Within this century, parts of the Middle East, in particular the Persian Gulf region, could be hit with unprecedented events of deadly heat as a result of climate change, according to a study of high-resolution climate models, published Monday. Generally, Jeddah, the Red Sea port city in Western Saudi Arabia and Mecca in the mountains to the south, have more moderate temperatures than in the east coast but I was in Jeddah on 30 June 1995 for the hottest day in 20 years — 48°Celsius (118°Fahrenheit) and higher when humidity is accounted for. In more recent times Jeddah has been hit by extreme floodings and on 22 June 2010 the temperature rose to 52°C (126°F) — the record heat was accompanied by a sandstorm, which triggered power plant blackouts.