Buraydah: 5 degrees Celsius below zero.
• Tabuk: 4 degrees Celsius below zero.

The center noted that 2008 was the year with the highest recorded minimum temperatures, making it an important climate reference for studying extreme weather cycles in the Arabian Peninsula.

Tarif... the frost capital of the Kingdom

Regarding the phenomenon of frost, which directly affects the agricultural sector and daily life, the report identified the cities most vulnerable to this phenomenon. The northern regions topped the list, with the city of Tarif recording 720 days of frost over the past forty years—a figure reflecting the harsh climate in that border region.

Al-Qurayyat came in second with 588 days of frost, followed by Hail with 339 days, and then Arar with 277 days. Interestingly, the capital, Riyadh, also recorded 46 days of frost, confirming that the central regions are not immune to these extreme weather phenomena.

The importance of the report and future planning

This data is of paramount importance, extending far beyond mere weather monitoring; it forms the cornerstone of the Kingdom's strategic planning. These long-term climate records support research studies, guide urban planning towards adopting thermal insulation standards suitable for extreme temperatures, and are crucial for the agricultural sector in protecting crops from sudden frosts.

This release comes as part of the National Center for Meteorology’s efforts to raise community awareness of the diverse climatic characteristics of the Kingdom’s regions, and to enhance national readiness to deal with weather fluctuations, in line with the great development that the Kingdom is witnessing on all levels.