“Mawsim al-Balda” (literally, “Season of the Town”) is a unique natural and climatic phenomenon that characterizes the coasts of Hadramaut Governorate. It occurs annually between the 15th and 27th of July.
According to the astronomer Salem Al-Ja’idi, in early May, deep-sea currents originating from the southern hemisphere, known for their cold waters, begin to move. These underwater currents flow towards Africa, the Gulf of Aden, and the Bay of Bengal. This band of currents forms in the deep sea.
However, due to the “monsoon” winds (southwest monsoon) that intensify along the coasts from the “Bir Ali” area in Shabwa Governorate in the west to the “Qusay’r” district in Hadramaut in the east, these water masses are pushed towards the coast in a repetitive process. This leads to a rise and agitation of the sea, bringing the cold, deep currents to the surface (upwelling). As a result, the sea temperature can drop as low as 13 degrees Celsius. In other areas where these currents flow, the cold masses remain at the bottom and do not cause the surface waters to cool due to the absence of strong winds.
