Pilgrims use umbrellas to shade themselves from the sun as they arrive at the base of Mount Arafat during the Haj 2024. Photo: AFP
The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia’s National Meteorological Center (NCM) has announced that Haj 2025 will be the last pilgrimage to occur during the peak summer heat for the next 16 years.
From 2026, the annual pilgrimage will shift into spring and later winter, due to the Islamic lunar calendar’s annual drift of approximately 10 days.
Haj is expected to fall in spring from 2026 to 2033, and in winter from 2034 to 2041, before returning to the summer season in 2042.
This change will offer much-needed respite to millions of pilgrims who have contended with soaring temperatures during previous pilgrimages.
During the 2024 pilgrimage, temperatures in Makkah ranged between 46 degree Celsius and 51 degree Celsius, resulting in more than 2,700 heatstroke cases in a single day and several heat-related fatalities.
During Haj 2024, the Kingdom also introduced 33 new weather monitoring stations and expanded the use of mobile radar technology to enhance real-time climate monitoring across pilgrimage sites.
Haj 2025 is expected to begin on the evening of Friday, June 6, and conclude on the evening of Wednesday, June 12, depending on the sighting of the moon.
Haj takes place annually from the 8th to the 12th of Dhul Hijjah, the twelfth month of the Islamic lunar calendar.
This post was last modified on April 18, 2025 4:16 pm