Khaberni - The executive director of Arab Weather, Mohammed Al-Shaker, said that the weakness of the current rainy season and the absence of effective weather conditions are due to several interconnected scientific reasons that affect the weather systems in the region.
Al-Shaker explained that the first reason is a significant meander in the polar jet stream towards the south of Europe and central Mediterranean Sea and North Africa, which led to the concentration of low pressures in those areas accompanied by heavy rainfall and dense snowfall, while on the other hand, strong high pressures moved towards the east of the Mediterranean Sea and the kingdom, preventing the arrival of rainy systems, according to the Arab Weather site.
He added that the second reason is attributed to the development of the "La Niña" phenomenon in the Pacific Ocean, which is a condition of cooling the waters of the tropical region off the coasts of Peru, leading to a decrease in sea surface temperatures below their normal rates. This has clearly reflected on the region through the intensification of high pressures that act as a barrier preventing the advance of low pressures towards the eastern Mediterranean.
The third reason, according to Al-Shaker, is the unprecedented cooling of the Arabian Sea waters, where the sea is experiencing the strongest cooling phase since 1998 with a decrease in the surface water temperatures to rare levels, a result of changes in wind patterns and regional weather systems. Al-Shaker confirmed that this cooling is not limited to the sea itself but extends its impact to the climate of the Arabian Peninsula, weakening the performance of the autumn season which heavily relies on the warmth of the Arabian Sea water as a primary source of moisture.
