By Hussein Al-Qahtani, spokesman for the Saudi National Meteorological Center (NMC), announced that next year will mark the last Hajj pilgrimage during the summer season.
“The Hajj season will enter a new phase of climate change in 2026, and we won’t see a summer Hajj again for 17 years,” he stated.
Starting in 2026, the Hajj pilgrimage will occur during the spring for eight consecutive years, followed by eight years in the winter. “We will say goodbye to summer Hajj for 16 years,” Al-Qahtani noted, adding that current temperatures during Hajj range from 45 to 47 degrees Celsius.
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Dr. Mansour Al Mazroui, a climate change researcher and Shoura Council member, confirmed that the Hajj season will shift to spring in 2026, followed by a move to winter.
The winter Hajj will begin in the Hijri year 1454 and last until 1461, after which it will transition to fall from 1462 to 1469. “The Hajj seasons will cycle through the four seasons over 33 Hijri years, returning to summer in 1470 for nine years,” Dr. Al Mazroui explained.
