6 days ago
GCC sees 40% surge in rainfall and soaring temperatures amid solar energy boom
The Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries experienced a dramatic 39.6 per cent surge in rainfall in 2023, according to new data from the Statistical Centre for the Cooperation Council for the Arab Countries of the Gulf (GCC-Stat).
Rainfall levels rose to 97.2mm last year, up from 69.7mm in 2022 — although still below the long-term average of 109.6mm recorded between 1980 and 2009.
The sharp rise in precipitation coincided with extreme heat, as the region recorded its highest average temperature in recent years.
GCC rain and heat levels rising
The average maximum temperature hit 48.2°C in 2023, compared to 46.8°C in 2022, while minimum temperatures also climbed, rising from 5°C to 9.5°C.
The number of dams collecting surface water increased modestly to 861 in 2023, up from 854 the year prior.
In parallel, climate monitoring capacity has nearly doubled over the past decade, with 297 monitoring stations in place by 2023, compared to just 161 in 2013.
The region's abundant solar resources are also being put to increasing use. Average daily solar radiation across the GCC ranges from 5.6 to 6.4 W/m², making the region ideally suited for solar power generation.
Electricity production from solar energy has skyrocketed in the past decade — rising from just 0.13 thousand gigawatt-hours in 2013 to 10.8 thousand gigawatt-hours in 2022.
That marks an annual growth rate of 81.1 per cent in solar power generation, while the design capacity of solar plants grew by 94.6 per cent annually over the same period.
These figures signal a rapid shift toward renewable energy adoption, as GCC countries work to diversify their energy mix and reduce dependence on fossil fuels.
All GCC nations have now implemented national strategies for disaster risk reduction, aligned with the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction 2015–2030.
