File photo: Salim Matramkot / The Peninsula
Doha: The Qatar Calendar House (QCH) announced that the star of Suhail is set to rise on Saturday, August 24, over Qatar skies, thus marking the start of the Suhail season in Qatar and the rest of the GCC countries.
The Suhail year, as marked by QCH, boasts a number of seasons such as Al-Murabba'iyah, Al-Wasmi, Al-Safri, and Al-Kanna.
Humans, during both ancient and modern times, have relied on the seasons of the Suhail year to know when the season for agriculture and grazing, travelling, and changes in climate would occur.
The Suhail star is also known to signal moderation in weather and the beginning of the seasonal change.
Dr. Bashir Marzouk, astronomer at the Qatar Calendar House, had previously stated to The Peninsula that during Suhail’s rise, temperatures begin a gradual decline that is most noticeable at night, as an old Gulf Arab anecdote would warn of “cold nights and floods” in relation to Suhail.
He also noted that humidity levels also begin to gradually drop until the weather reaches moderation during the Wasmi period, which according to him "is the best period with regards to the weather conditions." The Wasmi period, as per Dr. Marzouk, is projected to occur during early October.
Dr. Marzouk also explained that the star of Suhail is 52 days long, fragmented into 4 periods each lasting 13 days in total, with the temperature drop becoming noticeable with the passing of each period.
Renowned Saudi meteorologist Dr. Khalid Al Zaaq, in discussing the “most famous of Arab seasons,” described Suhail as “the dividing line between the hot summer and the mild autumn.”
On his X account, Dr. Al Zaaq also noted that Suhail’s duration was 52 days, during which the temperature and humidity levels begin to “gradually improve as the days pass.”
