Saudi Gazette Report

JEDDAH — Dr. Ayman Ghulam, CEO of the National Center of Meteorology (NCM), said that the city of Jeddah was exposed on Nov. 24 to an atmospheric phenomenon that reached the level of an “extreme situation” in comparison to the amount of rain and its time factor.

Addressing a meeting of employees at the headquarters of NCM here on Wednesday, Dr. Ghulam said that the center is currently working on studying this case and comparing it with weather phenomena that affected the regions of the Kingdom over the past years.

“The Kingdom is not immune to extreme weather phenomena, contrary to many other countries in the world. It is evident from observation of the weather phenomena that affected the world recently the reality of extreme weather phenomena as a result of climatic changes,” he said.

Dr. Ghulam affirmed that NCM will harness all its technical, technological and human capabilities to facilitate the mission of the agencies working in the field by providing the most accurate information that will enable these agencies to carry out their field work related to weather phenomena, especially the rainy weather.

Dr. Ghulam said that NCM is proud of its technical and scientific capabilities that enabled it to reach the highest levels of accuracy in monitoring and forecasting weather phenomena.

He said that the meteorological sector in the Kingdom received great attention from the state with unprecedented support, including regulations, laws, technical and technological programs, and qualified human cadres, which enabled the center to make a major leap in the field of monitoring and studying weather and climatic conditions in the Kingdom.

“Today, we are considered as one of the trusted agencies regionally and internationally, achieving successes in regional programs and strengthening this by constantly upgrading our capabilities,” he added.