Details of the start of the winter season in the Arabian Peninsula

Arab Weather - The beginning of "Al-Murabba'aniyah" in the Arabian Peninsula coincides with the onset of cold weather and a change in the weather. The region witnesses heavy rainfall, cold waves, and harsh northerly winds. In the following lines, we will learn about the start date of Al-Murabba'aniyah in the Arabian Peninsula and its most prominent weather features.

The beginning of "Al-Murabba'aniyah"

The beginning of Al-Murabba’aniyah comes after the Al-Wasam season, and the time of its entry varies from one calculation to another. For some, it is at the beginning of December (1 or 3), for others it is December 7 (which is the most likely for the majority), and some consider it to be on December 10, but it is in the first ten days of December for most of the Bedouin people in the Arabian Peninsula and the deserts of the Levant and Iraq.

Winter in the Arabian Peninsula is divided into three seasons:

• The first of these is the "Al-Murabba'aniyah" season, which is the first time of intense cold, coinciding with the rising of the constellations Al-Iklil, Al-Qalb, and Al-Shula.
• Then comes the "Al-Batin" season, which is the time of the peak of the cold or its belly, with the rising of the stars Al-Na'im and Al-Balda, and it is during the second half of January and the beginning of February.
• The "Scorpions" season is the last time of cold weather, with cold stings and moderate times, coinciding with the rising of Saad Al-Dhabih and Saad Bala' during February.

Why is it called "Al-Murabba'aniyah"?

Abdulaziz Al-Hussaini, a researcher in weather and climate sciences and a member of the committee for naming distinctive climatic events in Saudi Arabia, stated that the Al-Murabba’aniyah period includes three stars: Al-Iklil (13 days), Al-Qalb (13 days), and Al-Shula (13 days), totaling 39 days. It is called the Al-Murabba’aniyah of winter because of the number of days in this period from an astronomical perspective, which is close to forty. It begins from the winter solstice until the end of January.

The most prominent weather features during "Al-Murabba'aniyah"

With the rising of the star “Crown of Scorpius” from the eastern side at dawn, the time of the cold season arrives in the Arabian Peninsula. The arrival of the true winter period in the Arabian Peninsula is associated with heavy rainfall, which results in the flow of torrents and valleys, and waves of cold weather, which form frost in the early morning or are accompanied by biting north winds, and they occur alternately between one period and another, as the period between one wave and another does not exceed 3 weeks, according to the Emirates Astronomical Society.

During the forty-day period, the average temperatures are at their lowest levels in the mountainous regions and the deep desert, below 10 degrees Celsius, and below 15 degrees Celsius in all coastal regions, while the highest averages do not exceed 25 degrees Celsius, and the minimum temperatures drop to near zero degrees Celsius or below in the highlands that exceed 2000 meters.

Al-Hussaini said: “These days witness the earliest time for the noon prayer during the year, and the sun is heading towards the south on its way to the Tropic of Capricorn, which means an increase in the share of the night at the expense of the day, and temperatures decrease due to the short duration of the sun’s stay during the day.”