Hussein Al-Qahtani, spokesman for the Saudi National Meteorological Center (NMC), has announced that next year’s Hajj will be the last held during the summer season. “The Hajj season will enter a new phase of climate change during 2026, and we will not experience a summer Hajj again for another 17 years,” he stated.

Al-Qahtani explained that beginning in 2026, the Hajj pilgrimage will take place during the spring season for eight consecutive years, followed by another eight years in the winter season. “We will bid farewell to the summer Hajj for a period of 16 years,” he noted, emphasizing that the current Hajj temperatures range between 45 and 47 degrees Celsius.

Additionally, Dr. Mansour Al Mazroui, a member of the Shoura Council and a researcher in climate change, confirmed that the next Hajj season will still coincide with summer. However, from 2026 onwards, the Hajj will transition to spring for eight years, and subsequently to winter for another eight years. “The Hajj will occur in the winter season starting in the Hijri year 1454, lasting for 8 years until 1461. Then, the Hajj season will occur in the fall between 1462 and 1469,” he elaborated. “Thus, the Hajj will complete its cycle through the four seasons over 33 Hijri years, returning to the summer season in 1470 and remaining there for nine years.”